Cynicism is the new "cool"

[Gandalf]

It's rotten luck. Apparently Djokovic toyed with him in a practice match just a few days ago. He must feel terrible. You sense he just wants to say goodbye at Wimbledon this year. The surgery appears to have done next to nothing for him.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc...ennis/46809771

[Beanz]

I think a lot of this is not just cultural but lost in context. Fenster and many Brits posting here, and I would include myself in this, are simply employing a form of cynicism that is part of a very long British tradition. It is not even a conscious decision. In these days of post Empire , overcast, drizzly gloom we are living in a very divided country without the relief of at least tearing down those fellow Brits we consider successful. As the country falls to pieces and descends into civil war between vegan tofu eating trans zen power activists from Totnes ( a town run on yogurt and a held together with an infrastructure of macrame and hugging) and pink faced bacon licking wannabe football hooligans, calling the vegans, 'Nazis' and turning up to a march with a dead fox to play keepy uppies with, cynicism will allow us to at least cope by raising an arched eyebrow as though it were not even surprising, an possibly part of the plan.

Cynicism means we can celebrate something as beige as toast, and pretend that another ten days of unchanging overcast gloom, as an excuse for weather, is worth talking about. Being bleak and suspecting that everything is a big con, including the conspiracies that say this is true, is actually often what starts conversations here. This is our common ground. 'Isn't life shit' and 'What a load of bollocks that is' are like the British equivalents of 'Have a nice Day' and 'Happy Holidays' for an American.

[TitoFan]

I think a lot of this is not just cultural but lost in context. Fenster and many Brits posting here, and I would include myself in this, are simply employing a form of cynicism that is part of a very long British tradition. It is not even a conscious decision. In these days of post Empire , overcast, drizzly gloom we are living in a very divided country without the relief of at least tearing down those fellow Brits we consider successful. As the country falls to pieces and descends into civil war between vegan tofu eating trans zen power activists from Totnes ( a town run on yogurt and a held together with an infrastructure of macrame and hugging) and pink faced bacon licking wannabe football hooligans, calling the vegans, 'Nazis' and turning up to a march with a dead fox to play keepy uppies with, cynicism will allow us to at least cope by raising an arched eyebrow as though it were not even surprising, an possibly part of the plan.

Cynicism means we can celebrate something as beige as toast, and pretend that another ten days of unchanging overcast gloom, as an excuse for weather, is worth talking about. Being bleak and suspecting that everything is a big con, including the conspiracies that say this is true, is actually often what starts conversations here. This is our common ground. 'Isn't life shit' and 'What a load of bollocks that is' are like the British equivalents of 'Have a nice Day' and 'Happy Holidays' for an American.

Thanks for that, Beanz. Helps to get an honest, "sneer-less" take on the subject from a Brit, as differences in our cultures and realities keep us from always understanding where the other guy's coming from. Believe it or not, it helps explain even the behavior and responses of some on here, which may seem a bit hostile or sarcastic to others not from the same culture or environment. LOL at your descriptions of both sides.... "infrastructure of macrame and hugging" indeed.... . I'll venture that many times we do miss the boat on here, given the opportunity to learn about these idiosyncrasies in each other's cultures. Instead we engage in long, drawn-out, many times vicious arguments and attacks..... when by taking into account the differences mentioned, we would probably avoid those.

Cynicism may well be a way of coping in the UK, and I don't know maybe the same could be said about this side of the pond. However, there is still the fraction of the population that I believe engages in perpetual cynicism for its own "coolness." Maybe it's generational.... maybe not. Maybe being older and having kids just skews your perspective on what you yourself may have engaged in years ago..... who knows. Personally I don't remember ever being a pathological cynic. Just not ever part of my personality. I deem it as totally useless in day-to-day life. In fact I find it tiring in others. Even more than tiring..... draining. Obviously, engaging with an eternal optimist has to be just as annoying..... and so back to my always present "extremes are bad" philosophy. But pathological cynics are usually the type of people I'll cross the street to the opposite sidewalk for. I'd be afraid my "good morning" would be met with a "wtf's good about it?".

BTW, thanks for not mistaking my take on eternal cynics as a swipe at atheists..... sometimes messages get mixed up in their delivery. I didn't think I would have to explain that IMO, not all atheists are pathological cynics..... but all pathological cynics are also atheists.

[Gandalf]

Screw cynicism! Wasn't Andy Murray glorious tonight? He had no form, was two sets down yet made a match of it against a seeded player. And he still has a bad hip.

At the end he was wanting to reverse the retirement and suggest another go. Then they played the tributes and he must have been thinking 'That is so sweet, but I am Andy Murray and I am not finished!'

Warrior. Would he really do another operation and try and come back? It's a big ask. But anyway I loved the match even though he lost. We won the event.

