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Cynicism is Intellectual Cowardice ... a Cop-Out to Rationalize Fear and Laziness
Cynicism Is Not Smart, Sophisticated or Detached … It’s a Cop-Out
Preface: Obviously, giving up cynicism and getting active doesn’t mean adopting phony hopium. It means abandoning both fear and laziness – on the one hand – and false hope on the other.
In other words, question authority and be cynical of those in power. But don't be cynical of the desirability - and necessity - of acting to challenge the destructive or criminal acts of those in power.
We have overwhelming numbers (and see this). If we worked together we would win.
Why aren’t we?
A large reason that we are failing is that people are copping out … by adopting a cynical attitude.
Many of us pretend that we are too smart to think anything can change. Too smart to get emotionally involved in the destruction of our prosperity or our liberties.
“Cynicism is nothing but intellectual cowardice”.
- Henry Rollins
“Cynicism is not realistic and tough. It’s unrealistic and kind of cowardly because it means you don’t have to try.”
- Peggy Noonan
“A cynic is a coward …. Cynicism always takes the easy way out. It is a form of laziness that provides someone with an excuse for not making any attempt to change the world …. Cynicism is a way to hide …. Cynics are afraid …. So, instead, they pass judgment on anyone who is trying to make a difference. They ridicule the efforts of individuals and organizations that are working hard under incredibly difficult circumstances …. Being cynical is often thought of as being composed and detached. It is considered to be a sign of sophistication. Cynics are mistakenly given credit for possessing a deep awareness regarding the limits of what humans can accomplish which is somehow lacking in those who spend their time in passionate efforts to change the world …. Being filled with cynicism is indeed a cowardly and sad way to go through life. ”
- Michael Crawley
We’ve previously noted:
The ironic thing is that if all of the people who think of themselves as cynics or skeptics made noise, things would instantly change for the better. In other words, the millions upon millions of cynics/skeptics/self-described “realists” aren’t raising a ruckus against the fraud being committed by the giant banks, the corruption of our political system, or the lawlessness and imperial arrogance of our military-industrial complex because they think things can’t change.
But by staying silent, they are actually creating the conditions in which nothing can change.
If the millions of cynics woke up to the fact that they are a huge group – especially when combined with the people who are already actively working for the restoration of a democratic republic, justice, and the rule of law – they would suddenly realize that collectively we can change things in a heart beat.
***
Skepticism, cynicism and “realism” is an act of fear, of cowardice, of apathy. Because if the skeptics just got off their backsides and made some noise, things would change.
The Real Hero Fights Without Knowing Whether Or Not He’ll Succeed
The optimist – whether a person of faith or plain old positive temperament – is sure that he’ll succeed.
The pessimist - i.e. the cynic - is sure he'll fail. Indeed, the powers-that-be try to instill pessimism (see number 2) so that we won't try.
But the truth is that we never know in advance whether we’ll win or not.
How do we know if what we’re doing will really have an effect or not? How do we know if we are being called upon to struggle in order to succeed in changing things for the better … or for the heck of it?
***
We are called upon as part of our core purpose to struggle to try to make the world a better place. But we are not privy to fruits of our actions. We are not granted a view of the future … we will never know how many people we will help, and how we will change the course of history.
We are called upon to struggle, but we can never know the end result of our efforts … that is not for us mere mortals to know.
Chris Hedges – the Pulitizer-prize winning reporter who challenged the indefinite detention law and amazingly succeeded against all odds in having a judge strike down that law, saying:
None of us thought we would win.
Another judge – amazingly – halted all nuclear construction and licenses until disposal risks are addressed.
They didn’t know until they tried whether or not they could win.
And – even if we lose the immediate battle – we will help win a long-term war. Specifically – as bad as things are (and yes, we know things are getting worse) – they would be much worse if millions of people worldwide hadn’t struggled.
As Hedges writes:
The battles that must be fought may never be won in our lifetime. And there will always be new battles to define our struggle. Resistance to tyranny and evil is never ending.
So how can we fight not knowing whether we’ll succeed?
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote:
The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise.
Hellen Keller pointed out:
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
And Czech leader Vaclav Havel said:
Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out.
Go Viral … It’s Contagious
Courage is contagious (and as scared as we may be of the powers-that-be, they're terrified of us as well.)
So is the ability to think.
