The age of cynicism...

[djmarkpaul]

...maybe my folks didn't tell me enough jokes....but it seems to me that our generation is the most cynical era in humanity post of the industrial revolution.

Family values, respect to tradition (that doesn't necessarily equate to obedience either), a general sense of respect to those we disagree with really does seem to make sense to a fair amount of people. Yet how many of the people would rather choose cynicism rather than being a beacon of change and wholeheartedly oppose that which they claim to stand against?

If we're going to tackle this from a psychological overview of our society at large, I would have to say, especially in the west, that cynicism (that is of a self inflated variety) is a rather large part of the problem when it comes to people that actually mean well and are generally logical thinkers.

Personally, I'd rather see romance and random acts of kindness take over this current obsession of cynicism we have...and I don't think people would have to laugh any less either.


It may come off a bit preachy, and if you think so...I say to you, if you can't see where I'm going with this even just a little bit, you've forgotten how to dream. How truly sad for you...and yet, you still don't know even as you read this.

I can't help but feel we are all miracles in progress, you already beat about 10 million sperm just to get here...how much more proof do you need?

It's amazing how each of our attitudes effect the entire world. People have so much power and they don't even know it, it's amazing how much we just settle for what we've got.


It's like humanity is a kindergarten class. The playground is littered with needles among the gravel, and the slide is broken halfway down, yet still we play, like a kid hopscotching in a minefeild, completely oblivious.

As I see it, humour is too often a mask people wear not to confront an emotional imbalance they have. In this case, the imbalance just seems to be maturity, which is what's lacking and has little to do with age. It's funny (in a cynical sort of way) how people seem to do a great deal of unlearning there sense of humour as they were when they were a child.

Well...time for my day nap.

[rawb]

THIS THREAD SUCKS o

[dabbler]

what he said^

[djmarkpaul]

Originally Posted by rawb

THIS THREAD SUCKS o

thanx for proving my point.

Originally Posted by dabbler

what he said^

you too baldy.

[NinjaBoy]

Originally Posted by djmarkpaul

thanx for proving my point.



you too baldy.

Thanks for contradicting your first post.

[dabbler]

what he said^^

[SEAN!]

maybe we are cynical because were too smart to readily beleive in stupid shit

[ebbomega]

^^ And that explains the reactions to this thread perfectly

[tiedye]

Originally Posted by NinjaBoy

Thanks for contradicting your first post.

'SIR, I think he was trying to say something about the duality of man, SIR!'

[dabbler]

I think he's just taken too many drugs and now that he has no more seratonin he can only be paranoid and cynical about the world and how it's all coming to The End

[yoko*]

Originally Posted by djmarkpaul

Yet how many of the people would rather choose cynicism rather than being a beacon of change and wholeheartedly oppose that which they claim to stand against?

If we're going to tackle this from a psychological overview of our society at large, I would have to say, especially in the west, that cynicism (that is of a self inflated variety) is a rather large part of the problem when it comes to people that actually mean well and are generally logical thinkers.

Personally, I'd rather see romance and random acts of kindness take over this current obsession of cynicism we have...and I don't think people would have to laugh any less either.

Cynicism is a belief/attitude, but attitudes and beliefs come about by other phenomena which provoke it. To blame cynicism for inaction is like blaming the scale for adding ten pounds to you. You're blaming the symptom not the cause./ Yet changing the cynic does not change the society, because changing the attitude does not change the circumstance which brough it about.

Basically, I don't buy umbrella statements that try to characterize or explain away the behaviour of a whole population of people. Every one has their own respective driving forces... Social improvement isn't based merely on changing an attitude.

Some call me cynical, I believe I'm realistic.

[ebbomega]

The way that I see it is that human nature hasn't changed at all. It's just in recent years we've been more aware of how bad it really is.

People trust politicians less not because they're any more deceptive, but because with the way information goes about the common people of the world, we're all a lot more aware of it.

Is it cynicism or simply caution?

