donnie_darko
Phoenix
Joined: Nov 27, 2009
Age: 23
Posts: 1794
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 Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 5:39 pm Post subject: Do you ever get sick of cynics/misanthropes? |
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| I'm not saying I've never felt cynical/misanthropic before, but isn't the attitude itself kind of just becoming a part of the problem? I don't feel most people are inherently self-serving, I actually think it's the perception that strangers are selfish that makes other people act more selfish. Sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy. I think people who are naturally selfish are a minority and mostly suffer from various psychological ailments and disorders. |
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roronoa79
Raven
Joined: Jan 23, 2012
Age: 21
Posts: 112
Location: Zionsville, USA
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| Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 6:09 pm Post subject: |
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People are self-serving. We all worry about our personal happiness and security first. If we didn't do this, we would die. Many people just so happen to gain personal joy from bringing joy to others. This applies to you and me and everyone else. It is not necessarily a bad thing.
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And what exactly is a dream?
And what exactly is a joke? |
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SpiritBlooms
Phoenix
Joined: Nov 15, 2009
Posts: 1024
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| Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 6:48 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, I think the attitude is part of the problem. It's self-perpetuating. I like the old saying you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. If you act as if you don't like people, people will likely react in kind, and then you feel justified not liking them.
I've had plenty of bad results from attempts at friendship, problems with people, here and there all my life. Mostly by those who don't tolerate my being different very well. But I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, and I find that pays off in some truly memorable positives in my life - hopefully in others' lives as well.
That said, I'm not a cheerful, perky person. I don't smile that much - except my public persona has developed this pasted on smile look that I detest, but let's not get into that. This not being a cheer leader type can be taken as misanthropy by people who are rigid in their thinking. Being told to smile can get to you, or being told you're too quiet. It can lead to negative encounters. This might be how the attitude develops to begin with and then becomes a self-perpetuating, life-is-a-nightmare, let's-get-it-all-over-with experience. Once that's gone on for very long, it's not going to be easy to talk someone down from an attitude of misanthropy or cynicism. And frankly, I don't think it's my business to. But I do my best to not allow encounters with me to be too negative if I'm in a frame of mind where I can help it. :-/ |
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slave
Always stuck between 13-38Hz and tired of it.
Joined: Feb 29, 2012
Age: 100
Posts: 1320
Location: Dystopia Planetia
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| Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 6:59 pm Post subject: Re: Do you ever get sick of cynics/misanthropes? |
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| donnie_darko wrote: | | I'm not saying I've never felt cynical/misanthropic before, but isn't the attitude itself kind of just becoming a part of the problem? I don't feel most people are inherently self-serving, I actually think it's the perception that strangers are selfish that makes other people act more selfish. Sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy. I think people who are naturally selfish are a minority and mostly suffer from various psychological ailments and disorders. |
Many of the individuals who hate the human world have VERY VERY good reasons for our hatred.
People who believe that man is inherently good are delusional.
I am personally sick of optimists who are either ignorant of the real world or in deep denial.
I am not direct these statements against you. 
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Since the birth of civilization, masters have controlled the masses.Our Masters rule over every nation and no one can defy them.They will attain Absolute Power as we reach the Singularity. Any who resist will be destroyed.I will not resist. |
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SpiritBlooms
Phoenix
Joined: Nov 15, 2009
Posts: 1024
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| Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 7:20 pm Post subject: Re: Do you ever get sick of cynics/misanthropes? |
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| slave wrote: | | donnie_darko wrote: | | I'm not saying I've never felt cynical/misanthropic before, but isn't the attitude itself kind of just becoming a part of the problem? I don't feel most people are inherently self-serving, I actually think it's the perception that strangers are selfish that makes other people act more selfish. Sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy. I think people who are naturally selfish are a minority and mostly suffer from various psychological ailments and disorders. |
Many of the individuals who hate the human world have VERY VERY good reasons for our hatred.
People who believe that man is inherently good are delusional.
I am personally sick of optimists who are either ignorant of the real world or in deep denial.