As we’ve previously noted:
[Studies show ] that even one dissenting voice can give people permission to think for themselves. Specifically:
Solomon Asch, with experiments originally carried out in the 1950s and well-replicated since, highlighted a phenomenon now known as “conformity”. In the classic experiment, a subject sees a puzzle like the one in the nearby diagram: Which of the lines A, B, and C is the same size as the line X? Take a moment to determine your own answer…The gotcha is that the subject is seated alongside a number of other people looking at the diagram – seemingly other subjects, actually confederates of the experimenter. The other “subjects” in the experiment, one after the other, say that line C seems to be the same size as X. The real subject is seated next-to-last. How many people, placed in this situation, would say “C” – giving an obviously incorrect answer that agrees with the unanimous answer of the other subjects? What do you think the percentage would be?
Three-quarters of the subjects in Asch’s experiment gave a “conforming” answer at least once. A third of the subjects conformed more than half the time.
Get it so far? People tend to defer to what the herd thinks.
But here’s the good news:
Adding a single dissenter – just one other person who gives the correct answer, or even an incorrect answer that’s different from the group’s incorrect answer – reduces conformity very sharply, down to 5-10%.
Why is this important? Well, it means that one person who publicly speaks the truth can sway a group of people away from group-think.
If a group of people is leaning towards believing the government’s version of events, a single person who speaks the truth can help snap the group out of its trance.
There is an important point here regarding the web, as well. The above-cited article states that:
When subjects can respond in a way that will not be seen by the group, conformity also drops.What does that mean? Well, on the web, many people post anonymously. The anonymity gives people permission to “respond in a way that will not be seen by the group”. But most Americans still don’t get their news from the web, or only go to mainstream corporate news sites.
Away from the keyboard, we are not very anonymous. So that is where the conformity dynamic — and the need for courageous dissent — is vital. It is doubly important that we apply the same hard-hitting truthtelling we do on the Internet in our face-to-face interactions; because it is there that dissent is urgently needed.
Bottom line: Each person‘s voice has the power to snap entire groups out of their coma of irrational group-think. So go forth and be a light of rationality and truth among the sleeping masses.
And a recent study shows that when only 10% of a population have strongly-held beliefs, their belief will often be adopted by the majority of the society.
This is true of soldiers as well as civilians. Indeed, if the soldiers, sailors, seals, flyboys, intel operatives and law enforcement officers wake up to what is really happening, things would change overnight.
Some historical quotes may be helpful in illustrating the importance of struggling to make things better …
It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
- Robert F . Kennedy
We must never despair; our situation has been compromising before; and it changed for the better; so I trust it will again. If difficulties arise; we must put forth new exertion and proportion our efforts to the exigencies of the times.
- George Washington
There is no act too small, no act too bold. The history of social change is the history of millions of actions, small and large, coming together at points in history and creating a power that governments cannot suppress.
- Howard Zinn
If you don’t like the news, go out and make some news of your own.
- Scoop Nisker
To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.
- Bruce Lee
»
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more for the mill.
1913, the vanerlip plan. rejected by wilson
who had to beat support for the plan out of
the senate.
Boston Evening Transcript - Oct 24, 1913
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2249&dat=19131024&id=ARsnAAAAIBAJ&...
.
http://www.bos.frb.org/about/pubs/begin.pdf
chapter 2, passage by congress.
.
Kirby Ferguson: Embrace the remix
https://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/kirby_ferguson_embrace_the_remix.html
Maybe it's wiser to learn to love Big Brother.....
Spoken like a true serf. Enjoy your prison...
great post and comments imho.
here a link very much to the point.
the spirit of it i think can be appreciated by
all who take the time to think about it.
we are all free to express our nature or
condition, whatever that may be. that is just
a natural fact or natural law. whatever one's
condition that is what will be expressed.
the expression is not the important thing
though, it is the condition which the expression
reveals , where the work is accomplished. ?
patients , tolerance , pacing , joy etc.
all seem to be essential ingredient. it takes
time..." civilization wasn't built in a day."
or something like that... anyway, see what you
think.
