The cost of tuition fees is enough to make almost anyone want to cry
Understandably, many individuals feel compelled to maintain a certain public image, especially when it comes to their Internet presence. This individual identifies as emo, which for them implies they are never allowed to be cheerful. So when someone took a photo of them smiling, they requested James Fridman’s aid in making them appear unhappy.
James doesn’t just think that any old sadness will suffice–the person needs to be empathizing for a reason. That’s why he made the guy in his edit look emo; it wasn’t enough for him to simply add a thought bubble. Now, the dude looks sad, like James wanted, but it’s because he was thinking about how expensive tuition fees are instead.