Optimism

[Huckleberry Finn]

Vote and discuss.

Obviously the political right is more optimistic, especially libertarians. Most right-wingers who I know in real life are fairly optimistic persons while left-wingers are mostly very pessimistic and always complaing how their life suck and how the world is heading to destruction.

Generally right-wingers believe that things are going to right direction but left-wingers don't.

[Bono]

Vote and discuss.

Obviously the political right is more optimistic, especially libertarians. Most right-wingers who I know in real life are fairly optimistic persons while left-wingers are mostly very pessimistic and always complaing how their life suck and how the world is heading to destruction.

Generally right-wingers believe that things are going to right direction but left-wingers don't.

Not me. I look aroung, and I only see opression progressing.

[© tweed]

It depends which party is in power.  If the Dems were in power, they'd be the optimists and the GOP the pessimists.  But now, as the  Republicans are in power, the Democrats are the pessimists.

[A18]

Vote and discuss.

Obviously the political right is more optimistic, especially libertarians. Most right-wingers who I know in real life are fairly optimistic persons while left-wingers are mostly very pessimistic and always complaing how their life suck and how the world is heading to destruction.

Generally right-wingers believe that things are going to right direction but left-wingers don't.

Not me. I look aroung, and I only see opression progressing.

^^^

[Giant Saguaro]

Generally, I've always found the left to be more pessimistic. One staple of traditional right wing thinking is to look at the landcsape and say that if you are dedicated, you work hard, sacrifice, and so forth, there is nothing stopping you from achieving whatever you want. The left looks at the same landscape and sees little except for inequality, systems of roadblocks, and a concentration of wealth at the top. It's one reason why the left is more interventionist ecomonomically than the right, I think. I'm closer to the first view.

There's another brand of pessimism which lends itself to artistic venues, like film, books, and music. The '60s and '70s and into the '80s provide lots and lots of examples of leftist pessimism. Nuclear winter, science run amok, military states, and on and on. It kind of dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Frankenstein, The Last Man, HG Wells novels and stories, some of Lord Byron, and there are lots of examples. Orwell in the 20th century.

[dazzleman]

Optimism wins elections, and I think the philosophy that is generally more optimistic is a good indicator of which philosophy is in the ascendency, and which is in decline.

From the 1930s to the 1960s, conservatives generally were very pessimistic, fighting a futile, rear-guard action to at least slow down the inevitable advance of liberalism.

Liberals in that period were the optimistic, idealistic ones, brimming with potential solutions to the nation's problems.

In the aftermath of the disastrous failure of the liberals' main policy prescriptions of the 1960s, it was increasingly liberals who were fighting a rear-guard action to maintain the status quo.  Ronald Reagan deserves much of the credit for bringing a sunny and optimistic disposition, and a positive agenda, to conservatism.

Today, liberals are generally comprised of angry, strident groups with a very negative view of the world and American society, and I think it is definitely conservatives who are more optimistic.

[Citizen James]

The sort of ranting that goes on in talk radio hardly seems optimistic to me.

Admitedly, that group is typically more authoritarian right than libertarian right.

In general, I think the libertarian leaning groups tend to be more optimistic in general - the left believing that given the proper tools to succeed, people will prosper, and the right believing that people will find their own tools and prosper.

The authoritarian left (nanny state) has a more negative view of human nature, seeking to protect them from making poor choices, and the authoritarian right even more negative in taking a social darwinistic aproach in letting those who fail perish.   Neoconservatism seems to take the worst natures of left and right authoritarianism and meld them. (more rules, less safety  net).

[Democratic Hawk]

Political left (liberal)

Dave

[Hatman 🍁]

I would agree that in the U.S., the right are the most optimistic, but the opposite can be said about Canada. The right wing here is always the one telling us how our liberal ideas will be the death of us.

[FerrisBueller86]

I'm rather optimistic by nature.  In the 1980s, I couldn't get myself to believe that the world would end in nuclear war even though I wasn't a Reagan fan.  Of course, I didn't expect the Cold War to end so soon.