.
http://www.aapsonline.org/brochures/isaiah.htm
ISAIAH’S JOB
by Albert J. Nock
. reprinted in part without permission
.."Concerning all this, too, the prophet of the present knows precisely as much and as little as the historian of the future; and that, I repeat, is what makes his job seem to me so profoundly interesting. One of the most suggestive episodes recounted in the Bible is that of a prophet's attempt the only attempt of the kind on record, I believe to count up the Remnant. Elijah had fled from persecution into the desert, where the Lord presently overhauled him and asked what he was doing so far away from his job. He said that he was running away, not because be was a coward, but because all the Remnant had been killed off except himself. He had got away only by the skin of his teeth, and, he being now all the Remnant there was, if he were killed the True Faith would go flat. The Lord replied that he need not worry about that, for even without him the True Faith could probably manage to squeeze along somehow if it had to; ``and as for your figures on the Remnant,'' He said, ``I don't mind telling you that there are seven thousand of them back there in Israel whom it seems you have not heard of, but you may take My word for it that there they are.''" ....
Yes, God works through the reminant! I remeber the parable about the dead stump with a green shoot coming out as a promise of restoration. Good post!
Given the voluminous responses, the message delivered is simply this:
DO SOMETHING, NO MATTER HOW STUPID, WORTHLESS, PATHETIC, HOPELESS, IGNORANT, UNPLANNED, IDIOTIC. TAKE ACTION. DOING NOTHING AND COMPLAINING IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT.
+1
"We have overwhelming numbers (and see this). If we worked together we would win.
Why aren’t we?"
Who is "we"? I may read your blog, but I'm not about to go to work for your anti US line of bullshit. Want to see what a successfull movement looks like? Then skip the lessons on debate tactics and proper attitude, and research the 2010 American elections. If enough Americans are actually moved by an argument, a proactive groundswell can be risen within months. Your message just doesn't have the jazz, George.
Wherein GW's article does he make reference or even imply that it is strictly anti U.S? Project much? I find it telling you cite the 2010 elections, if it was such a defining moment in this administrations term, then please enlighten me, what changed?
Concur 2010 elections will loom large in 2012. Screw Red & Blue. I'm Green (Tea Party). Fiscal conservatism; strong borders; stronge defense; limited Fed Government; balanced budget; pension reform; prison time for Atty Gen Holder; repeal ObamaCare. Prison time for Krugman (ok, got a little carried away there; just repo his Nobel prize) : )
"From my house I can see November"
ROMNEY/RYAN 2012 !!
Even if they win, nothing, absolutely nothing will change. The march towards a socialist 1984 style society will goosestep onwards. It'll be the same freedom killing shit only with different labels.
Sure, because Romney and Ryan are really going to keep your interests in mind over those of their corporate overlords who are pulling the strings behind the curtain...
http://truth-out.org/news/item/10927-on-the-news-with-thom-hartmann-congress-has-its-lowest-approval-rating-ever-recorded-and-more The election that cost 300 million dollars, that left a Congress with 10% approval rating.
Politics is a dog and pony show.
One thing needed is a new social network. George Soros, Blankfein, and others who are investing in FB of late - a site that makes no moneys tells me that those who are presenting their views on FB is going to get them labeled as malcontents.
MSM is a hollywood script.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/investing/9477239/George-Soros-likes-Facebook-with-10m-investment.html
Did you read the news exposing the jet engine found at the WTC site was out of a different jetliner than crashed into the building?
That a hijacker's passport survived intact 6 blocks away ground zero?
That Building 7 fell for no reason and was a distance away from the twin towers?
http://rememberbuilding7.org/10/
Come to your country's aid. It has given you a good life. Now it's time to give back.
Americans want to restore our liberties. Stop crony capitalism/socialism/fascism. End (or substantially rein in) the Fed. Stop the imperial wars of impression.
That's what the American people - the Tea Party, Occupy, and all Americans - want (and
see this).
That is totally American, not anti-American.
Do you agree? If so, I would be greatful for a jazzed-up version.
If not, your values are not in line with those of the American people.
cyncism reveals truth where optimists are deluded to see it.
what American people want is not what they are going to get. American people are brainwashed into thinking they are special...they are not unelss they are part of 0.1% elite.
Tea Party is paid for by Koch brothers.
Occupy Wall St....typical American optimism...thinking protests work. Vietnam protests included much more people and much more blood....yet war didn't end.
Can you shut down Nazis by protesting?
Don't you know that elites own the system and is capable of destroying you when they have demonstrated they can destroy lives abroad without any remorse?
Over 50% of Americans are so god damn stupid they couldn't even get a shitty college degree.
and Rest of 40% get college degree in bull shit at bullshit colleges.
90% of American are happy to just exist, consume, and do what they are told. They are 3rd generation Americans....far removed from pains of the 1st gen of great depression. They are optimistic, but spoiled.
