Misanthropes: I don't get you.

[Rainforce]

dunno, kinda grew out of it. I mean, I know that humans are on average indeed the biggest assholes and idiots imaginable, but there are some good spots on this shitladen planet as well. Also, why should I hate all of humanity, I can't afford godlike blood pressure. So, it seems really to be a quite impractical thing in the long run to be a misanthrope.
"Have fun" for anyone who can actually spend all his life just hating through everything.

 

[Vicarious Reality]

You can't force yourself to be happy.

In my experience, you can't force your environment to make you happy. You can only run away from it if it bothers you. Or destroy it if it actually threatens you.

 

[Peter Davis]

If you see enough of humanity doing their damndest to make a case for why we should all be killed its hard not to some days, So to you i say this, A positive outlook is not something that just happens, if you force such an outlook it becomes closer to ignorance rather than positive thought. While i commend you For being able to see the good in things I don't see the positive most times because I am cynical of peoples nature though I always give a chance to prove me wrong. I'd love to be proved wrong on this point -.-

 

[Zeitgeist1983]

Not all people suck. But most. The majority is stupid and hates people who are nonconformists. If you get bullied every day for what you are, you start hating people. NOBODY hates people out of no reasons. I guess its that simple, though.

Despite that I generally try to be nice to other people to improve these conditions in my own small reach of action.

 

[viranimus]

Well personally I dont like delusion. Life is not a happy place. Sure there are moments of happiness but typically life is more often vile, and it is mostly just .....meh. So having a positive outlook on life is a case example of delusion. Why focus on the few positives when they will inevitably be overwhelmed with all the mundane and negatives.

Another factor is the true nature of misanthropy, People. And quite frankly as a whole people suck. I myself am a horrible person, as are infinitely more people than would ever admit it. Human nature as it currently exists is exactly what makes life suck more often than not as most negatives in one individuals life are the direct effect of actions of another human being or group of people.

So if life sucks, and people are essentially what makes life suck then is it not logical to hate the source of what makes life suck? Honestly to me it does not really seem all that complex or unrealistic.

I think more than anything that the true fundamental difference that makes it difficult to get misanthropes is generational. Typically Generation X is identified as being very misanthropic, whereas the ME generation rejects that notion. It is suggested part of the reason for that disconnect (beyond the whole automatically rejecting the notions of the previous generation) is the way the ME generation was educated and forced by lazy and irresponsible educators .into focusing work efforts into group activities. If you are more adapted and ready to accept working in groups then your naturally going to be more accepting of people. Whereas Generation X was pushed down an educational path of being able to work as an individual with little or no supervision. So it seems natural that the group of people who were taught to do it yourself is going to look much less favorably on people because they will invariably see lack of knowledge or inability in others as a weakness and hinderence especially when forced to work and interact with them.

Conversely this is also reinforced in our entertainment. For example gaming. Generation X was the generation that basically gave video gaming credibility. GenX was raised on single player games predominantly and many times when cooperative play is introduced there would invariably be hinderences much like how two player games would lock the players together within one screen distance in beat em up side scrollers like battle toads and double dragon. One player typically is wanting to move forward stuck while the other wants to explore, both finding frustration. Whereas the MEs have been raised in a generation that popularized MMOs, and online coop multiplayer. Increasingly multiplayer games are centric around collaborative efforts. It is also interesting to note that as the ME generation progresses the notions of single player and every man for themselves deathmatches are falling by the way side in favor of multi party raids and team death match type options.

So yeah, From the way I see it, its really not all that hard to get. And from what seems apparent it falls down to all the complexity of a middle school foot ball coach saying "you play how you practice"

 

[Exterminas]

You might as well ask people who do not like chocolate why they don't simply start liking it, because it tastes good.

Nobody chooses to be a Misanthrope. You just are one or you aren't. Just like poeple either like stuff or don't.

 

[Ace of Spades]

I was slightly misanthropic until I read Moliere's The Misanthrope. It was an enjoyable play that pointed out the absurdity of being a misanthrope. I take a brighter outlook on life these days, and it's quite nice.

 

[zelda2fanboy]

I was a misanthrope, but then I made out with a girl for the first time last week. Really changes a person's outlook. Before I saw a universe with absolutely nothing to offer me, but the same misery I was seeing every damn day. Now I see a place where at any moment, a woman can remove her top and let me touch her boobs.

 

[hotsauceman]

Because the world doesnt reward those that are "Nice" It rewards those that are ruthless and devoid of feelings if you want to get anywhere.

 

[SuperSuperSuperGuy]

It's a matter of preference, honestly. Hating people is just like hating anything else.

I'm a bit misanthropic, but I don't automatically hate anyone. My opinions are based on my observations; anyone can prove that they're a good person. However, I'm a lot easier to sway in the negative direction.

As to why I'm so negative over being positive, from my experience everything is far more likely to go horribly wrong than succeed, especially with people. People are more likely to destroy than to create and very few appreciate the beauty in the world. People tend to be apathetic, self-serving, destructive, greedy to the extreme, hateful and overall not good. There are those who aren't, but I see people who are frequently.

