Recharge those cheerful batteries Lapin...

This. Your depression's clearly getting to you man.

Ah. well I have always enjoyed your upbeat attitude. Dont let them drag you down no matter now hard they tug/ You're amazing!

keep being cheery, i noticed alot of people have given up on being happy.

this..just all this. how could people be like that? we NEED more positive and nice people in the world! there are too many assholes.

i admit, ive been a pretty depressed person most of my life. but i would never do something like this.

i enjoy surrounding myself with positive people because it makes me positive.

people just cant have fun anymore. the hate is spreading everywhere.
people want everyone to be shallow and hateful.
it seems like if you show any emotion other than troll hate you will be targeted the most.

AND if youre too happy and lighthearted youre considered childish and people try to put you down because of it.

Couldn't agree more, Though one must be aware that things won't always go well or perfect, there has to be that hope, that driving thought that things will be better someday. There is no point in just rolling over and quitting, or being dark and pensive about things that aren't going your way. that's life, things sometimes don't work out, but the bottom line is that one is responsible for their own destiny, and if you don't like where its going, than you are the only one that can change it. I think that people are lazy and that being melancholy is FAR easier than being upbeat. And its almost encouraged these days!
Life sucks sometimes, but that should just make the other parts all that much more enjoyable!

I'm a pretty pessimistic person, partly it's just my nature, partly it's the depression but I think it's like most things in life, you feel how you want to feel about something and I'll feel how I want to feel about something and that's fine.
Anyone who wants to try and drag you down or change the way you think isn't worth your time.

*Rumbles* Well... being that little beacon of cheerfulness can have its drawbacks, sure... but, myself, and quite a few others are happy to be it. Making other people happy and remaining optimistic is hard, but its always so much easier to be bitter and resentful. I stay away from pretty much anything I know will just get me, and others, down. The news, newspapers... I just have my small collection of friends (Seriously, like 3 or 4 irl) that I know I can keep happy and upbeat.

As for the games, I mean sure... there are the horror games... dead space and all that kinda stuff, but thats just fulfilling some peoples needs to have the scare or that jump. A lot of us have a strange attraction to the macabre. But there are a lot of happy, upbeat games... I mean... I know Borderlands is still... running around and using a vast weaponry on crazy inhabitants... but its got its humour... And there are plenty of games with a "feel good" theme about them. Same thing goes for the films. There are plenty of "horror/apocalyptic/thriller" types, but again its just pandering to something that we've been interested in a long time. I mean... go back to Lovecraft... or Edgar Allen Poe... heck, go back even further and check out the real meanings behind fairy tales and its shocking, hahah. The main reason I think these films and games are made as well is that we can go "Friggin' hell, I'm glad thats not happening to me. I'm gonna enjoy myself with friends and family a bit more"

And now I shall stop before I write an essay on this o.o

Parts of your third and fourth paragraph worry me a bit, Beau, but I know that you know that you have lots of fans online that really enjoy what you do.

There are also some adults that recently have decided to eschew dark and brooding pessimistic entertainment and embraced the lighter side....BRONIES! I just know you enjoy ponies, Beau! (this is sarcasm, btw)

I don't hate ponies/bronies/whatever. I'm just kind of tired of them because of their massive overexposure.

But back on topic, I actually can see why the series became so inexplicably popular with adults. It's one of the few well-crafted things on TV now that has an almost universally optimistic outlook on life. Like a flower growing out of a pile of manure.

I figured. I just wanted to poke you on the pony thing considering the content of your post.

Anyway. I think a large reason for the pessimistic entertainment that dominates the landscape today is that its a reflection of reality.

The USA has had 12 years of a hot ugly war with no end in sight with news media constantly promoting fear. Near economic collapse. Weather disasters. Its really one thing after another and we're a first world country. I can only imagine what its like elsewhere.

Dead Space yeah..

Dead Space 2, not so much. Dark and bleak setting, but the guy actually pulls through and keeps his partner alive the second time.

Need to play 3.

Off topic, save your money. DS3 is not worth it unless you like sleeping while playing games. The story is generic, the game play is repetitive and the monsters are yawn-worthy at best.

But what about the gun-crafting?

It's fun, but it's certainly not a saving grace. There are only so many combinations and grinding for parts is tedious. There is some help to get them, but you don't get what you need very often.

Not everything is bad, and for that matter not everything is good. As with everything the middle ground is best. Moderation in all things, including being pessimistic and optimistic.