Stop crony capitalism? hahah...that's like a mobster's wife telling the mobster not to use family money for gambling, when the family money comes from contract killings!
Do you know why you enjoy high standard of living compared to slaves around the world? Because US enslaves others. Yes, US is an empire. Citizens of a ruling empire cannot complain about elites of an empire while enjoying the fruits of war, invasions, imperialism, etc.
go read some history and see the true meaning behind "liberty"
hint: only those in position of power enjoy liberty...everyone else is under control while deluding they are free.
Where did you get all these "facts" about Americans? Barclays? ADL? Clear Channel? Obama? With EU poised to do it all again, and US having had it up to HERE with our theiving allies, who have always blamed us for their failings, you should be sure about what you're saying.
uhh...EU was never America's Ally.
Do you know what America did to Europe after the WWII? We gave them loans like we used IMF on Latin American countries....
Now, EU paid back all of their loans and now posed to threaten US Dollar hegemony with Euro.
Rumsfield armed Sadaam and shook his hand, then we killed him. In war, there are no allies....just diplomacy for the time bein.g
What makes you think Sadam is dead? The Marshall plan introduced the longest period of peace Europe has had in over 300 years. For what it cost my country I would not have intervened, but I have the benefit of hindsight. Now they pay us back by blaming us for their current self inflicted socialist disaster and conducting massive economic warfare against us? Goodbye Eurasia.
It seems most posting here are convinced that they are one of the very few that has a clue and everyone else is a total dumb ass. I'm sure there is a good term for that. Of course I have had employees over many years that were also absolutely convinced that they had it going on and I was the dumb ass. I wonder what ever happened to those guys? I think cynicism is an excuse to bitch and do nothing. It has worked wonderfully on the black americans over the years. Tell them every day of their lives that the white man is holding them down, that it is useless, and then wonder why they seem to not even try. We don't need no chains when we have cynicism.
Maybe if you watched something other than NBC & Couric, you'd realize you don't know shit about the Tea Party. Never met the Koch Bros.
Free free to crawl out of yo mama's basement anytime to lose those 80 extra lbs. of fat; talk to a "real" woman; and get yo refill of Rogaine. How's your mama Nancy Pelosi doing these days??
(gotta run now and practice my "goose-steppin")
"From my house I can see November"
ROMNEY/RYAN 2012 !!
you sure like sucking koch.
find out where Americans For Prosperity's funding comes from.
Tea Party was hijacked by AFP to exploit populism against bank bail outs for Koch brother's own agenda.
You seriously want Ms. folksy white trash Sarah Palin with the nuclear switch?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JjQxPJOAfg
Tea Party FOUNDER himself bailed out of the party once it got hijacked. Hijacked like Hitler hijacked "socialism" just or populism power grab.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmzH5hlsGfo
You will hear NONE of the following objectives by the current Tea Party:
1) Ending Homeland Security
2) Ending the Patriot Act
3) Ending unwarranted eavesdropping on American citizens
4) Ending corporate control of all gov't agencies
5) Complete oversight by Congress of the Fed or ending the? Fed
6) Bringing back iron-clad regulations on Big Banking (Glass-Steagall, Usury Laws, etc.)
7) Stopping military invasions and occupations of sovereign nations and reducing bases around the world.
Real Tea Partiers went to Ron Paul....only idiots were left....to chant against obamacare when the priority #1 should be against bank bailouts of TRILLIONS.
Your message doesn't hve the jazz either, Aldo.
I do agree that PEACEFUL resistance, dissent, and argument is what Americans do as well as any other earthly citizens......... but I smell a more than a whiff of instigation towards class warfare in you message. The evil elite, the psy-ops shadow g-men, the imperialsts dogs....... what are you trying to whip up? And you last statement, the one where you try to single me out and make me feel my opinon is meaningless? What # was that in your list of argument disruption methods?
Class warfare?????????
Where is class warfare in:
?????
Your message includes more than just this string.......... and your bullet points are intensely vague. Who will stop the Islamo-Fascist war of imperial aggresion? Or have all the attacks been in defense of the downtrodden?
Islamo-Fascist crimes of imperial agression? with a straight face?
you been partying with PNAC again?
Cynicism: the idea or belief that virtue is impossible to Man by his very nature. I do not believe this is true (for most people); rather, it is that the incentives and constraints are set such that virtuous behavior is not rewarded and vicious behavior is. Change the incentives and constraints and you'll be amazed what you see.
