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To: conservatism_IS_compassion

There are levels of cynicism, and ironically, if you go deep enough, you get right back around to wide-eyed innocence.


36 posted on 01/21/2019 1:09:10 PM PST by thoughtomator (Nobody is coming to save the day)
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To: thoughtomator
I said, "Even looking at it that way, the usage is wrong. One who insists that cynicism is justified can say, "nowhere near skeptical enough." But cynicism as you mean it is the ultimate in skepticism - and to say, “not cynical enough” is like saying “not best enough” rather than “not good enough.” I’m not sure I’m proud of the “as you mean it” phrase; it sounds presumptuous of me to try to tell someone else what they mean.
There are levels of cynicism, and ironically, if you go deep enough, you get right back around to wide-eyed innocence.
My interest in discussing skepticism/cynicism comes from my analysis of journalism, a.k.a. “the media.” Journalists maintain their socialist ideological purity by defining “objectivity” as meaning, "never breaking from the herd.”

Journalists know perfectly well that “If it bleeds it leads” is not a philosophical but a commercial rule, know that they follow it, and know that following it makes journalism negative. So when they then claim that journalism is objective, that carries the implication that "negativity is objectivity.” And that conceit, I assert, is a fine definition of “cynicism.”

Cynicism is dictionary-defined as the opposite of faith.

It seems to me that if “there are levels of cynicism,” then there is no real difference between cynicism, on the one hand, and mere skepticism, on the other. Which leads to my comparison between “skepticism" and “cynicism" as being analogous to the relation between “good” and “best.”

I do agree that cynicism and naiveté are related, in that since cynicism is extreme, it requires naiveté to believe in it. American conservatives are not cynical about government, which would require naiveté about society without government, but they are skeptical of government. As “I’m from the government and I’m here to help” illustrates. We are skeptical about society, or we wouldn’t want any government at all. On grounds of expense, if nothing worse. But we are not cynical about society, or we would be “all in” for government programs for everything. We leave cynicism towards society for “liberals.”


37 posted on 01/22/2019 5:55:40 AM PST by conservatism_IS_compassion
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