I've been there in the past. It almost entirely ruined nearly a decade of my life, and I don't wish it on anyone. Sometimes echos of the past will still haunt me, but at least now I know what it is, and I know it is just an echo. Its not real, its just an echo of what was, and it will fade. Unfortunately there isn't much you can do other than tough it out. Be a trooper and just endure it. Having the courage to endure shows strength of character.

I'm really terrible with words. :( But I found this to be most illustrative for those who have not experienced such things. Its really hard to put an emotion or feeling into words. Its not just sadness. Emptyness isn't sufficient. Its just something else. I don't know of a word for it. But this illustrates it very well:
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.c.....-part-two.html

Hang in there. Things will get better. The echos will pass.

You know, I have what some call a "childish" sense of humor. I laugh at the "wingardium leviosa" video and fart jokes. I also laugh at much more intelligent stuff. And I've had a couple of folks just roll their eyes or facepalm at that sense of humor because they see it too below them or something. I'm sorry, but life is way too short to think you're above silly humor like that. I want to laugh, and dammit I'll fucking laugh at toilet humor if I want!

Heheh.... Yeah... I like that video too. So perfectly stupid.

personally I like a shot of happiness and a shot of darkness, perfect balance :3 don't lose hope dude! I watch you for a reason!

I know the feeling. It almost always helps me to go someplace I love to recharge. Usually that means a nice forest hike or sitting somewhere tall and windy. Just relax and get in touch with the thousands of reasons why life is awesome. It's hard to share that joy with others oftentimes, but the effort is worth it. You never know when your light of happiness could be someone's rescue beacon. Hang in there, and don't let anyone tell you what to think if you can help it!

I do (as always) resent the implication that darkness and despair are linked (being one who embraces darkness, but still holds on to his optimism), but i know the feeling well.

The real problem with the media side: it's not the pessimism and misery that are interesting, that give a work depth and substance: its the fact that someone stands in the face of it and perseveres. Its the fact that somewhere amid the misery, one of those naive idiots that everyone looks down upon for not being a void of angst and self-inflicted torment (of the non-fun variety) stands against it all. Funny thing: the naive idiot is, in the end, right. They win. Sometimes at great cost, but they win.

Too bad screenwriters have trouble remember that.

On people in general? Yes, some people are like that. They refuse to see the upside, can't hold on to the positive and tune out the echoes of good things gone by except to say they've left them behind. You can't let them bring you down. There's no reason to. I get by on that little thrill of rebellion in being positive in the face of such negativity. Just one more dark place to find beauty and wonder.

However you need to look at it to stay your upbeat self, take a rest and get that perspective back. Every positive person out there helps, even in the most bleak of places.

To that I'd say, let them eat shit than! But in all seriousness, well as much as can be had any time I open my gob, if some and even if it is many are content to embrace the horror and despair to the point they might as well be sleeping with the pair than let them. What they say is just their attempt to pull you down to make them feel a bit more like they aren't really miserable sacks of hate and that they are normal and not a few bad events away from getting in line for the next open suicide booth. If you are happy and to try and spread it about and you at least make one person smile than fucking mission accomplished man! One smile in a sea of frowns is a victory worth while eh? ...now with that sappy moment out of me it's back to ruining other people's happiness a.k.a trolling for me! and before I go orange tinted glass make things look ever better, chin up old boy they haven't got everyone yet.

I had a somewhat related vent the other day. In the end, the one thing you can do is either keep going or give up. I choose to keep going, if only for my own pride as a good, happy person.

My stories could probably lighten up, though x.x

I prefer yellow-tinted glasses, myself. They make the world look like Persona 4.

I believe negativity is far more common, however the positive in the world is more powerful.
I don't think it's worth it to give into negativity, being positive just makes life and everything easier in general, even if other people try to bring you down. If you're upset by less, well, you don't have to experience being upset as often. I actually feel bad for people who are very bitter and resentful. They live a difficult unhappy life.

“Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke.”
― Joss Whedon

Usually, I don't comment on many things because I believe I don't have anything to say that hasn't already been said. However, this particular subject has caused me to speak out.

One man, one woman, one child... Any of these CAN change the world. While the world itself looks at the Darkness and the Bleakness as being comfortable. Soothing even, we don't realize that the world has always been that dark place, where the shadows creep over everything. Dragging down even the most stalwart of individuals. But yet, in all the encroaching darkness every so often there is a burst of light. A Supernova (if you will) of the paragons of all we wanted to be. The good of everything, the positive of all things. For a brief moment in history we see what it means to truly be, "Good"

Many a person hides behind the guises of ethical and moral behaviour because it's easy to do so when the light of truth exposes someone who was lacking... This is not a crusader of good, nor a hero to extol. They are but pretenders, striding over the corpse of another to gain their accolades.