George Washington, I hope you're right, brother. The power of the elites is enormous. And there may not be enough of us to overcome that power. There's nothing wrong with being cynical. Using a cynical mind to effect positive change is the challenge. Especially when the odds are grossly stacked against you.
I give you.
http://investmentwatchblog.com/anaheim-ca-under-martial-law/
EXACTLY!
I just think we use cynicism because its the only thing the proles have left!
Yes, except for earned cynicism.
Bishop Jean Vilnet.
Bishop Jean-Félix-Albert-Marie Vilnet.
Then, InTrade.
To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities - Bruce Lee
Thought Crime for the Day: Begin the Revolution, Stop Paying Your Taxes ...don't feed the suckers
I stopped paying taxes in 2003, it seems they haven't noticed.
Great, next they'll attack sarcasm.
//sarc/cyn/para
Once again we see more idiot fuckwitery passed as intellectual depth and insight.
Zero Hedge and bloviation, what a surprise.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogenes_of_Sinope
Diogenes of Sinope was a controversial figure. His father minted coins for a living and when Diogenes took to "defacement of the currency", he was banished from the city.[1] After being exiled, he moved to Athens to debunk cultural conventions. Diogenes modelled himself on the example of Hercules. He believed that virtue was better revealed in action than in theory. He used his lifestyle and behaviour to criticise the social values and institutions of what he saw as a corrupt society. He declared himself a cosmopolitan. There are many tales about him dogging Antisthenes' footsteps and becoming his faithful hound,[3] but it is by no means certain that the two men ever met. Diogenes made a virtue of poverty. He begged for a living and slept in a tub in the marketplace. He became notorious for his philosophical stunts such as carrying a lamp in the daytime, claiming to be looking for an honest man. He embarrassed Plato, disputed his interpretation of Socrates and sabotaged his lectures. Diogenes was also responsible for publicly mocking Alexander the Great.
After being captured by pirates and sold into slavery, Diogenes eventually settled in Corinth. There he passed his philosophy of Cynicism to Crates, who taught it to Zeno of Citium, who fashioned it into the school of Stoicism, one of the most enduring schools of Greek philosophy. None of Diogenes’ many writings has survived, but details of his life come in the form of anecdotes (chreia), especially from Diogenes Laërtius, in his book Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers. All we have is a number of anecdotes concerning his life and sayings attributed to him in a number of scattered classical sources, none of them definitive.[4]
CynicismAlong with Antisthenes and Crates of Thebes, Diogenes is considered one of the founders of Cynicism. The ideas of Diogenes, like those of most other Cynics, must be arrived at indirectly. No writings of Diogenes survived even though he is reported to have authored over ten books, a volume of letters and seven tragedies.[32] Cynic ideas are inseparable from Cynic practice; therefore what we know about Diogenes is contained in anecdotes concerning his life and sayings attributed to him in a number of scattered classical sources.
Diogenes maintained that all the artificial growths of society were incompatible with happiness and that morality implies a return to the simplicity of nature. So great was his austerity and simplicity that the Stoics would later claim him to be a wise man or "sophos". In his words, "Humans have complicated every simple gift of the gods."[33] Although Socrates had previously identified himself as belonging to the world, rather than a city,[34] Diogenes is credited with the first known use of the word "cosmopolitan". When he was asked where he came from, he replied, "I am a citizen of the world (cosmopolites)".[35] This was a radical claim in a world where a man's identity was intimately tied to his citizenship in a particular city state. An exile and an outcast, a man with no social identity, Diogenes made a mark on his contemporaries.
Diogenes had nothing but disdain for Plato and his abstract philosophy.[36] Diogenes viewed Antisthenes as the true heir to Socrates, and shared his love of virtue and indifference to wealth,[37] together with a disdain for general opinion.[38] Diogenes shared Socrates' belief that he could function as doctor to men's souls and improve them morally, while at the same time holding contempt for their obtuseness. Plato once described Diogenes as "a Socrates gone mad."[39]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynicism
Cynicism (Greek: ????????), in its original form, refers to the beliefs of an ancient school of Greek philosophers known as the Cynics (Greek: ???????, Latin: Cynici). Their philosophy was that the purpose of life was to live a life of Virtue in agreement with Nature. This meant rejecting all conventional desires for wealth, power, sex, and fame, and by living a simple life free from all possessions. As reasoning creatures, people could gain happiness by rigorous training and by living in a way which was natural for humans. They believed that the world belonged equally to everyone, and that suffering was caused by false judgments of what was valuable and by the worthless customs and conventions which surrounded society. Many of these thoughts were later absorbed into Stoicism.