[TitoFan]

Screw cynicism! Wasn't Andy Murray glorious tonight? He had no form, was two sets down yet made a match of it against a seeded player. And he still has a bad hip.

At the end he was wanting to reverse the retirement and suggest another go. Then they played the tributes and he must have been thinking 'That is so sweet, but I am Andy Murray and I am not finished!'

Warrior. Would he really do another operation and try and come back? It's a big ask. But anyway I loved the match even though he lost. We won the event.

Yes, we all love Andy Murray. Open a thread on Murray and we'll all sing his praises. Meanwhile, this thread is on cynicism.

[Fenster]

I think a lot of this is not just cultural but lost in context. Fenster and many Brits posting here, and I would include myself in this, are simply employing a form of cynicism that is part of a very long British tradition. It is not even a conscious decision. In these days of post Empire , overcast, drizzly gloom we are living in a very divided country without the relief of at least tearing down those fellow Brits we consider successful. As the country falls to pieces and descends into civil war between vegan tofu eating trans zen power activists from Totnes ( a town run on yogurt and a held together with an infrastructure of macrame and hugging) and pink faced bacon licking wannabe football hooligans, calling the vegans, 'Nazis' and turning up to a march with a dead fox to play keepy uppies with, cynicism will allow us to at least cope by raising an arched eyebrow as though it were not even surprising, an possibly part of the plan.

Cynicism means we can celebrate something as beige as toast, and pretend that another ten days of unchanging overcast gloom, as an excuse for weather, is worth talking about. Being bleak and suspecting that everything is a big con, including the conspiracies that say this is true, is actually often what starts conversations here. This is our common ground. 'Isn't life shit' and 'What a load of bollocks that is' are like the British equivalents of 'Have a nice Day' and 'Happy Holidays' for an American.

Context is without doubt the biggest factor but it's not necessarily culture (that could be an excuse?), some people here don't just struggle with context but also have no understanding of self-deprecation and humility.

So an innocent comment like - "I have no problem with that lifestyle" is taken as an "insult," because the particular individual believes they are not just 100% correct, but to be challenged by an opposing view is an insult. They're not posting for opinions, they want back slappers so anyone not on-board is the enemy, which leads to whoever the particular individual dislikes on a personal level becomes the target, regardless of their view.

[walrus]

If u guys think the US lacks cynicism you are way off mark. It is our bread and butter. We have perfected it.

[Beanz]

If u guys think the US lacks cynicism you are way off mark. It is our bread and butter. We have perfected it.

Russian Bear...Made in China

[walrus]

If u guys think the US lacks cynicism you are way off mark. It is our bread and butter. We have perfected it.

Russian Bear...Made in China

Damn that’s nice

[TitoFan]

I think a lot of this is not just cultural but lost in context. Fenster and many Brits posting here, and I would include myself in this, are simply employing a form of cynicism that is part of a very long British tradition. It is not even a conscious decision. In these days of post Empire , overcast, drizzly gloom we are living in a very divided country without the relief of at least tearing down those fellow Brits we consider successful. As the country falls to pieces and descends into civil war between vegan tofu eating trans zen power activists from Totnes ( a town run on yogurt and a held together with an infrastructure of macrame and hugging) and pink faced bacon licking wannabe football hooligans, calling the vegans, 'Nazis' and turning up to a march with a dead fox to play keepy uppies with, cynicism will allow us to at least cope by raising an arched eyebrow as though it were not even surprising, an possibly part of the plan.

Cynicism means we can celebrate something as beige as toast, and pretend that another ten days of unchanging overcast gloom, as an excuse for weather, is worth talking about. Being bleak and suspecting that everything is a big con, including the conspiracies that say this is true, is actually often what starts conversations here. This is our common ground. 'Isn't life shit' and 'What a load of bollocks that is' are like the British equivalents of 'Have a nice Day' and 'Happy Holidays' for an American.

Context is without doubt the biggest factor but it's not necessarily culture (that could be an excuse?), some people here don't just struggle with context but also have no understanding of self-deprecation and humility.

So an innocent comment like - "I have no problem with that lifestyle" is taken as an "insult," because the particular individual believes they are not just 100% correct, but to be challenged by an opposing view is an insult. They're not posting for opinions, they want back slappers so anyone not on-board is the enemy, which leads to whoever the particular individual dislikes on a personal level becomes the target, regardless of their view.

Except it's rarely an "innocent comment" is it. It's not simply "I have no problem with that lifestyle", but rather "I have no problem with that lifestyle and you're a moron for having a problem with it."

"Wanting back slappers" is an all-too-convenient go-to excuse, simply because there are people who differ, but do so respectfully and with maturity.




You're welcome.

