Being an optimist seems ridiculous right now. Especially because the meaning of the word itself is slipping, amid polite talks of "optimistic" reopening schedules and "optimistic" vaccine timelines. The word has become a euphemism for... delusional. In this inaugural episode of the new podcast of The Cut, host Avery Trufelman tries to navigate what it means to begin a new chapter in 2020. Maybe it doesn't matter if the glass is half empty or half full. Maybe we should just throw the liquid out all together. Or maybe we've all just been defining optimism wrong, and the people who have come to represent optimism incarnate have a lot to teach us.

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