Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

[SimonDoom]

Do you regard yourself as an optimist or a pessimist, and does that identification affect your politics?

By optimist I mean somebody who thinks things are generally getting better and is hopeful about the future.

By pessimist I mean somebody who thinks things are generally getting worse and is not hopeful about the future.

I'm an optimist, without a doubt. I'm not a Pollyanna. Many things suck, as things have always sucked, but by most measures, things suck less than they did 40 years ago, or 100 years ago, or 200 years ago. There was no time in the past when things were better.

I don't believe progress is inevitable, but I think it's likely.

Some of Steven Pinker's books, such as The Better Angels of Our Nature or Enlightenment Now, more or less fit with how I think. His view is that enlightenment values, like the scientific method and value for individual rights and democracy, have created a better world, and we're likely to have a better world in the future if we maintain confidence in those values. I agree with that.

One of the nice things about being an optimist is that I don't feel that every election cycle is an apocalyptic battle to the death. I don't feel one side has to win at all costs. People have a way of being deeply, emotionally invested in their own point of view, cannot imagine the other point of view, and think that if the other side wins the next election the world will end. I think that's ridiculous. The reality is that we will keep swinging back and forth, but over time we'll probably--probably, not certainly--muddle our way to a better situation.

Thoughts?

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

Do you regard yourself as an optimist or a pessimist, and does that identification affect your politics?

By optimist I mean somebody who thinks things are generally getting better and is hopeful about the future.

By pessimist I mean somebody who thinks things are generally getting worse and is not hopeful about the future.

I'm an optimist, without a doubt. I'm not a Pollyanna. Many things suck, as things have always sucked, but by most measures, things suck less than they did 40 years ago, or 100 years ago, or 200 years ago. There was no time in the past when things were better.

I don't believe progress is inevitable, but I think it's likely.

Some of Steven Pinker's books, such as The Better Angels of Our Nature or Enlightenment Now, more or less fit with how I think. His view is that enlightenment values, like the scientific method and value for individual rights and democracy, have created a better world, and we're likely to have a better world in the future if we maintain confidence in those values. I agree with that.

One of the nice things about being an optimist is that I don't feel that every election cycle is an apocalyptic battle to the death. I don't feel one side has to win at all costs. People have a way of being deeply, emotionally invested in their own point of view, cannot imagine the other point of view, and think that if the other side wins the next election the world will end. I think that's ridiculous. The reality is that we will keep swinging back and forth, but over time we'll probably--probably, not certainly--muddle our way to a better situation.

Thoughts?

I’m an optimist because the only way we can build a better world for ourselves and our children is by believing that that a better world is possible. Hate and fascism and bigotry thrive on fear and pessimism. Love life and laugh at the pathetic haters!

 

[Lazaran]

Do you regard yourself as an optimist or a pessimist, and does that identification affect your politics?

By optimist I mean somebody who thinks things are generally getting better and is hopeful about the future.

By pessimist I mean somebody who thinks things are generally getting worse and is not hopeful about the future.

I'm an optimist, without a doubt. I'm not a Pollyanna. Many things suck, as things have always sucked, but by most measures, things suck less than they did 40 years ago, or 100 years ago, or 200 years ago. There was no time in the past when things were better.

I don't believe progress is inevitable, but I think it's likely.

Some of Steven Pinker's books, such as The Better Angels of Our Nature or Enlightenment Now, more or less fit with how I think. His view is that enlightenment values, like the scientific method and value for individual rights and democracy, have created a better world, and we're likely to have a better world in the future if we maintain confidence in those values. I agree with that.

One of the nice things about being an optimist is that I don't feel that every election cycle is an apocalyptic battle to the death. I don't feel one side has to win at all costs. People have a way of being deeply, emotionally invested in their own point of view, cannot imagine the other point of view, and think that if the other side wins the next election the world will end. I think that's ridiculous. The reality is that we will keep swinging back and forth, but over time we'll probably--probably, not certainly--muddle our way to a better situation.

Thoughts?

I’m an optimist who believes we are at an inflection point, where Trump and other corrupt, ignorant authoritarians threaten to drag humanity. science, societal progress, and the rules based order of the global community back 40, 100, or 200 years.

I’m optimistic that a significant majority of Americans will follow the lead of the U.K. and France in rejecting right wing authoritarianism / fascism, and elect Democrats as their representatives in Congress and the White House.



I’m optimistic that things will continue to get better if Kamala gets the opportunity to continues the good work President Biden started.. Especially if she has a Democratic majority in the House and the Senate to facilitate that good work.



Side note:

I’m optimistic the SCOTUS SWAMP will be drained of the corrupt right wing "justices", or expanded to dilute their abuse of power if Kamala and the Democrats secure enough of a mandate.

 

[MajorRewrite]

I’m an optimist because being a pessimist seems pointless.

Doomsayers and apocalyptic preppers have been around my whole life, and they’ve got nothing to show for their pessimism. Eagerly awaiting disaster is no way to live your life.

