Despite my best efforts I still seem to have ended up +3 followers in the last 24 hours…
Let me present a list of things I don’t like:
- Inspirational messages — I find them shallow and facile.
- The literal internet — really people the English language is ridiculously subtle. Learn to interpret please.
- People who want to tell me everything in life has a meaning — it doesn’t and it’s pure ego that makes us want to find one
- People who insist that everything can be solved just by thinking positively — it can’t sometimes shit happens, sometimes you have actual problems. Stop dismissing them.
- People who think they know what it means to be a man. — Clearly they don’t.
This list is of course in addition to all the things I’ve previously said I don’t like. The full list would take too long.
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Awesome list, I agree with them all.
“- People who insist that everything can be solved just by thinking positively ”
youre preaching to the choir
i feel like i’m in 5th grade with inspirational posters “YOUR BRAIN IS LIKE A PARACHUTE, WORKS BEST WHEN OPEN”
I dont go on the internet to be motivated in my research
Everything in life can have meaning, only because humans are the only source of meaning– if we find meaning in something, meaning is there. Meaning is, in the end, meaningless.
And what makes a man? Is it the woman in his arms, just because she’s got big titties? Is it the way, he fights every day? No, it’s probably the titties. NOW YOU’RE A MAN, MANLY MANLY MAN.
Good list! My two favorites are the “literal internet” and “what it means to be a man.” LOL!!
I had several conversations with my son about his belief that he had “become a man” just because he had turned 18. LOL! So many distorted beliefs surround machismo!
I think it’s quite possible that everything in life has a meaning, but it really depends on the dictionary you’re using.
Not that I’m being literal or anything.
Would you prefer I ‘unfollow’ ?
You can only allow people to be themselves, what inspires them may not inspire you but hey live and let live. People post crap on here that drives me mad but you gotta let it fly, it’s obviously significant to them or they wouldn’t post it right?
Would it inspire you to be more positive if I told you I do not know what it means to be a man?
I am so glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t believe in the “power” of positive thinking, and loathe inspirational phrases.
I have to disagree I think the world is influenced by the way you perceive it. I don’t want to get into the glass half empty conversation (By the way I’m the opportunist) . It has been shown that patients with positive attitudes heal quicker, now that is not the only factor but it is a significant one. I think you feel more positive about the world around you if you are more positive. But we’re not all the same so its each to their own. If other people want to post inspirational quotes etc — all power to them if it helps them.
Unfortunately the power of positive thinking people are often rather preachy about it. One starts to feel under siege after a while.
One could say that of the cynical too
One could, but it wouldn’t match my experience. The cynical make jokes, they generally don’t preach.
but we all know that jokes may be said in humour but are more than half meant. It’s not just jokes, cynics post too and deluge social media with negativism, and it is the same experience of feeling that one is being preached at but from the other side of the coin. Cynics are as ‘preachy’ as any other group. It’s just a case of tolerating every ones views.
Ah well.. the nice thing about G+ is I really don’t have to tolerate them if I don’t want to.
Seems a shame to create a sounding board that only sends back the sound of people agreeing.
+V C Willow I really would like to know, linguistically, how cynics became associated with negativity. The original cynics were very similar to stoics.
Inspirational messages aren’t really a form of discussion so their absence is hardly a loss.
social media has created a generation of cynics that can easily post negativism. Movements change.
Yes but they can be and I’ve found they often are the spark for discussions
They are at best platitudes and worth very little. And on any occasion where I have presented a contrary reaction to them it has been poorly received.
A waste of everyone’s time then.
+V C Willow There is no cynical movement. Words change, which is what I was talking about– originally, cynics were people who lived in harmony with nature and eschewed physical possessions. Somehow, that philosophy became associated with negativity. I’m just curious about the transition, is all. I find that stuff fascinating.
What I also find fascinating is people who say fairly tepid, but not wholly supportive things are often branded as “cynics”. I find that the contrary to your statement is true: social media has created a generation of devoted to being members of a mutual admiration society and anyone that doesn’t participate is branded a cynic.
I think social media has polarised people, some fall in the middle but many are either clearly believers in the use of positive thoughts and messages and others are clearly cynics.
To say that they are at best platitudes is a fairly flippant and dismissive reproach. Value is found in the reaction by the individual, and many people find they provide clarity and focus, Just because you may not find them valuable do not dismiss them out of hand for everyone.