[Fenster]

I think a lot of this is not just cultural but lost in context. Fenster and many Brits posting here, and I would include myself in this, are simply employing a form of cynicism that is part of a very long British tradition. It is not even a conscious decision. In these days of post Empire , overcast, drizzly gloom we are living in a very divided country without the relief of at least tearing down those fellow Brits we consider successful. As the country falls to pieces and descends into civil war between vegan tofu eating trans zen power activists from Totnes ( a town run on yogurt and a held together with an infrastructure of macrame and hugging) and pink faced bacon licking wannabe football hooligans, calling the vegans, 'Nazis' and turning up to a march with a dead fox to play keepy uppies with, cynicism will allow us to at least cope by raising an arched eyebrow as though it were not even surprising, an possibly part of the plan.

Cynicism means we can celebrate something as beige as toast, and pretend that another ten days of unchanging overcast gloom, as an excuse for weather, is worth talking about. Being bleak and suspecting that everything is a big con, including the conspiracies that say this is true, is actually often what starts conversations here. This is our common ground. 'Isn't life shit' and 'What a load of bollocks that is' are like the British equivalents of 'Have a nice Day' and 'Happy Holidays' for an American.

Context is without doubt the biggest factor but it's not necessarily culture (that could be an excuse?), some people here don't just struggle with context but also have no understanding of self-deprecation and humility.

So an innocent comment like - "I have no problem with that lifestyle" is taken as an "insult," because the particular individual believes they are not just 100% correct, but to be challenged by an opposing view is an insult. They're not posting for opinions, they want back slappers so anyone not on-board is the enemy, which leads to whoever the particular individual dislikes on a personal level becomes the target, regardless of their view.

Except it's rarely an "innocent comment" is it. It's not simply "I have no problem with that lifestyle", but rather "I have no problem with that lifestyle and you're a moron for having a problem with it."

"Wanting back slappers" is an all-too-convenient go-to excuse, simply because there are people who differ, but do so respectfully and with maturity.You're welcome.

This is where we're so different, I totally ignore insults as they're utterly meaningless to me, if someone says "you're a moron for thinking that" i'm only interested in why my view is moronic? If someone wants to call me stupid go-ahead. No problem.

There's nothing more nauseatingly pathetic on this forum than people thanking others for being "civil and nice" whilst disagreeing. It is a blatant sign of a weak argument and weak mind. As long as you don't call my views stupid i'm cool, thanks for letting me be stupid/ignorant/naive/arrogant/wrong. Pathetic.

Calling bad ideas stupid is not an insult. People who deflect to focus on the trivial "insult" are just showing how incredibly thin-skinned and immature they are.

There's plenty of people on here who believe moronic things, nasty, horrible, terrible things, they are not morons or disgusting humans just people with a bad idea in their cranium. There's a huge difference.

[TitoFan]

I think a lot of this is not just cultural but lost in context. Fenster and many Brits posting here, and I would include myself in this, are simply employing a form of cynicism that is part of a very long British tradition. It is not even a conscious decision. In these days of post Empire , overcast, drizzly gloom we are living in a very divided country without the relief of at least tearing down those fellow Brits we consider successful. As the country falls to pieces and descends into civil war between vegan tofu eating trans zen power activists from Totnes ( a town run on yogurt and a held together with an infrastructure of macrame and hugging) and pink faced bacon licking wannabe football hooligans, calling the vegans, 'Nazis' and turning up to a march with a dead fox to play keepy uppies with, cynicism will allow us to at least cope by raising an arched eyebrow as though it were not even surprising, an possibly part of the plan.

Cynicism means we can celebrate something as beige as toast, and pretend that another ten days of unchanging overcast gloom, as an excuse for weather, is worth talking about. Being bleak and suspecting that everything is a big con, including the conspiracies that say this is true, is actually often what starts conversations here. This is our common ground. 'Isn't life shit' and 'What a load of bollocks that is' are like the British equivalents of 'Have a nice Day' and 'Happy Holidays' for an American.

Context is without doubt the biggest factor but it's not necessarily culture (that could be an excuse?), some people here don't just struggle with context but also have no understanding of self-deprecation and humility.

So an innocent comment like - "I have no problem with that lifestyle" is taken as an "insult," because the particular individual believes they are not just 100% correct, but to be challenged by an opposing view is an insult. They're not posting for opinions, they want back slappers so anyone not on-board is the enemy, which leads to whoever the particular individual dislikes on a personal level becomes the target, regardless of their view.

Except it's rarely an "innocent comment" is it. It's not simply "I have no problem with that lifestyle", but rather "I have no problem with that lifestyle and you're a moron for having a problem with it."

"Wanting back slappers" is an all-too-convenient go-to excuse, simply because there are people who differ, but do so respectfully and with maturity.You're welcome.

This is where we're so different, I totally ignore insults as they're utterly meaningless to me, if someone says "you're a moron for thinking that" i'm only interested in why my view is moronic? If someone wants to call me stupid go-ahead. No problem.