People are weak. They huddle with whatever the majority says is right, slavery, racism, sexism, abuse, murder, theft, apathy. These are all things that the majority at one point or another has condoned as being good and just.

-To enslave evil is to show that good will always win.
-To expunge the impure is to show the rightness of one people over another.
-Women need to be controlled as they are the true usurpers of the power of man.
-purity through suffering
-evil must be destroyed, no matter the cost
-take the baubles of your fallen foes, for to the victor go the spoils.
-Action ONLY for the most Righteous of Campaigns, for only then can your true strength be seen.

These SORTS of things are not the rules nor necessarily the way all things are. BUT people tend to revel in them. In books, in film, in speech, in public display. So yes, there is darkness everywhere crawling across the planet one person or people at a time.

However, one thing that is always overlooked is how almost every time, there is the single individual who rises up amongst the sewage, to walk the lonely path to oppose the darkness of all. But walks with the strength of their convictions to conquer the darkness. This person has no name, no story. Let's just call him/her "Hope."

It's easy to fall into the darkness, to give up and play along with everyone else. To just sit back and watch the rest of the universe burn while drinking a beer. But, it is to those I'd like to say, Weakness is just watching the darkness, weakness is trying to pull down those around you for you to climb over. Strength of Character, comes from being that nice person, regardless of the sneers. It comes from rushing towards the scene of an accident to help. It comes from giving someone who's homeless a loaf of bread or an old jacket. It comes from taking care of a friend when they're too drunk to pee straight. It comes from calling your family on their birthdays. It comes from accepting the tasks that others are too scared to try, be it successful or not, the happiness comes in doing what others can't. It comes from protecting others from violence.

It's these things, that make YOU feel better. Don't actively TRY to save the world. But try to stay good, happy. You'd be surprised how many people find it infectious. Maybe you'll succeed, maybe you won't. But, if you are doing things for others because you want to change them all. Don't, it's a sure path to self consumption. But if you are doing things for others because it's the RIGHT thing to do? Then smile, weather or not THEY know it. Helping them made you happy. And if you do one thing to make yourself happy even for a second each day. You'll find the path gets easier and easier to walk, because with each step you get further and further away from the hands that WANT to pull you into the darkness.

Oh, it also helps to be suitably sarcastic, why? C'MON! how many heroes do you see who actually ARE sarcastic? :)

Long story Short: Takes a Herculean person to be good. Takes a coward to be evil.

Yours Truly,




Rithnok Tatsukao Flamespewer
White Lotus Samurai

You are fucking amazing.

Thanks... But I schlogged through a lot of shite to get where I am now. *Smiles brightly*

same

I'm terrible with words, So bear with me.

This kind of feeling is never fun, however, there is a lighter side to humanity underneath the layers of corruption and grime. It's true that people treat others unjustly; bosses, school bullies, parents, siblings, etc but if there's one thing that I've learned over the years, it's to treat everyone with goodness.

"The wise man has no fixed heart; in the hearts of the people he finds his own

Be good to those that are good. Also, be good to those that are not good. Thus, goodness is achieved. Be honest to those that are honest. Also, be honest to those that are honest. Thust, honesty is achieved.

Careful action is the road to a good life. Treat everyone as though they were children. " ~Lao Tzu

Take your nap, recharge your batteries...then tell the world, "F You! I'm gonna be happy whether you like it or not!"

I need to be more positive in my life as well. ^.^

You just gotta push through. Who cares if people see you as naive and foolish? I'd rather be naive, foolish and happy than miserable and only wanting others to suffer with me.

You can either focus on the bad, or realize that it's the few people who get it that matter. The few smiles you get. Do you think you're alone? Do you think you're the only one weary of being kicked around, weary of seeing so much heartache and sadness, sick of causing so much of it for yourself?

You either take the good with the bad and make the best of it, or you give up. Either way, make up your mind. Sad clown or happy clown. Your choice.

In the end, nothing really matters, anyways. You do the best with what you got and make something good, even if it sputters and dies soon as you do. Spit in the face of the bad, or nurture what little good there is because it's good, and there IS good in this world, and it needs people like you to fight, damnit. You've got the most powerful fucking weapon in the world-you can tell the truth and make em laugh while you're doing it, you can show them the grim underbelly of it all and make em' care about the little mouse hiding in its pocket.