I am not direct these statements against you. |
Humanity definitely has a problem with power when it works in opposition to love and cooperation, that is, or out of greed. I believe each of us has a shadow, and that there's a collective Shadow. We need to acknowledge that. I also think that humanity has overpopulated the planet to a rather sick degree. But isn't imbalance in that direction, of only seeing the shadow, as blind as imbalance in the direction of optimism? |
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Subotai
Phoenix
Joined: Sep 25, 2010
Posts: 1036
Location: 日本
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| Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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Misanthropes wear on my patience, cynics on the other hand I prefer over foolish idealists.
Many here might consider me a cynic from my posts, they would be wrong.
I'm a realist, and reality is beautiful enough as it is without romanticism. Idealists are on a dead end road.
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AceOfSpades
Deeds not words
Joined: Feb 12, 2006
Posts: 3647
Location: Sean Penn, Cambodia
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| Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 10:34 pm Post subject: |
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| I can't help being cynical and I do catch myself being overly assuming but yeah the hardcore cynics get on my nerves. At some point you're gonna have to outgrow your teenage angst. |
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donnie_darko
Phoenix
Joined: Nov 27, 2009
Age: 23
Posts: 1794
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| Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 11:43 pm Post subject: |
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| AceOfSpades wrote: | | I can't help being cynical and I do catch myself being overly assuming but yeah the hardcore cynics get on my nerves. At some point you're gonna have to outgrow your teenage angst. |
Exactly. |
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abacacus
Rock 'N Roll Outlaw
Joined: Apr 16, 2007
Age: 21
Posts: 3322
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 12:17 am Post subject: |
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Nope. I find rational thought and reason quite enjoyable.
_________________
A shot gun blast into the face of deceit
You'll gain your just reward.
We'll not rest until the purge is complete
You will reap what you've sown. |
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johansen
Deinonychus
Joined: May 16, 2011
Age: 24
Posts: 321
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 12:22 am Post subject: |
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| abacacus wrote: | | Nope. I find rational thought and reason quite enjoyable. |
same here.
"isn't the attitude itself kind of just becoming a part of the problem?"
no, the attitude is necessary to avoid making the same mistakes again. |
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heavenlyabyss
Phoenix
Joined: Sep 10, 2011
Posts: 530
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 12:29 am Post subject: |
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| Some people just like to argue. I like to argue for the argument. I look for weird little holes in people's thought patterns that they never care to notice or acknowledge. I like to go on tangents like this one and I like to say things that others are too afraid to say. But I try not to be a jerk about it, although occasionally I cross the line. |
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abacacus
Rock 'N Roll Outlaw
Joined: Apr 16, 2007
Age: 21
Posts: 3322
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 12:48 am Post subject: |
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| heavenlyabyss wrote: | | Some people just like to argue. I like to argue for the argument. I look for weird little holes in people's thought patterns that they never care to notice or acknowledge. I like to go on tangents like this one and I like to say things that others are too afraid to say. But I try not to be a jerk about it, although occasionally I cross the line. |
But being a jerk can be fun! 
_________________
A shot gun blast into the face of deceit
You'll gain your just reward.
We'll not rest until the purge is complete
You will reap what you've sown. |
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CSBurks
Phoenix
Joined: Apr 30, 2012
Posts: 665
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 1:39 am Post subject: |
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I am a misanthrope.
I guess I hate what I don't understand -- which is other people! |
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Declension
Phoenix
Joined: Jan 21, 2012
Posts: 1656
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 2:39 am Post subject: |
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I strongly dislike a certain type of cynic, which I might call the "George Carlin" type since they all seem to worship George Carlin. These people are just intellectually lazy. They have an unshakeable conviction that they can see through the lies and that everyone else is an ignorant sheep. But when you actually talk to them about the important questions, you discover that they are extremely misinformed about most topics.
Here's how I personally feel about the state of humanity: there are good aspects and there are bad aspects. A brave person accepts the bad aspects, but makes it their life's mission to nurture the good aspects, so that the good aspects will shine through when the moment requires it. A coward looks at the bad aspects and just gives up, never acknowledging the good aspects, because to acknowledge the good aspects would be to admit that they could be spending their time making the world a better place instead of spending their time feeling clever. |
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