WW, we were thinking alike on this; cliché was the closest thing I could think of. "That old chestnut" did come to mind, but didn't seem to quite fit the bill, either. I guess I was thinking of "angst" being used somewhat along the lines of how even a half-baked TV show will now say something about how any adult with any problem can blame it on having had a rough childhood; I have seen angst used so often that it now brings me (perhaps inappropriately) a mental image of a horde of millions complaining about their angst. And every last one of them may genuinely feel it. But it makes me think, "Well, then, get up and DO something about it, or be quiet so I don't have to listen to it any more". Cold-hearted, that's me!