Cliche as fuck but you need to be the chang you want to see. You gotta do your best to love yourself and laugh at yourself on the inside cus in the end, you're all you got...why be miseralble? Fake it till you make it, if you gotta.

To be honest, I don't think it's people "these days" so much as the tendency for pessimism and whatnot in the age group you likely hang around, which I'm guessing is people close to your own age, or perhaps younger on this site. People in their 20s and early 30s absolutely have this tendency to be dour and pessimistic, mainly because they feel it makes them look more intelligent. Happy people are stupid people, etc. And while some may never grow out of it, and admittedly it is far more prevalent for people in their early 20s, I still see a lot of that too, but it diminishes on average with age, and I don't see it as reflective of people everywhere these days.

Yeah, a lot of people are jerks. Personally though, I believe that everyday one doesn't die is worth living.

Also this might cheer you up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2Wx230gYJw

I believe a healthy pessimism is good for a person, but ALWAYS being one is definitely a detriment to others and yourself, now I might not enjoy a person who is ALWAYS positive regardless of what happens be ause sometimes being sad is the correct response, but others should NEVER bring another person down just because their being positive, if someone's a ceaseless positive remove yourself from their vicinity for a little while and then return, not need to be mean and resent them because of it, but this kind of behavior happens quiet a lot (I get flak for believing in a higher power, when all my friends are purely about science and the facts) but yeah, keep being cheerful and yourself don't let others drag yah down they'll either like you or not and the ones who don't like you can go shove off

So many points...
Yeah, lots of folks hate positive attitudes, because they no longer have one. It was beaten out of them, or starved out of them, and they envy anyone who still has one.
Batman: Bleak Batman started with The Dark Knight Returns, back in the 80s.
HBO: Tee-vee..?
QT: Quintin makes monster movies. Featuring human monsters. Plain and simple.
Dead Space is a FPS version of Alien with a mix of space-zombies, meant to scare you. it is not Katamari Damancy or even Dig-Dug.
Negative music? One word: Metallica.
No, you cannot fight the darkness of society forever...only as long are you are alive. Then someone else will pick up the fight.
Yes, they will do everything to drag you down. Are you going to let them? Esp. now that you know who they are and what they're up to?
"The notion that things will work out okay if you try."
Wrong. Things *can* work out okay if you study the problem, think things through, and act wisely. No guarantees, but better to have tried and failed...
"You just can't bring yourself to be a beacon of light when everything and everybody is trying to extinguish you."
So certain of this, are you.
"A candle can only burn for so long."
Mortality is a delicious blessing.
"that was a time when I no longer feared death"
This is a wise policy. Do not fear the inevitable. Of course, I myself *am* suicidal, so maybe I'm not the one to talk...
Here. Have some pick-me-ups:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHwVBirqD2s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A4xBp2rizQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0TiqIjF-uk
Who said you're giving up???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cVaaxJH6Wk

I'm not exactly sure what point you're trying to make here. That I'm wrong, and I SHOULD give in to pessimism? Or that I should only have a LITTLE optimism, or what?

You are right that the world is full of darkness, pessimism, negativity, etc. But do NOT give into it. You seem to be an upbeat and comedic personality by nature, from all what I observe of you. Then conform to your nature and do your job, Clown. It is not for your to lift everyone's spirits, but rather to lift the spirits of those who *want* their spirits lifted. Free will is a dangerous and powerful thing. Only those who *want* uplifting will be uplifted. Your presence is as natural as those who wallow in negativity. The Cosmic Balance is maintained.
I always try to brighten moods when I'm around people, cracking jokes, smiling, hugging people. Some are receptive, others are not. Some who are receptive today might not be tomorrow. Some never will be; others are always glad to see me/hear from me. That's life.
I just checked your iconic video on The Tube, the one that no-one less than DasBoSchitt found so funny that he wove it into the madcap tapestry that was The Gmod Idiot Box #9. 2.6M hits, baby. 26,820 upvotes; 1,139 down. Most recent post, three hours ago. Your work, four years old, is still making people laugh.

You tend to make me smile.. and I'm thankful for it. Hope you can pull out of stuff.

I know what you're saying, and it can be very, very difficult to keep yourself from just throwing in the towel. I've had that, thinking the only thing the world deserved was remorseless punishment and forced acceptence of the stupidity of joy.

