Feb 6, 2006
Negative vs. Realist
I have been getting various comments stating that I am “negative.” But am I? I argue that I am a realist. How can one tell the difference? The dictionary defines a negative person as follows:
Lacking positive or constructive features, especially:
1. Unpleasant; disagreeable
2. Gloomy; pessimistic
3. Unfavorable or detrimental
4. Hostile or disparaging; malicious
It is possible that I may not be positive and I will discuss this later but saying that I have no constructive features is, well, a little insulting. I do my best not to base my life on ignorance and make sure I choose a side on an issue or argument. I would have to be a constructive thinker to be able to form a true unbiased opinion in the first place and am always prepared to prove myself
Next, the definition states that I have to be unpleasant and disagreeable. If I was unpleasant then here is your chance to walk away. I have never said that you have to put up with me. I may be disagreeable but why is being disagreeable a bad thing? I disagree because I have a reason to disagree. What is wrong with questioning something because you want to know its validity?
Even though you think that I am gloomy or pessimistic this is not true. I have set out to accomplish a lot of things and I have accomplished almost all of it at age 23. I have a beautiful smart girlfriend, I live in a city, though it can be very troublesome at times, with everything I could possible need. Why the heck would I be gloomy? If I am gloomy its because I am angry about the truth and I know the truth is not always going to be positive. Show me a person that is always positive and I will show you a person that has no emotions.
The definition also states that I have to be unfavorable or worse, detrimental to you. If I am causing you harm or creating opposition of any kind please tell me. If I am hurting your feelings I apologize but make sure your not very sensative. You might also have confidence issues. I would rather tell the truth instead of what you want to hear.
Now if you consider this blog hostile or malicious then I don’t know what to tell you. To be honest, you may not be open minded or liberal enough to accept anything else other than in your own mind what is right. Is telling you how I feel being hostile. I am not trying to start a war here. I am merely stating what I see and what I should like to see change. I can’t force anyone to change. My job is to be honest with you, your job is to either agree or disagree with me. Stating I am negative without truly understanding my meaning makes you unfavorable, disagreeable and not very constructive. You follow the definition closer than I do.
I want to compare this definition with what I believe I truly am. I am a realist and a realist is defined as:
1: a philosopher who believes that universals are real and exist independently of anyone thinking of them 2: a person who accepts the world as it literally is and deals with it accordingly 3: a painter who represents the world realistically and not in an idealized or romantic style.
This definiton is more in line of what I strive to be. Its not close or similar to the definition of a negative person. The world, as complicated as it is, will never always be positive because of the very first rule of logic: there can be no happiness without pain. Ignorance in a sense can be bliss but the more you find out the more you are going to have to choose a side and not live life in the grey area. You can try it, I did once and I was not very happy. That’s when you could have called me negative but you can not now. If you guys are saying that I am negative because of the things that I have chosen to write then you do not understand what I was saying and possibly risk being negative yourselves. The article titled “Hipsters” is about being true to yourself, not defining yourself by living a lifestyle just to be accepted. It was just a generic “Ralph Waldo Emmerson” style essay about how predictable everyone has become and conformity is not they way to go. The article I wrote about graphic designers being wussies is about integrity. That is a value I very rarely find in anybody anymore and its the most apparent in my industry. The passion that my industry was created on is being destroyed and I am only one man, what else could I have done. I don’t write things just to anger others, because I have a secret agenda to conquer the world or because I want to control how you live your life. I am just telling you how I see it and quite frankly I don’t care if you disagree with me. Thats your right. But if you are just going to say that I am negative then you don’t understand me and just destroying my integrity. Do you see the difference between a negative person and a realist. I just see what I see and I am going to tell you what I see. Deal with it.
Justin,
you may think you are not negative, but I have had your opinions pushed on me quite a bit. It seems like if I want to talk about a subject that you don’t want to, you get upset at me, yet I have to hear your side of things and have them spoken to me loudly. I don’t feel sometimes that you allow me the same freedoms as you expect. What happen to the Golden Rule?
You’re still missing my point mom. Would anyone else like to comment on this post? Come on, I know there is more than one person that thinks I am negative.
I wouldn’t say “negative”, but you are a true cynic - that’s why we love you.
Okay, that I will take.
Yeah…I agree. You don’t seem negative. Maybe cynical or even better skeptical but not negative. But as far as the realist thing goes…trust me you don’t want to be a philosophical realist. They’re crazy. But I’ll still be your friend if you decide to be a realist artist or if you think that there is a “literal world” (thought that’s a little whack too because really what’s “the world as it really is”?) One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. But these are just the musings of someone who has spent way too much time studying philosophy and french critical theory. Really I’m the one who’s whack because since when did we need that crap? By the way, Dr. Phil is going to cameo in Scary Movie 4. I almost want to see it.
Good Golly! I should have read that Karen girl’s post; she said it so succinctly.
im guessing ur republican
my girlfriend was just telling me i am such a negative person………. so i told her i am nothing more than a realist. she stormed off into the other room……. so i started looking up realism vs negative stuff on google which brought me to your article. i share the same views you do and i think you explained you’re agruement perfectly, i completely agree!!!!!
Keith, I am glad you found the article.
Just hang in there. This is who you are and should be accepted. It’s sad that you have to convince people that you are just like any other normal person but it shows who your true friends are.
As for girlfriends, it takes time. It took my girlfriend a while but she loves me for who I am now.
I’ve thinking for days about this. Someone who I had lost contact for a while talked to me recently and for some things I said told me I was a negative person. I was very surprised. So I asked everyone I know if they thought I was negative and everyone agreed on it.
Still, I’m not convinced.
By reading your article, makes me even less convinced.
I’m glad there’s someone who thinks like me.
I love love this post for the fact that its brilliant. I have a journal entry that I can not explain to you how close this post comes to it. I have the same issues and by reading this…. its me.. and I completely agree
well done