Decoding the Cynics

While keeping a tab on social media on Sachin Tendulkar mania I am also witnessing some cynics! Though few in numbers. Guess, he is one of those fortunate one’s who is worshipped by most. While some of the arguments, one-liners show wit, humor and some very fine dissecting of SRT (he is human if you forget!) some are in really bad taste. This forced me to think that why some people are cynical. Not to forget, I too think myself as one.
Why people are cynical? Where does it come from? What drives cynicism? Gave some task to my otherwise idle brain to come up with answers. Here are few points if you wish to read :
If you see, mostly cynical statements & arguments are filled with black humor, sarcasm, pulling someone down or simply irritated by the brouhaha going on around. I guess the innate desire to be different from the rest gives birth to cynical thoughts. The desire to get registered in the crowd to get attention. Don’t get fooled, cynics are the biggest attention seekers. The desire to get acknowledged get recognition as a rebel or someone who has radical thought process! Sometimes I feel that this desire breeds jealousy too. Yes, if the cynicism is about individuals or any pleasant situation, its mostly jealousy. Classic example of it are our cricketers and Bollywood stars! Two unfortunate breed who mostly face the ire of cynics. How to pull him/her down from their high ranks, how to belittle them because they are so big or simply “putting them to their place”, oh! He/she is one of us.
Some cynics are simply pessimists! Now, here can be some personal nightmares in the back or just bad experiences which have made them bitter about everything. They are the people who would find fault in anything and everything. Nothing for them can be “Good” or even “Near Perfect”! Because they risk losing the tag of “Brusque”, “Unapproachable”, “Tough Nut” which are simply their layers to keep themselves protected! Even if they would like something which is nice, good, heartwarming they would simply hide that. Using such words and adjectives are so not them! However, pessimists always remain behind. They have to be. It’s the optimists who go ahead, break shackles and create! They leave the reviewing and commenting bit on the pessimists! That, is the reality. Has been a reality!
In one of my favorite movie, Ratatouille, the food critic Anton Ego says, “In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the *new*. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations.”
I would just add to this that this is so true for all the cynics and reviewers! Isn’t it?