But I found that the pit has no bottom, and I decided to try and swim back up to the light. Having my mate helped me immensely. And in the end, I found, it's best to take it day by day. There will *always* be pessimists, haters, and people who react to joy and contentment the way a vampire reacts to a uv bulb. But if I can make one person a day smile or laugh, then I brought a little more light to the world. And one light at a time, you can make a moonless, pitch black night so beautiful you'll forget what the darkness almost took from you.

Nolanverse Batman's ending is the brightest of any Batman medium out there.

You're going to end up killing yourself inside if you keep stressing the little things. Please, relax a bit. <3

This won't help, but I just ignore it.

I go outside, I bask in the sun, I find the little things that make life worth living and just fixate on them.

I mean, heck, today I went on a bicycle ride, and stopped near a field full of sheep. I just, counted all the little lambs that were born last spring. It's not much, but thats how I keep the grimdark away. :)

I've always seen furries as some of the most silly, loving people out there. At least, that's how I WANT to see them. Any of the ones who aren't like that don't usually end up around me for very long, simply because I lose interest (and I think they generally do as well).

I dunno what to say, really. I am still pretty optimistic about people and their capacity for good things.

I bathe in my own negativity from years of having a dark self with a life of his own, severe depression, and PTSD.

Even I am still amazed I am still standing.

But more to the point, people LOVE negativity. Why do you think so many sheep watch the news and horrid programming? Since when has news stations these days really helped us? It's all war, greed, money, politics, stuff to make us feel bad. The ratings go up and up and up.

Now let's switch gears, let's say the Monsanto marches have been successful (-snorts- how funny) and they wish to express their joy across the world that no longer will we have to eat GMOs and such. How much coverage do you think positive coverage it'll get? Not much. Now let's say a scientist found a way to finally prove that spirits with a consciousness exist after we die and move on from our carnal selves. That'd be pretty awesome dontcha think? Well, no one will care because it ain't what they want to hear.


Thats just MY OBSERVATIONAL OPINION.

i love being negative sometimes it makes me happy in a dark way or something i guess cuz im masochist too

it basicly boils down to "i'm not happy, why are you happy..IF I CANNOT BE HAPPY NONE SHALL BE HAPPY" kind of thing.
i envy the fact people can be optimistic and happy during todays shitty life and all that but by all means...be happy, be positive.

it makes me hapy again knowing people can still find happyniss and such.

I completely empathize. No one seems to want to think positively anymore. They don't get that positivity ALONE doesn't change anything, but it can go a long way. The other key to the equation is effort. And even then, things don't always go the way you want. Some people give up sooner than others, and that's when they turn pessimistic. No one's around to help them think otherwise, they have no or little support, and their outlook and lack of energy shows in the work they do. Things go worse for them, and their cycle feeds itself. Whatever you choose is whatever will happen to you.

Happiness is a choice, but sometimes it's hard even with the right support. It sounds like you went and got help when you reached one of those points yourself, and I'm glad you've kept your optimism through it all. Lead by example, and eventually others will follow. If they don't, leave them behind, because they'll only drag you down and keep you from doing more for yourself and those you care about. And that's what matters most, right? Don't let anyone stop you from doing that. <3

I know exactly how ya feel, I really do. =/ The only things I really want are for people to be happy and to have some friends.
I'm a weirdo, though. The worse things get, the more I wanna show everything otherwise. *shrugs* I'm stubborn to the point of madness in regards to... well, it's not optimism for me 'cause I don't think of things just happening to work out or that sort of thing. Just... positive thinking and knowing it really could be worse. I'm perfectly fine with this, though.
I hope things look up for you soon, Beau. You've got my support, if that helps any. Feel free to message me if ya ever feel like it. From a fella who literally worries about everyone and everything and it drives him crazy. Haha.

In a world that often fails to meet our lofty expectations, sometimes people find it less painful to just lower those expectations. Sometimes people appreciate and wish for goodness, but just fall into a rough patch. I've been there myself, and even though I favour a positive outlook, when you're down in the dumps it -can- be annoying to see other people being bouncy and cheerful. They presumably don't know the pain you do, so they -do- look naive and annoying. That's just the nature of depression, I think. But don't think of yourself that way. Maintaining a positive outlook is a brave thing to do, and it helps lift the spirits of others, too. I guess you just need to choose your battles or be subtle about it, sometimes.