The first philosopher to outline these themes was Antisthenes, who had been a pupil of Socrates in the late 5th century BCE. He was followed by Diogenes of Sinope, who lived in a tub on the streets of Athens.[2] Diogenes took Cynicism to its logical extremes, and came to be seen as the archetypal Cynic philosopher. He was followed by Crates of Thebes who gave away a large fortune so he could live a life of Cynic poverty in Athens. Cynicism spread with the rise of Imperial Rome in the 1st century, and Cynics could be found begging and preaching throughout the cities of the Empire. It finally disappeared in the late 5th century, although some have claimed that early Christianity adopted many of its ascetic and rhetorical ideas.
By the 19th century, emphasis on the negative aspects of Cynic philosophy led to the modern understanding of cynicism to mean a disposition of disbelief in the sincerity or goodness of human motives and actions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynicism_%28contemporary%29
Cynicism is an attitude or state of mind characterized by a general distrust of others' apparent motives or ambitions, or a general lack of faith or hope in the human race or in individuals with desires, hopes, opinions, or personal tastes that a cynic perceives as unrealistic or inappropriate, therefore deserving of ridicule or malnourishment. It is a form of jaded negativity, and other times, realistic criticism or skepticism. The term originally derives from the ancient Greek philosophers called the Cynics who rejected all conventions, whether of religion, manners, housing, dress, or decency, advocating the pursuit of virtue in a simple and unmaterialistic lifestyle. By the 19th century, emphasis on the negative aspects of Cynic philosophy led to the modern understanding of cynicism to mean a disposition of disbelief in the sincerity or goodness of human motives and actions. Modern cynicism, as a product of mass society, is a distrust toward professed ethical and social values, especially when there are high expectations concerning society, institutions, and authorities which are unfulfilled. It can manifest itself as a result of frustration, disillusionment, and distrust perceived as due to organizations, authorities, and other aspects of society.
Cynicism in contemporary timesModern cynicism has been defined as an attitude of distrust toward claimed ethical and social values and a rejection of the need to be socially involved.[6] It is pessimistic in regards to the capacity of human beings to make the correct ethical choice, and one antonym is naiveté.[7] Modern cynicism is sometimes regarded as a product of mass society, especially in those circumstances where the individual believes there is a conflict between society's stated motives and goals and actual motives and goals.[8][9] Unlike mere depression, cynicism can be said to be more active; in his bestselling Critique of Cynical Reason, Peter Sloterdijk defined modern cynics as "borderline melancholics, who can keep their symptoms of depression under control and yet retain the ability to work, whatever might happen ... indeed, this is the essential point in modern cynicism: the ability of its bearers to work - in spite of anything that might happen."[10] One active aspect of cynicism is the desire to expose hypocrisy and to point out the gulf between society's ideals and its practices.[11]
Social cynicism results from excessively high expectations concerning society, institutions and authorities: unfulfilled expectations lead to disappointment, which releases feelings of disillusionment and betrayal.[12]
In organizations, cynicism manifests itself as a general or specific attitude, characterized by frustration, hopelessness, disillusionment and distrust in regard to economic or governmental organizations, managers and/or other aspects of work.
It's truly a shame I can't give you and your dipshit cousin AnAnon more than one down arrow. Sigh...
JKC, even a Wikipedia article is more accurate than the weak propaganda served by this 'american' contributor.
____________________________
By the 19th century, emphasis on the negative aspects of Cynic philosophy led to the modern understanding of cynicism to mean a disposition of disbelief in the sincerity or goodness of human motives and actions.
____________________________
What? You mean that 'Americans' who lied their way up have all best interests in overloading human nature once again to hide the fact they have advanced their selfishness under the guise of acting for humanity welfare?
Quite a handy way to avoid any questioning about 'Americanism', that system said to be natural to human beings...
The modern understanding of Cynicism is just self justification for 'Americanism'
See how well it serves 'Americanism' and is distant from the original meaning.
