Heartwarming stories are few and far between these days. The news is full of hate crimes, mass shooting and political turmoil.

But when a heartwarming story does find its way into the headlines, it sure does feel good.

That is until the story is exposed as a dirty scheme and all the hope and joy you felt is crushed.

I’m talking about the recent developments in the story regarding a New Jersey couple, a homeless veteran and a GoFundMe page.

The story began last fall when Johnny Bobbitt Jr. bought Katie McClure a tank of gas with his last $20. The woman and her boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, then set up the GoFundMe to help repay the man. They raised over $400,000.

“How nice,” we all thought in our naiveté. It was a much simpler time back then.

But the story took a darker turn this August when Bobbitt sued McClure and D’Amico, claiming they were spending most of the money on themselves and withholding his share.

This was the first blow to those of us who found the original story heartwarming. Surely it couldn’t get worse.

But wait!

It turns out the whole thing was a scam. The heartwarming story of a young couple and a homeless veteran brought together by kindness and generosity was anything but.

The true story is of a young couple and a homeless veteran brought together by greed and selfishness.

All three of them were charged with second-degree conspiracy and theft by deception, and could face 10 to 20 years in prison.

As a result of this development, I am pronouncing joy dead. We can no longer afford to feel joy or any other positive emotions in the spur of the moment.

Every time you see a heartwarming story, stop and think about if it’s worth getting swept up in. I’m not suggesting never feeling happy, but just warning everyone to be careful.

You never know what good thing could turn out to be bad.

One of the dogs from the dog rating Twitter account might be running a puppy mill. This is unlikely, but in the age of viral stories, it’s not impossible.

Before you latch on to a happy anecdote or retweet a video of a kid yodeling inside a store, ask yourself if you’re willing to be disappointed at some point. You probably will be.

Adam Tumino is a junior journalism major. He can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].