Of course, I'm a fan of Britney Spears and Mandy Moore.  What kind of Britney/Christina/Mandy/Jessica fan would I be if I were pessimistic all the time?

[MaC]

I have to say my party is rather optimistic, despite not electing anyone into powerful political offices.

[David S]

I have to say my party is rather optimistic, despite not electing anyone into powerful political offices.

My thoughts exactly. 

[opebo]

I reckon rich folks are more optimistic, so the Right.

Certainly you are correct, as only the rich have anything to be optimistic about in the current system.

Of course overall liberalism or socialism is more optimistic, because they actually make some attempt at improving life for most people.  

Honest rightists understand that their system makes life a misery for the great majority, but admittedly most rightists are the deluded type: they're being optimists by telling working class people horatio alger stories and admonishing them for laziness.  'You can do it, you just need a positive attitude'!  What a sick farce.  Please bring back the old aristocracy for a little decency.

[ilikeverin]

Write-in: Libertarians

They're more optimistic than me!

[Huckleberry Finn]

Optimism wins elections, and I think the philosophy that is generally more optimistic is a good indicator of which philosophy is in the ascendency, and which is in decline.

From the 1930s to the 1960s, conservatives generally were very pessimistic, fighting a futile, rear-guard action to at least slow down the inevitable advance of liberalism.

Liberals in that period were the optimistic, idealistic ones, brimming with potential solutions to the nation's problems.

In the aftermath of the disastrous failure of the liberals' main policy prescriptions of the 1960s, it was increasingly liberals who were fighting a rear-guard action to maintain the status quo.  Ronald Reagan deserves much of the credit for bringing a sunny and optimistic disposition, and a positive agenda, to conservatism.

Very much like in Finland, if we replace liberals by socialists/communists. They were very optimistic until 80's. The fascist war right was optimistic in 30's though. Green left is always most pessimistic.

[opebo]

I reckon rich folks are more optimistic, so the Right.

Certainly you are correct, as only the rich have anything to be optimistic about in the current system.

Of course overall liberalism or socialism is more optimistic, because they actually make some attempt at improving life for most people. 

Honest rightists understand that their system makes life a misery for the great majority, but admittedly most rightists are the deluded type: they're being optimists by telling working class people horatio alger stories and admonishing them for laziness.  'You can do it, you just need a positive attitude'!  What a sick farce.  Please bring back the old aristocracy for a little decency.

Hey dick, my grandfather fought the aristocracy and went from living in a shack with 8 siblings to raising 3 kids of his own and sending all three to college all on his own hard work and positive attitude.  There's no way in hell you can tell me that the stupid lazy poor "can't" do it.  My family did it, anyone's can.  All you need is drive and a positive attitude.  It CAN happen and it DOES happen and that's where the real class lines lie, not with income but drive and self-dependency.  My grandfather didn't succeed in life by taking handouts from the government that the poor need sooooo badly, he worked his butt off at minimum wage until his hard work was recognized after years.  Even then, he and my grandmother lived paycheck to paycheck to pay for college for my dad and his brothers.  Now my dad works fairly high up at Morgan Stanley and we live quite a bit better than a shack in New York City all thanks to my grandfather's desire to be better than the scum on the streets these days.  So next time you defend the poor for being so "helpless" and feel the need to give them more than they deserve, think of what they could do if you let them work for themselves.  Let them live without Democrats constantly reminding them of how "inferior" they are by giving them money and "help".  Leave them alone and let the strong ones work up to where they belong in society.

Sorry, I'm just very proud of my grandfather's achievements and it pisses me off when these stupid people keep trying to make themselves seem so much better than him.

Oh and I voted conservative right.

My goodness but you've swallowed the propaganda hook line and sinker FezzyFestoon!  It sounds like your grandfather was thrown a bone or two by his owners, but I think if you look back and analyse further you will find it was Keynesiasm, unions, and government intervention that lifted working class persons just a little higher back in those years.  Not hard work, that is for sure.