[Revolver]

Originally Posted by dabbler

I think he's just taken too many drugs and now that he has no more seratonin he can only be paranoid and cynical about the world and how it's all coming to The End

HAHA.....jay that cant be. ive take WAY more drugs then he has and have done the whole 'amazonian medicine man death trip' thing and im fine..i think lol.

anyway mark you see what you project.

snap out of your holy then thou,im so tortured and misdunderstood by the world that i must be a genious on a higher level of thinking thing.

basically you say,in that one bit there, that if we dont get your way of thinking then we have forgotten how to dream.

fuck off with that shit. everyone has their own way of thinking. the idea is to share ideas and exchange with them not completely dominate and instruct them how to think

[-evil-duerr-]

ha ha ha... markpaul your a little rascal!!!

[djmarkpaul]

Originally Posted by NinjaBoy

Thanks for contradicting your first post.

Oh I did huh...how's that?

[djmarkpaul]

Originally Posted by dabbler

I think he's just taken too many drugs and now that he has no more seratonin he can only be paranoid and cynical about the world and how it's all coming to The End

You're a fucking goof Jay...just another shit talker on the internet that won't back it up in person. You're just too into your own ego to see any merit with what I'm doing...respect is given where it's due.

[Revolver]

my turn now.........

[djmarkpaul]

Originally Posted by yoko*

Cynicism is a belief/attitude, but attitudes and beliefs come about by other phenomena which provoke it. To blame cynicism for inaction is like blaming the scale for adding ten pounds to you. You're blaming the symptom not the cause.

Sure, you could say they come from other phenomena which provoke it. I bet you're one of those people that believes that they can't control who they love too huh?

Well honestly, it's odd you say this, but I 100% disagree. Attitude is everything, change the way you look at the world, and the world you look at changes. How ironic but blaming exterior phenomenon for one's own attitude in the end holds no ground with accountibility.

Originally Posted by yoko*

Yet changing the cynic does not change the society, because changing the attitude does not change the circumstance which brough it about.

No...but it does pave a new path for the future...unless you're too cynical to think that's possible.

Originally Posted by yoko*

Basically, I don't buy umbrella statements that try to characterize or explain away the behaviour of a whole population of people.

I didn't make an umbrella statement, but I can see where you are going with this. There is something that digs deeper to the root where this apparent brand cynicism is coming from (not slamming all forms of cynicism). To me it's a mixture of fear and an unwillingness to break from the current mold of the status quo.

Originally Posted by yoko*

Every one has their own respective driving forces... Social improvement isn't based merely on changing an attitude.

Yeah...this is exactly what I'm talking about. Many sit around idly complaining about what's wrong, but they can't even bring the dialogue about that yearns to reach for solutions.

And if social improvement doesn't start with changing the attitudes of those sitting on the fence, how does it start at all?

Originally Posted by yoko*

Some call me cynical, I believe I'm realistic.

I don't think you're either...but maybe I'm just being cynical.

[djmarkpaul]

Originally Posted by Revolver

my turn now.........

lol soon man soon

[Senior]

Originally Posted by djmarkpaul

Personally, I'd rather see romance and random acts of kindness take over this current obsession of cynicism we have...and I don't think people would have to laugh any less either.


It may come off a bit preachy, and if you think so...

Originally Posted by djmarkpaul

You're a fucking goof Jay...just another shit talker on the internet that won't back it up in person. You're just too into your own ego to see any merit with what I'm doing...respect is given where it's due.

way to start that trend! and you sound way preachy/pseudo intellectual.

[djmarkpaul]

Originally Posted by ebbomega

The way that I see it is that human nature hasn't changed at all. It's just in recent years we've been more aware of how bad it really is.

Again sort of my point...the cynical attitude suggests that human nature is inherently flawed. I don't buy that arguement because it's not very self empowering.

I definetly can agree with the statement though, if we look at a more homely image of the family unit in say, the nuclear family era, compared to the single mom crisis we have today.

Though this realization of how bleak things are on a global level isn't met with an attitude that truly strive to change the path we're on, which is what I'm commenting about.