There's nothing more nauseatingly pathetic on this forum than people thanking others for being "civil and nice" whilst disagreeing. It is a blatant sign of a weak argument and weak mind. As long as you don't call my views stupid i'm cool, thanks for letting me be stupid/ignorant/naive/arrogant/wrong. Pathetic.

Calling bad ideas stupid is not an insult. People who deflect to focus on the trivial "insult" are just showing how incredibly thin-skinned and immature they are.

There's plenty of people on here who believe moronic things, nasty, horrible, terrible things, they are not morons or disgusting humans just people with a bad idea in their cranium. There's a huge difference.

If you can't tell the difference between "you're a moron" and "your view is moronic", then I'm afraid I can't help you.

I'll give you a for instance.

Alpha, who BTW predictably liked your comment, is an avowed Flat Earther.

You'll notice that through all the back-and-forth between Alpha and a few of us non-believers, not once has Alpha been insulted or called names. Only his views are being made fun of.

At the same time I'll give kudos to Alpha for going about it in such an unemotional manner.



So yes.... that's why we're so different. Thanks for the compliment.

[Fenster]

I think a lot of this is not just cultural but lost in context. Fenster and many Brits posting here, and I would include myself in this, are simply employing a form of cynicism that is part of a very long British tradition. It is not even a conscious decision. In these days of post Empire , overcast, drizzly gloom we are living in a very divided country without the relief of at least tearing down those fellow Brits we consider successful. As the country falls to pieces and descends into civil war between vegan tofu eating trans zen power activists from Totnes ( a town run on yogurt and a held together with an infrastructure of macrame and hugging) and pink faced bacon licking wannabe football hooligans, calling the vegans, 'Nazis' and turning up to a march with a dead fox to play keepy uppies with, cynicism will allow us to at least cope by raising an arched eyebrow as though it were not even surprising, an possibly part of the plan.

Cynicism means we can celebrate something as beige as toast, and pretend that another ten days of unchanging overcast gloom, as an excuse for weather, is worth talking about. Being bleak and suspecting that everything is a big con, including the conspiracies that say this is true, is actually often what starts conversations here. This is our common ground. 'Isn't life shit' and 'What a load of bollocks that is' are like the British equivalents of 'Have a nice Day' and 'Happy Holidays' for an American.

Context is without doubt the biggest factor but it's not necessarily culture (that could be an excuse?), some people here don't just struggle with context but also have no understanding of self-deprecation and humility.

So an innocent comment like - "I have no problem with that lifestyle" is taken as an "insult," because the particular individual believes they are not just 100% correct, but to be challenged by an opposing view is an insult. They're not posting for opinions, they want back slappers so anyone not on-board is the enemy, which leads to whoever the particular individual dislikes on a personal level becomes the target, regardless of their view.

Except it's rarely an "innocent comment" is it. It's not simply "I have no problem with that lifestyle", but rather "I have no problem with that lifestyle and you're a moron for having a problem with it."

"Wanting back slappers" is an all-too-convenient go-to excuse, simply because there are people who differ, but do so respectfully and with maturity.You're welcome.

This is where we're so different, I totally ignore insults as they're utterly meaningless to me, if someone says "you're a moron for thinking that" i'm only interested in why my view is moronic? If someone wants to call me stupid go-ahead. No problem.

There's nothing more nauseatingly pathetic on this forum than people thanking others for being "civil and nice" whilst disagreeing. It is a blatant sign of a weak argument and weak mind. As long as you don't call my views stupid i'm cool, thanks for letting me be stupid/ignorant/naive/arrogant/wrong. Pathetic.

Calling bad ideas stupid is not an insult. People who deflect to focus on the trivial "insult" are just showing how incredibly thin-skinned and immature they are.

There's plenty of people on here who believe moronic things, nasty, horrible, terrible things, they are not morons or disgusting humans just people with a bad idea in their cranium. There's a huge difference.

If you can't tell the difference between "you're a moron" and "your view is moronic", then I'm afraid I can't help you.

I'll give you a for instance.

Alpha, who BTW predictably liked your comment, is an avowed Flat Earther.

You'll notice that through all the back-and-forth between Alpha and a few of us non-believers, not once has Alpha been insulted or called names. Only his views are being made fun of.

At the same time I'll give kudos to Alpha for going about it in such an unemotional manner.So yes.... that's why we're so different. Thanks for the compliment.

"You're a moron" - is about context, it could be said in a funny, friendly or angry triggered way. Context.

"Your view is moronic" - can apply to every man and beast that has ever made a decision in the entire history of life.

Either way the person getting upset and angry is the moron. Fact.

As you've just perfectly illustrated with Alpha and his flat earth lark. YOU called him unhinged (mentally ill) and someone wished for his death, however, he didn't allow your personal insults to deflect and derail from the topic, which is why we don't have a childish, immature shitfest.