"Me, the little mouse" These are tickets that resonate deeply with people's emotions, especially in this era of constant change. The little mouse knows that there's so little it can grasp, we can't control anything. The little mouse embodies a tolerance that "allows vulnerability, allows the acknowledgment of weakness," an understanding of loneliness and collective resonance. In psychology, there's a "pessimistic armor theory," the core idea of which is the concept of "defensive pessimism" proposed by psychologist Julie Norem: when an individual anticipates a worst-case scenario, they are essentially adding a psychological buffer; when the outcome is better than expected, the individual is more likely to gain a sense of control. Those who say, "I'm definitely going to mess this up," may not actually be unsure; they're just stating the worst possible outcome first—mess up? No problem, I already said I'm a stupid little mouse. This "self-deprecating humor" is much easier than stubbornly insisting "I can do it," because as long as the result is even slightly better than "the little mouse's expectations," it feels like a huge bargain. Exhaustion, anger, scathing complaints, being overwhelmed by work—these emotions are perfectly portrayed by the mouse. The "rat" uses identity recognition and emotional resonance to spread rapidly across everyone's social media, turning emo into a "rat porridge." Although the lives of "rat people" don't seem particularly positive or "high-energy," more and more young people are actively adopting "rat status," with phrases like "It's me, a rat..." going viral online. People are increasingly accepting of the little rats who originally lived in the sewers, showing more tolerance, understanding, and even emulation towards the hardworking rats. More people are entering this seemingly less-than-positive energy field. Regardless of their identity or past experiences, it seems that all negative emotions can be accepted and understood here. Some might question: Isn't the core of the "rat spirit" a form of withdrawal and low expectations? Young research scholar and anthropologist Xiang Biao reminds us that the rat's curled-up posture is precisely a thermometer of systemic stress. Moderately low expectations leave oneself a way to maneuver in a high-pressure system; and this way of "retreating" is precisely practicing the heroism defined by Romain Rolland—an honesty of "recognizing reality and continuing to live".