Well, it turns out there is a word for it–this strategy of control, which leads to an ironic optimism:
The Word Spy – defensive pessimism
“A strategy that anticipates a negative outcome and then takes steps to avoid that outcome….”
Intriguing how this strategy reduces anxiety for some and increases it for others…. There’s the real lesson: the absence of an objective signification for any term, situation, strategy….
This term is a good fit for my “toolbox” approach to teaching. An important tool, here, for all those melancholy, back-door optimists.
Also: What uses could a dictionary like Word Spy be put to in teaching vocabulary in schools? Is there any way high schoolers could perceive and enjoy the fun of a dictionary like this (dedicated to neologisms), where the play and vitality and lability of language is uppermost….