Woebegone [woh-bi-gawn, -gon]:
beset with woe; affected by woe, especially in appearance.
Makes me think of: News from Lake Wobegon and A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor. An ongoing radio play about life in a fictional small Minnesota town.
The Lake Wobegon effect, a natural human tendency to overestimate one’s capabilities, was coined by Professor David G Myers in honour of the fictional town. The characterization of the fictional location, where “all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average,” has been used to describe a real and pervasive human tendency to overestimate one’s achievements and capabilities in relation to others.
* Image found on: thecapitolheights.com