And then there are people who aren't just going through a bad patch, but who seem to seek out and thrive on negativity, either because they're just that bleak or they enjoy thinking about their life as some grandiose, dramatic tragedy - those are the people you want to avoid, the ones that don't want your help and not only refuse your attempts, but seek to pull you down with them.

I know what you mean about not being able to resist forever. But I don't think you need to. It can take a lot of effort to be optimistic sometimes, and occasionally we just need to take a short break from it and recharge the batteries before pulling ourselves back up again. That doesn't mean giving into pessimism so completely that you become all sour and negative, but just... I don't know, taking care of yourself and letting things take their course for a while. The world isn't going to collapse while you're recharging.

While some entertainment can be relentlessly pessimistic, or just gratuitously violent, I don't think it's as prevalent as you say it is. Be careful not to confuse aesthetic bleakness with thematic and emotional bleakness. The recent Batman movies may have a dark and gritty setting, but they are ultimately about hope. Have you seen The Dark Knight? If you haven't spoilers will follow, but I don't really think we can call the movie pessimistic, after the scene in which two groups on separate passenger boats that don't have contact with one another each refuse to blow the other up in order to assure their own safety. And that's only the most blatant example of hope and optimism in those movies.

Bright, cheerful optimism might not have as much of a place in entertainment as it once did, but optimism itself is still there - you just have to look deeper for it. Besides, I personally find the sort of optimism that exists in spite of darkness much more meaningful than the mindless sort that exists just because. Not that there's anything wrong with bright, sunny hills and carefree days, and I'm sure that type of mood can still be found if you look for it.

But I like to think that's the direction entertainment is going in - not being bleak and pessimistic for the sake of it, but in order to make us reach deeper, for something brighter and maybe with a starker contrast.

If people want to be miserable, then I'll let them be miserable thanks to my happy sunshiney ass! They wanna feel pain, they can let themselves be burned from the brightness of my mile-wide smile! You don't want me to affect your mood, yet you want to dominate how I should feel about myself? Nu-hu it doesn't work that way pal. I am my own mind and body, you're just a rain cloud that needs to lose some water weight. I am way better at being me than you could ever hope to be. You wanna rain on my parade, I'll bring an umbrella. Oh you wanna flood my parade? Sweet, now I can canoe! My body is 80% water, your extra 3 isn't worth a hill of beans in a cowboy's campfire next to roasted marshmallows and pecans because Earl couldn't find the peanuts on sale due to forgetting his glasses on his mom's dresser when he stopped by her house to help her hang a shower curtain after putting in an extra shift at the sawmill.

In the word's of Mark Hammil's Joker: "Well that was fun, who's up for Chinese?!"

Yeah, I've noticed that too. It's like people look down on you for not being some miserable, repressed loser for being confident and positive. And the pessimism is apparent more in election years, when bitch modes are super high and people are as inflated as the prices.

I know the recession has a part in these feelings as losing sometimes every can bring down morale. But these times are also exciting because we get to search for something more benevolent for the future. As for the haters who don't wanna see you with shit, the best thing to do is to bend them over and fuck them! And don't forget to thank them (as well as your lovers and fans) for being the fuel to keep pressing forward in life.

"Misery is comfortable. Happiness take effort. Also courage." -David Wong, Cracked.com

These people have embraced darkness and despair, and have grown so accustomed to it that light and joy becomes offensive. I'm not exaggerating here. People (many people) have explicitly told me to my face, that they do not like positive attitudes. These people will simply never stop until everyone has been pulled down into the blackened depths with them. Misery loves company, and they want ALL the company.

So basically, you're self-described diehard optimist who is totally bummed that people don't pat you on the back for it?

This is the reason entertainment is the way it is today. Movies are relentlessly pessimistic in their outlook. Things have to be universally dark and bleak if you want any chance of "respect" towards your creations. Nolanverse Batman, dark and bleak.

You have nostalgia for something that never existed. Nolanverse Dark Knight is the one of the highest grossing movie EVER. It shares the list with other rays of fucking sunshine like Jaws, Jurassic Park, The Matrix Reloaded, and Titanic.

Now, start adjusting for inflation and you do get some more upbeat entries, like E.T. or The Sound Of Music (which is about as upbeat as any movie featuring Nazis can be), or debatable entries like Dr. Zhivago, but the list is still capped by Gone With The Wind, which is anything but uplifting. The last line of dialogue is the guy basically telling his ex-wife he doesn't give a fuck how she's going to survive the war torn south.

