“...Happiness, American style, is a zero-sum game, sir. ... For someone to be happy, he must measure his happiness against someone else's unhappiness, a process which most certainly works in reverse. If I said I was happy, someone else must be unhappy, most likely one of you. But if I said I was unhappy, that might make some of you happier, but it would also make you uneasy, as no one is supposed to be unhappy. ...While only the pursuit of happiness is promised to all Americans, unhappiness is guaranteed for many. (255)”
―
Viet Thanh Nguyen,
The Sympathizer