I think Social media and in general the media machine has created a cynical generation that distrusts and is cynical. Some cynics seek the truth but my argument was that some cynics also seem to preach in a fairly consistently aggressive and negative way. But as with all things you can not put a label on a whole community — variety is found within any ‘group’. Don’t dismiss all ideas of positive thinking or inspirational quotes and messages. If they’re not for you fine, but that does not mean that there is not value in them or that you are missing out by cynically dismissing them all.
+V C Willow Well, let’s be frank: positive thinking alone does nothing. Positive thinking’s only value is that it can provide motivation for taking action. That is valuable, but it has to be balanced. But there is also a cult of positive thinking that believes that positive thinking is an end in-and-of-itself. This is epitomized at its worst in things like The Secret.
The underlying problem is that positive thoughts, with or without results, still feel good. It’s very easy to make oneself feel good without actually doing anything. Some people masturbate, some people read inspirational quotes. In the end, it’s the same thing.
So if it inspires people to act and improve then it has value. Being cynical and dismissing everything achieves nothing as a counter argument.
+V C Willow Yes, but when someone says, “Hey, I don’t like seeing this in my stream,” it is– shockingly– their stream. It’s their venue. It’s one thing to politely disagree, but it’s different to be insulting. And again, let’s be frank: you meant cynic as an insult.
I probably wouldn’t have commented further at all, but I found you rude and annoying.
You are making the huge assumption that being cynical means dismissing everything. That is not the case at all.
It means looking beyond the surface.
I not infrequently take “negative” positions on issues that I don’t particularly believe simply because everyone else is blindly towing the line.
That one negative voice forces people to actually justify what they are saying instead of merely spouting it.
Well I’m sorry but I have disagreed with your arguments politely and succinctly maintaining a consistent and intelligent argument, if you can find rudeness in that then I don’t know what to say. I fundamentally disagree with you but I am happy to discuss that. I dislike cynicism it is my personal view that as Oscar Wilde famously said ‘A cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing’. Sceptical, yes, critical thinking yes without a doubt but I personally dislike cynicism.
Things I don’t like:
- people who argue using “facts” they made up and don’t care to validate even if it’s as easy as typing “define $word” into Google.
I’m also really glad other people don’t need a grand meaning to their life. I’m trying to survive as happily as I possibly can. I don’t have a grand agenda other than that.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cynical
substitute the words “pessimistic” or “jaded” for her use of the word “cynical,” and I agree with her 100%. I find so many people to be uselessly negative. Say what you want about a positive mental outlook, I prefer it to dealing with someone with a constant negatibe outlook, every time. +Eoghann Irving , didn’t you share an article that found that people with unrealistic high opinions of their abilities were actually more successful in their endeavors?
I don’t remember the specifics now, but it was something along those lines.
I particularly dislike people like that.
I don’t feel I’m at all a cynic, though sarcasm and satire are a couple of my favorite friends.
Being a cynic is more than just negativity– it’s having no faith in humanity. There are reasons people are like this and telling them, “Chin up! Smile! Be POSITIVE!” is not going to resolve anything. In fact, it might be a wise idea to examine the reasons for a cynic’s deep distrust and disgust. Either to help them become more trusting or to help society become more worthy of such trust.
Agree
But one can have a positive outlook, while realizing that a situation is bad, also. To me, negativity just seems to sap the will to fix whatever is wrong. In other words, just telling them to be positive may not resolve anything, but them actually changing their outlook might. Note: nowhere am I suggesting this is just as simple as flipping a switch, nor do I claim to have an easy answer for how to do it. But I do believe that attempting to create positive changes, in your life or anywhere else, without a positive outlook about your chances of success is setting yourself up for failure.
I have a problem seeing trust as something one can or should just change their outlook about. (Pretending everything is peachy and/or chanting some inspirational mantras is not going to do anything for the cynic’s outlook.)
At least the way I see it, trust is the #1 thing missing in a cynic. It’s definitely something way beyond just being skeptical and ever questioning the world around you, however the way you are applying “negativity”, it is not a synonym for “cynicism”.
Lynda, in my first post, I said if you substituted “pessimism” or “jaded” for cynicism, I would agree.
I forget what the original post said now. I applaud +Eoghann Irving for realizing that responding to hecklers benefits no one. I am a cynic. I rather like the idea of living in harmony with nature, very Thoreauish. I’d agree with +Lynda Giddens that lack of trust is a big component in my actions. I think that a basis for depression is negative thinking, however, eliminating negative thoughts is not the same as positive thinking.
I prefer being called a realist. I have no problem being pleasant and objective even when I’m not feeling it, but when being dished bad news then being told to “cheer up” just feels flippant and hollow.