Every HBO drama, dark and bleak. Every Quentin Tarantino movie ever made.

Well what do you expect from them? That's like someone being pissed because Mr. Rogers wasn't dark and gritty enough. Also, Jackie Brown is awesome, and pretty uplifting at the end (also the only people who end up dead are Samuel L. Jackson, Robert DiNero, some blonde, and some other black guy towards the start).

Modern comic books.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RVd5S_GJi.....OI/s1600/1.JPG

Video Games like Dead Space.

Then DON'T PLAY DEAD SPACE (also it's not really a 'woe is humanity' game as much as just a rip-off of Event Horizon). Seriously, does Dead Space existing somehow negate The Unfinished Swan or Journey or Spore? Seriously, boot up fucking steam and browse indie games and tell me the industry is all darkbleak.

You're not one damned bit better than what you describe, because you come here, not even for a hugbox like most furries, but because you want intellectual confirmation of your preconceived notions just like you accuse the darkbleak pessimist culture of doing. Only you're not drawing in media that agrees with you, but rather excluding it all save that which doesn't.

Fuck you. No, not everyone in the damn world will agree with you. Nor will every movie ever made, or every comic, or every game. Goddammit, you're not even consistant on this because I happen to know one of your favorite game series involve warfare and survival in a post-apocalyptic setting!

You try to set yourself up as some last bastion for optimism, but in truth this is belly-aching over deep seated self-loathing and other's not giving you precisely just the kind of attention you like. Seriously, reread what you wrote here:

The worst part is... there's no resisting it forever. No matter how much you try to brighten others' day, there's always gonna be loads of people who will hate you for it, who just can't see the bright side. And anybody with half a brain knows when they have officially overstayed their welcome.

You just can't bring yourself to be a beacon of light when everything and everybody is trying to extinguish you. A candle can only burn for so long. There may be a couple of people who want to see others happy. But from what I've seen, people would much rather pull others down to their level than lift themselves up. So really, why even bother trying to brighten someone's day?

Condescending much?

My advice. Be cheerful. You want to spread cheer, do it by being a good example. Don't just mope like everyone else while trying to find some hipster reason why you're moping is actually based on cheer. Fuck that, you're not part of the solution you seek then.

He has a point with modern comic books, at least on DC's end. In the year of our lord, 2013, the Joker has flayed his own face off and staple-gunned it to himself so he's wearing it. Like a mask, you see! :V

>caring about comics
>any year after the 80s

>He missed out on Red Son, Kingdom Come, modern-day Hawkeye, and Nextwave
>laughingstanlees.jpeg

I'm agreeing with you, it's just that this grimdark shit is getting silly comics wise. Like, not depressing. Your point is depressing things are okay, and that's a cool one! The fact of the matter is that it's just getting pulled off in an absolutely retarded fashion.

Red Son is actually pretty awesome.

a) There were some incredibly good non DC or Marvel books being put out during this time period.

Bone, Sam and Max, Usagi Yojimbo, Hepcats, and later volumes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Tom Strong, Sin City, American Century...Maus?

b) There were some incredibly good major company projects out during this period, too!

In addition to the above, I'd say The Golden Age, The New Frontier, most of Darwyn Cooke's work for DC, Animal Man and Hit Man were all seminal post-80s comics.

Glad you didn't throw Scott Pilgrim in there. Guess I should not raise the ire of the comic book nerds, they'll sit on you!

Hahahaha, bullshit.

i agree with you pretty completely.

while i consider myself a pessimistic person, i still appreciate those who can be positive. i don't want to smother or change them.

my favorite movie is Harold and Maude, because i feel like at my best and worst i embody both the main characters. and life is a kind of struggle between the two extremes, at least for me.

Sorry if the world has you feeling down. It sounds like you need a new group of friends/co-workers who appreciate you and will be a positive force in your life.

Movies: This is the reason I watch movies from 1910s-1980s. I think what you need is to watch Capra's "You Can't Take It With You." It's about people who quit their jobs to follow their dreams and they are all such a positive force when bound together that they can't be beaten down when the boss of a major corporation tries to buy the land their houses stand on. I think you'd identify with Lionel Barrymore. You could also watch an Astaire or Gene Kelly movie when you are feeling blue. Basically, I ignore all the movies that are being made today and focus on the old classics and relics.

