It’s easy to become generally cynical – to decide politicians
are all corrupt, landlords are all grasping, shopkeepers are out to fleece you
etc
It’s hard to believe there are plenty of honest,
trustworthy, principled people out there who get a lot less attention than the
rogues and always get overlooked.
You might think it’s mainly oldies like me who’re cynical
because we’ve had a lot of experience of people trying to con us in one way or another,
but it seems some young people are just as cynical about the way life is
treating them.
One thing I can’t help feeling cynical about is whopping
price rises in the wake of some global crisis. All it takes is a pandemic or a
war or a financial crash and suddenly prices shoot up, with the international
crisis taking the blame.
But I really should try harder not to be cynical, as it
takes some of the joy out of life. I should be more open-minded and
philosophical and not allow the seedy reality to dominate my thinking.
Part of the cynicism seems to be in all the conspiracy theories that are rampant these days. It seems as though 50% of the population do not believe anything they see on the news.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: Yes, the conspiracy theories certainly encourage cynicism and distrust. But not actually believing bona fide news reports is absurd.
DeleteI can only speak for my own country, but cynicism is sort of natural when oligarchs control our country. It's difficult to not see things as corrupt when the corruption is apparent. It's not the shopkeeper or the garden supplier who cause the price increases.
ReplyDeleteSandra: Indeed, it's not surprising that cynicism is rife in Trump's America. And no, as you say price increases aren't made by the shopkeeper but by the supplier.
DeleteI just ignore food/gas prices and buy what I need. No point messing up my mind over it.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Linda: We do the same. Unfortunately there are many people who're so broke they have to watch prices very carefully.
DeleteIt's easy to become cynical with all the bad we see in the world.
ReplyDeleteMary: It certainly is. I envy people who're forever cheerful and matter-of-fact in the face of so much horror and depravity.
DeleteAh, so did you run out of heating oil?!
ReplyDeleteThankfully it's warmer now and I'll get through until November - by then I hope to be non-reliant on oil.
Sx
Ms Scarlet: No, I always order more oil when there's a fair amount left in the tank. But yes, this warm weather is a blessing.
DeleteCynicism is something I try to avoid, but it’s not always easy, Nick. When prices start escalating for gas and food you do have to start to wonder why.
ReplyDeleteBeatrice: You do indeed wonder why prices have shot up so fast and whether it was really necessary.
DeleteSadly, it's pretty much a fact that big media in the US no longer has the same ethics as back in, say, 2010. The history of the Trump years, to avoid writing a big tome, could be told in a normal sized book... by giving examples of bad journalism, such as "sane washing" which the media simply will not stop doing.
ReplyDeleteThe term refers to reporters lying about what Trump said so that he sounds sane, rather than incoherent.
As for greedy landlords, maybe I should protect my self esteem by getting out of the landlord business and letting a corporation have my rental flat, even if they would be big capitalists.
As it happens, when my tenant could not afford her rent, we swapped our flats in our condominium building, giving her my modest "ships cabin" where my mortgage was paid off. Unfortunately, her new reduced rent is not enough to pay my new costs for living in her previous bigger place. Luckily, I have a pension.
Sean: I hadn't come across the term sane washing, so thanks for that. It explains why Trump sometimes sounds quite normal! Re the flat swop, you sound like one of the better landlords. There are some horrendous landlords in the UK who charge their tenants exorbitant sums to live in crumbling flats.
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