The post-apocalyptic optimism of The Postman

In my review of the post-apocalyptic anthology Wastelands, I described
the ironically optimistic nature of stories about the end of the world
as we know it:

The fact that there are any stories to tell means that something has
survived. In a way, these aren't end-of-the-world stories at all,
because the world doesn't really end—or rather, the world ends, but
humanity carries on. These are post-apocalyptic stories, and
their focus is not on destruction, but rebuilding. That hopefulness...