I don't hate people for being people; I hate them for doing the things they do. I am noticeably biased toward the negative because of the things that I see every day, but people are not necessarily evil.

I guess it's a little bit of envy, too, but I'm not gonna go into that right now.

 

[RagTagBand]

Misanthropy =/= Nihilism

This kind idiocy is why I'm pretty misanthropic, as well as the arrogance that makes people think that you can't dislike humanity without also disliking everything else; The universe does NOT REVOLVE AROUND HUMANITY and neither does my personal happiness.

I find joy in many things and I dont need people around to do it, I certainly don't need approval from the inhabitants of the escapist, of all places. Christ, I routinely see more moronic opinions and behavior here than on 4chan.

 

[Spitfire]

Different people are shaped by different things. I'd argue that most misanthropes aren't so much hateful of humanity, as they're disappointed by people, and distrustful of them. As for your question of "Wheres that going to get you?", I think that cautiousness is a much more useful virtue to have than the opposite of it, naivety - but that's just me.

 

[CarlMin]

Practical? Misanthropy is a philosophy. It doesn't have to be applied on a practical level. I'm as misanthropic as they come but I love the company of other humans nonetheless.

 

[Iron Criterion]

Oh, sure, on a higher level, I do. Humans suck, life is pain, etc. But on a more practical level, you just make no sense to me, and heres why: Life is so much nicer if you have a positive outlook! Just go out into the world, be a nice person, and do something fun. What's the point of hating humanity? Wheres that going to get you?

EXPLAIN YOURSELVES!

You know that misanthropes don't have to be arrogant and can even be altruistic, only the extreme cases live a secluded life - they just kinda despise humans in general for various reasons, like being greedy, destroying the earth etc

This. I generally view humanity as a different species to myself and I am constantly disgusted by their terrible habits and traits, but I do not hate everyone or everything about humanity.

 

[Iron Criterion]

Besides, I'm just waiting for 2012 to happen where humanity will be transformed into ponies.
(sorry, could resist a pony joke )

That'd be terrible. I don't fancy being obsessed over by a bunch of bronies.

 

[The Funslinger]

I hate you.

Wow. I literally laughed out loud. That's hardly ever happened on the forums.

Anyway, I'm in the same boat as the OP, having a negative outlook in life is boring and I think incredibly unproductive in trying to change what you hate about the world.

This, basically. I understand why the misanthropes and nihilists feel this way, but really? I, personally think that having too much of an "intellectual" view on life is the stupidest thing you can do.

 

[The Funslinger]

This. I generally view humanity as a different species to myself and I am constantly disgusted by their terrible habits and traits, but I do not hate everyone or everything about humanity.

Though it might not have been your intent, that statement right there makes you sound like an ass hat. So maybe you're not so much different from this big ol' species you loath so much.

 

[Jacob Haggarty]

I don't understand misanthropy either...

It just seems odd to have a few bad things happen to you by a few bad people, and then jump to the conclusion that all people on the earth must be bad all the time. Then you have the usual suspects who point out that although 99.9% of humans are sinners, 0.1% are really really loverly charming people who love every living thing unconditionally, and have a smile and a kiss for all the good little girls and boys.

Why does no one stop to think about the every-man? Or the every-woman. No one stops to think that its only really 10% sinners, 10% saints with 80% of people just trying to get on by from day to day. Can you seriously imagine a single mother of two beating the shit out of someone for giggles? Or alternatively, can you picture said woman giving away £50 notes for nothing?

Also, misanthropists, no matter how much you despise the cess-pit of scumbags and idiots that make up humanity, your are still one of them. Your efforts to dettach yourself from them are all in vain. In my opinion anyway.

 

[drisky]

They do it because its not that easy to flip the happy trust switch. The bad tends to stick with you more. I think with intentions at the very least people want to good though. Ask most people if they consider them selves to be nice and they will say yes. But most of those people will do something immoral at some point without even thinking about it, thats the part misanthropes remember. Its not easy reshaping the your world view in just an instant.

 

[wilsontheterrible]

I'm a misantrope. I hate people because for the most part they're stupid, greedy, backstabbing and annoying. I approached life seeing it differently, it didn't work, now I approach it with the above philosophy. Don't get me wrong, life it...awesome...sometimes but people suck.

But that?s why people are so damn interesting! I love people for those exact same reasons. There's something devilishly entertaining about the hypocritical attitudes of human beings.

I'm no exception. I'm generous to those who have gotten into my inner circle of friends but to everyone else I'll screw you out of every last penny and I have no qualms about firing people on the spot. I'm probably the most honest person you'll ever meet and I can say truthfully I've never lied in my professional career (partially because I would go to jail if I did), but there?s a difference between telling the truth and the whole truth, I excel at that.

People are what they are. Whether you like them or find their tendencies utterly abhorrent but every single one of them has a story and every story has a kernel of wisdom in it, even the stupid, greedy, backstabbing, annoying ones. Sometimes especially those.