I would defy anyone to distinguish between the smirk the article describes - "a half-smile where one side of the lip lifts slightly" from the google definition of smirk - "a facial expression characterized by a subtle, often one-sided, upward curving of the mouth, often without showing teeth."
Article goes on to say the same smirk is also a non-narcissist's sign of satisfaction at seeing justice served.
So will you be the Psych 101 student who is suddenly a psychoanalyst and labels people because they smirk, or will you understand that something you saw on lemmy doesn't equip you to judge anyone?
In the early 60s my teenage cousin constantly held a "transistor radio" like this up to her ear, listening to top 40 stations. I bet it sounded similar.
No confusion at all, I was talking about car company bailouts only, since the other person mentioned "all the bailouts US car manufacturers received". I think the Bush/Obama thing you're referring to was TARP, which was for financial institutions.
To clarify, the bailouts of US car companies were Chrysler around 1980 and GM and Chrysler around 2008. To help them avoid bankruptcy and the resulting loss of jobs, they received loan guarantees (like having a cosigner) and direct loans, all of which they paid back. I think the public generally has a misconception that a corporate "bailout" means they just giving them money, but it doesn't.
Note - I'm not trying to convince you not to hate corporations, and there's no need for a lecture on how evil they are, I know they are. Just clarifying that one topic.
Go to meetup.com, look for subjects you're interested in, and find a local meetup to join. Can be almost anything - wine tasting, board games, gardening, whatever. Pretty much any hobby or professional interest. I met my D&D game group that way before COVID and we're still playing weekly. There are even meetups just to hang out in a group.
The difference between their self-image and what they project makes them interesting. I think a lot of apparent extroverts actually feel socially inadequate and compensate for it by over-socializing. They need a constant stream of reassurance that nobody knows how introverted they are. Sometimes it makes them high maintenance, but they make up for it by being fun to be around, which they're great at.
I would just turn the machine back on and wait longer.