Mr. Dixon of UBS Warburg characterized Sir Martin's forecast of a shallow recovery as "a more somber outlook than some others," adding, "He's trying to be very cautious and manage down expectations".
Aren't we split in our expectations between wanting a somber, classy, respectful, art-loving event and wanting a juicy, scandalous, gossip-producing disaster?
The intent, I assume, was to play against the expectations of eloquence — to be somber, workmanlike, practical, austere.
It offers a somber reminder of the true cost of rigid expectation around gender and relationships.
A number of Larkin's better-known poems create a somber portrait of a postwar England of diminished expectations, urban sprawl and deadening routine — a "rented world" of "cheap suits, red kitchen-ware, sharp shoes, iced lollies,/Electric mixers, toasters, washers, driers —/A cut-price crowd, urban yet simple, dwelling/Where only salesmen and relations come".
When a game begins with the somber warning "Due to the graphic nature of this game, player discretion is advised," expectations run high.
Generally speaking, when you hear a mournful folk melody played on a violin as the lights go down at the theater, it is wise to set aside any expectations of frothy pleasures — debonair quipping, pratfalling, tap-dancing chorus girls — and prepare for something more somber.