 

[butters]

I am an optimist, but equally a realist.

i do believe it's possible for Kamala and Tim to take us to a better future, and for trump to break democracy in this American Democratic Republic simply because he has seen to getting people down ticket (in schools, health, local government, judges & governorships etc) who would back his unconstitutional actions. He fully intends to implement, protecting his position as 'Dear Leader' and making elections (other than typically meaningless ones such as in Russia) a thing of the past.

 

[SevMax2]

I'm the eternal pessimist and I don't feel any shame in saying that. Optimism is hopelessly naïve.

 

[drobert44]

I'm the eternal pessimist and I don't feel any shame in saying that. Optimism is hopelessly naïve.

Just glad to be here and be healthy. 40% of my class of 62 are dead.

 

[SevMax2]

Just glad to be here and be healthy. 40% of my class of 62 are dead.

My best friend from high school died in 2013. Yeah, I get that. He was 36, I think.

 

[drobert44]

I am 80, still healthy, and love fucking a h s classmate; she is an animal........

 

[SevMax2]

I am 80, still healthy, and love fucking a h s classmate; she is an animal........

Nice.

 

[coati]

Why only two choices?

 

[adrina]

An optimistic cynic. Or would it be cynical optimist. Heh.

 

[RobDownSouth]

Why only two choices?

Refer to the teachings of Sensei Shitforbrains, currently d/b/a "JoePepsiCo".

He has spent decades using his degree in computer LOGIC to instruct us that a "real man" sees things in either "black" or "white", and only a weak mind sees "shades of gray".

 

[drobert44]

Why only two choices?

All I know is dead or alive.

 

[Comshaw]

Do you regard yourself as an optimist or a pessimist, and does that identification affect your politics?

By optimist I mean somebody who thinks things are generally getting better and is hopeful about the future.

By pessimist I mean somebody who thinks things are generally getting worse and is not hopeful about the future.

I'm an optimist, without a doubt. I'm not a Pollyanna. Many things suck, as things have always sucked, but by most measures, things suck less than they did 40 years ago, or 100 years ago, or 200 years ago. There was no time in the past when things were better.

I don't believe progress is inevitable, but I think it's likely.

Some of Steven Pinker's books, such as The Better Angels of Our Nature or Enlightenment Now, more or less fit with how I think. His view is that enlightenment values, like the scientific method and value for individual rights and democracy, have created a better world, and we're likely to have a better world in the future if we maintain confidence in those values. I agree with that.

One of the nice things about being an optimist is that I don't feel that every election cycle is an apocalyptic battle to the death. I don't feel one side has to win at all costs. People have a way of being deeply, emotionally invested in their own point of view, cannot imagine the other point of view, and think that if the other side wins the next election the world will end. I think that's ridiculous. The reality is that we will keep swinging back and forth, but over time we'll probably--probably, not certainly--muddle our way to a better situation.

Thoughts?

The optimist sees a glass as half full of water; the pessimist sees it as half-empty. The realist doesn't care, they just drink it.



Comshaw

 

[SimonDoom]

Why only two choices?

Just to make it simple. But if you see things in a more complicated or nuanced way, by all means share your perspective.

 

[Boat1]

The optimist sees a glass as half full of water; the pessimist sees it as half-empty. The realist doesn't care, they just drink it.



Comshaw

In my version of that, the realist sees the glass as twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[adrina]

 

[AlexBailey]

I’m an optimist in my belief that increased knowledge can lead to better understanding and decisions.

I’m a pessimist in that I believe humanity is plagued by an inherent small percentage of sociopaths and people who only care to serve their own interests who, even though proportionally small in number, have a large effect on society.

I see life as a constant balance between these opposing forces.

 

[Yarglenurp]

Nothing matters until it suddenly does. Decisions made in the past often don’t seem important until it becomes the reason something dies, and then the survivors say, “wow, that was a really dumb decision… why did they do that?”

History is filled with stories of entire cultures that made reasonable decisions and then effectively commit suicide because they chose a really bad leader. Without realizing it, your statement about thinking it doesn’t matter is survivor’s bias in action. If you want to know what happens when a people choose bad leaders, look at the Xhosa and the prophet Nongqawuse. A single really bad call, and an ethnic group of 100,000+ goes down to fewer than 25,000 people.

One thing too is that your decades of survival without thinking too hard about it is that it was built on the structure of people who in general favored stability and predictable governance. Both republicans and democrats used to agree together to govern and build shit, they generally just disagreed on the exact method of doing so. However, over the last 15 years or so, the Republicans have totally given up cooperating. Instead, they just yell loudly about things that don’t matter maintaining the guts and bones of a country. Instead of having healthy debate on the best way to serve the nation, Republicans now treat the US as an evil power that they must harm instead of help.

 

[coati]

Just to make it simple. But if you see things in a more complicated or nuanced way, by all means share your perspective.

What Adrina just said.

 

[TastySuckToy]

I would consider myself very optimistic, but appreciate cautious optimism and always try to plan for the worst.