Originally Posted by ebbomega

People trust politicians less not because they're any more deceptive, but because with the way information goes about the common people of the world, we're all a lot more aware of it.

100% agree.

Originally Posted by ebbomega

Is it cynicism or simply caution?

Why can't it be both? I would say it is, but the cynicism seems moreover like a self defense mechanism to disway one's character from appearing to be compassionate...it's kind of a hardballer attitude that creates a tough outer shell so as not to allow all the pain in the world effect one's psyche....but the attitude itself seems to implode under it's own logic. Which again leads to this brand of cynicism to being an emotional mask of some sort.

To me it's just that it seems too typical for our generation of young adults to just give a shit about their own game, caring about the world in a truly heartfelt manner has become passe, or if anything, a passing trend with breif intervals of action between the inaction (hurricane katrina, new orleans flood, etc) and many attitudes on this board are a relfection of this.

I just want to move on from this sort of exchange with people on this board as already more than a few of us aren't young adults, and I really strive to be civil with those that I don't see eye to eye with, and a self inflated cynic truly stands in the way, not me.

So I extend the olive branch, but it seems some would rather stick a mashmellow on the end of it and put it into the campfire.

[Senior]

and just for the record I don't at all agree with this "everyone is a cynic emo shit." there is so much amazing stuff going on right now that I'm truly excited about and so are many others. my life is far from being ruled by cynics.

[dabbler]

Originally Posted by djmarkpaul

You're a fucking goof Jay...just another shit talker on the internet that won't back it up in person. You're just too into your own ego to see any merit with what I'm doing...respect is given where it's due.

won't back up what in person? it's not that what you said has no merit, it's that you come across as insane. I've told you that 'in person' many times. As nice as you are 'in person' you are still pretty crazy, and I doubt that you would deny that, am I right?

[Senior]

Mark, I have no problem with you as a person and I honestly doubt anyone on here really does but please son...


GET OFF THE

Originally Posted by djmarkpaul

Again sort of my point...the cynical attitude suggests that human nature is inherently flawed. I don't buy that arguement because it's not very self empowering.

I definetly can agree with the statement though, if we look at a more homely image of the family unit in say, the nuclear family era, compared to the single mom crisis we have today.

Though this realization of how bleak things are on a global level isn't met with an attitude that truly strive to change the path we're on, which is what I'm commenting about.




100% agree.




Why can't it be both? I would say it is, but the cynicism seems moreover like a self defense mechanism to disway one's character from appearing to be compassionate...it's kind of a hardballer attitude that creates a tough outer shell so as not to allow all the pain in the world effect one's psyche....but the attitude itself seems to implode under it's own logic. Which again leads to this brand of cynicism to being an emotional mask of some sort.

To me it's just that it seems too typical for our generation of young adults to just give a shit about their own game, caring about the world in a truly heartfelt manner has become passe, or if anything, a passing trend with breif intervals of action between the inaction (hurricane katrina, new orleans flood, etc) and many attitudes on this board are a relfection of this.

I just want to move on from this sort of exchange with people on this board as already more than a few of us aren't young adults, and I really strive to be civil with those that I don't see eye to eye with, and a self inflated cynic truly stands in the way, not me.

So I extend the olive branch, but it seems some would rather stick a mashmellow on the end of it and put it into the campfire.

[Revolver]

Originally Posted by Senior

and just for the record I don't at all agree with this "everyone is a cynic emo shit." there is so much amazing stuff going on right now that I'm truly excited about and so are many others. my life is far from being ruled by cynics.

WORD!!!! see mark its all in what you project.

-------

if your nothing but a cynical bastard who wallows in weed smoke and ferments in your own stink while you watch nothing but illuminati and conspiracy docs then thats all your wolrd will be.

but if your out adding good energy out into the logos and into and off of other people then the logos will return that energy back too you.

it sounds wishy washy and new agey but it really seems to be that way.

the world is full of cynics,the world of full of optimists. its up TO YOU to determine wich frequencey your brain taps into.