By the way, a recollection of the texts by cynics from the ancient times is something like 800 pages long. Much more valuable than to read the thousands pages written 'American' manipulators calling themselves cynics, in a desesperate attempt to dismiss any questioning about 'Americanism'
AnAnonymous squatted and dropped this:
KFC, even the wikipedia page on US citizenism makes more sense than the repeated drivel of AnAnonymous:
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_citizenism
By the way, a recollection of the Detroit phone book from 1968 is over 900 pages long. Much more valuable to read than the thousands of posts of tripe written by Chinese citizenism citizen manipulator calling himself AnAnonymous in a desperate attempt to convince himself that 'US citizenism' is not just a projection to the exterior of his own faults.
You could have edited this.
"There are many tales about him dogging Antisthenes' footsteps and becoming his faithful hound", is actually a metaphor.
"Diogenes" means doglike.
He supposedly lived in a large glass jar, not a tub. (which he's portrayed peering out of the top of in a mosaic portrait of him) Also a metaphor for the man who has stripped away all pretense and has nothing to hide.
GW has chosen the bastardized form of cynicism to use in his critique, not the pure form. Unfortunately THTB neutralized cynicism by redefining it as a negative because the last thing they wanted to see promoted was a cynical movement which sought to reveal the true nature of things, challenged the status quo, or questioned authority.
They much preferred rootless cosmopolitans like Aristotle or Plato, whose philosophies better suited their purposes.
It's time to reclaim cynicism instead of aiding and abetting those who would seek to destroy it.
Next I'll start reading "War and Peace"....
The biggest obstacle for a radical change are the people - big and small - profiting (or directly living) from the existing fraudulent war system.
For example: The armed Forces followed by the "police and spy complex". They are the ones having to loose the most. Unlike the big profit makers they have a huge problem once they loose their job. They have no reserves. Unfortunately these groups know and feel the most. Not the whole big picture but each one in his own small field has access to knowledge which most probabaly doesnt make him optimistic about his future and especially about his job once the US is loosing grip of half of the world. (The other half in their eyes is clearly enemy territory anyhow.) .
My opinion is, that the spirit within these groups is cynical. They know, that they can still win battles but based on their personal experience and knowledge they came to the conclusion that the war to defend the Dollar as the worlds money is lost.
That does not mean, that they have lost their fighting spirit. In the opposite. There is a saying: Enjoy the war, peace is going to be terrible!
As a matter of fact it is going to be terrible when you are a soldier of an army which has either lost really a war, or as part of an organization which has lost its funding because its country lost a war economically. In the first case, things change from one day the other. All supply stops including most important of all food and booze. In other words you mutate from a soldier from one moment to the other to a helpless piece of shit on the mercy of the victors.
In the second case (war lost economically) its not that dramatic but within short time these bloated war machine sheds of most of their personel due to lack of funding and general mayor downsizing. And then what? is the qestion. The simple answer is now try to keep things stay the same as long as possible.
What's you talking about Willis - your post makes no sense? War machines?
Learn to spell....
Whats all this about my beloved cynicism?
Are we not taught from an early age to be cynical...as emotional, financial or personal protection? Does the phrase "If it sounds too good to be true it isn't" ring a bell?
Who has had their feelings hurt (some even emotionally crushed, perhaps forever) by trusting in and/or believing in someone openly promoting actual unicorn farts?
Certainly not the cynic.
Or when, in a moment of charity, who is more put off when they find the "lady in distress" asking for five bucks for gas to get back home and then they see her going into a crack hole a half hour later?
The cynic or the lollipop man from la-la land...I would say the poor deluded sucker...lol.
The cynic will pick and choose among offers and entreaties...is more discerning, inquisitive, questioning because he is, afterall, cynical. It doesn't mean he isn't committed to helping his fellow man/woman...it just means he's not committed to helping all of them.
Nicely done, +1
nmewn
Precisely. Cynicism doesn't have to extend to everything, but:
1. When a politician's lips are moving
2. A banker says, "Trust me"
3. A tenured academic writes a 300 page treatise to say, "I don't know (shit)."
Then cynicism will keep you out of a lot of grief.
Greetings my friend.
Absolutely my friend.
And I did suspect the lady was a crack whore and it only cost me five bucks to prove it ;-)
She probably did see that §5 as gas to get home.
It was one small rock, errr, block away...lol.
She looked sleazy, my brain said ho...but sometimes even a confirmed cynic takes a chance on the possiblity that he's wrong. Angels can appear in any form.
She wasn't and neither am I.
If it makes anyone "feel better", I did help a stranded family from Georgia out even after that...maybe I got a feather of a wing, we'll see ;-)