Toronto, Oct 15 (THAINDIAN NEWS) You can whine and complain all you want today without any guilt and misgivings. As today, October 15th is the National Grouch Day.

Today is the National Grouch Day, the singular 24-hour period when having a case of “the Mondays” is not merely allowed, but encouraged.

“When you look at the complexity of modern everyday life, the temptation is to be completely cynical,” Robert J. Thompson, a professor of popular culture at Syracuse University in New York, said.

“Yet, most of us, for whatever reason — manners, or wanting to be liked, or how we were brought up — generally don’t feel comfortable expressing that disdain all the time. So, in some ways, the grouch is the cultural mercenary we hire to say all the things we’re thinking.”

This ‘grouchy’ phenomenon is most evident in the popularity of the anti-hero, villainous character on television, where such ornery characters as Dr. Gregory House, Grey’s Anatomy’s Dr. Miranda “the Nazi” Bailey, and American Idol’s sarcastic judge Simon Cowell have emerged as surly stars in a cast of pleasant characters.

“When you see someone who’s really grouchy, you get this urge to cheer them up. It’s just like seeing a wounded animal you want to nurse back to health,” Mr. Thompson said of the TV characters’ appeal.

“Real-life grouches are much less lovable. They’re grumpy, they bring the temperature of the room down, they see the dark side of everything and they don’t have any scriptwriters to redeem them in the end.”

Karen Tober, a receptionist from Edmonton, admits that she’s “a natural born grouch” who’s been known to complain that the sun is too bright. But after coming to terms with the negative impact her negative outlook was having on those around her and her present environment, she began making strides towards a positive change.

“While one of my favorite creatures on TV is House, I certainly don’t think it fitting to celebrate his nasty attitude,” Ms. Tober said. “On TV, it seems to inspire the folks around him to rise to a higher level. In the world around us, I’m not sure it has the same effect.”