TV: Reality TV is to blame for the outpour of harsh drama on tv and it's now leaked into the movie industry as well. Honestly, I don't want to watch someone else's boring miserable life. That's why I strive to search for good-natured wise comedies but they don't exist on tv today, so I go back to old classics like the Monkees, the Dick Van Dyke show, and the like. The characters in those shows are such optimists that no big or small problem will get them down because they have helpful friends and the characters are smart enough to sort it out eventually. If you can find anything that used to be on TV Land in the 90s, go for it. Flip Wilson show, Sonny and Cher comedy hour, Carol Burnett show, and other variety shows will leave you laughing and tapping your toes. :)

People: I know that I am a very negative person, but I guess I was beaten a lot by the world when I was a kid and teen, so I no longer trust it and had become a scared recluse with no social skills. It's hard to overcome. My fiance is a very positive person, so he's been showing me how to become more positive in my life, and I have grown to be a better person because of him. There is always room for improvement, but I'm getting there. lol I think every negative person needs a positive person to show them how to become more optimistic. It allows you to become more confident in what you can accomplish and people want to hang out with people who are a confident, positive force.

Sometimes laughter is the way to break through the negative cloud surrounding people. Say something funny, brighten their day! Some may laugh, others will stare oddly at you. Either way, you made them think and it wakes people up out of their usual routine. Just be yourself and have fun.

Don't work retail then. That's pretty well what's ruined me.

Relationships too...failed relationships are soul crushing as can be.

Bah, been there done that, especially with my older family members... they literally treat it like such a positive outlook and personality is the result of immaturity and that I literally live in a fantasy world. They often tell me that sooner or later I'll have to "grow up" because "pretending" in such a way is dangerous to my mentality.

... I really don't understand what they mean, but I don't think I want to know... if being happy means being stupid, I'll gladly consider myself an idiot.

I once had my alcoholic brother yell at me about not "growing up". I was 25 or so at the time. I have NEVER given up on my imagination or my inner happiness and youth, and never will. He resented it. At one point in the argument he tried to tell me that getting drunk until he threw up every night and passed out was "more mature" than my having and using my imagination and being young inside.

I asked him if he really thought that was the truth. That doing something that might result in him dying was better than having an imagination. I then said into his silence, "Yeah... you let me know how that works out."

He's since stopped drinking. My imagination is just as huge as ever and just as entertaining.

wow... sad fact is, I can relate since one of my uncles was a heavy drinker, but the only reason he doesn't drink anymore is because he doesn't have a job anymore and thus can't afford booze...

"Every day...
You crawl into the night...
A fallen angel, with your wings set alight.

When you hit the ground...
everything turns to blue.
I can't get through the smoke, that's surrounding you.

Cause when you're falling...
I can't tell which way is down.
And when you're screaming...
somehow I don't hear a sound."

Everyone has a moment or two or three, where you feel as if you're being pulled down. where no matter what you try to do, you can't escape the darkness that exists all around, and can kind of feel it seeping in, like brackish water under a usually tightly sealed door.

But that's what mops are for.

I am a great fan of the concept of elements representing things in life. I do some meditation, and using imagery often helps to achieve a mental state or goal you are aiming for. For me, Water is the element I use to cleanse myself of the darkness that builds up within and without my body and mind. I relax my body, focus inward and envision it flushing through me, rising the blackness away and into the Earth, which absorbs it, leaving me free to feel lighter and cleaner than I had before.

What I'm saying with all of this is that if you feel the world around you is a dark, nasty place, you sometimes need to take a moment to withdraw into yourself and strengthen that light you hold inside. Light is also an element, and only when you let it dim can Dark take it's place. It *IS* possible to hold out forever against the darkness other people press at you; just never let go of that Light you hold. No matter how hard someone tries, they cannot extinguish Light with Dark. They balance one another, they cannot exist apart... but neither can one destroy the other.

Don't let people upset you. As you noted, people who are miserable want more people to feel like they do. It's the same concept of Light and Dark co-existing. They're drawn to try to change your nature in the hopes of stealing it for themselves. But there are ways to change people like that; you can drive the darkness out of them as well as they can drive the light out of you. Be the stronger of the two, and don't give in.

Also, let me know if you get the meaning behind those verses. ^^ It's pretty applicable to your situation.

Hey Beau, sounds like depression is closing in a bit.
Personally I chose years ago to stop brooding and being a pessimist, though my friends at D&D help immensely now, some of the jokes get repetitive but there's a lot of slapstick humor and silliness involved. we have one guy who's a complete pessimist, except in game... where it brightens up considerably, though he's still completely rigid on "this is how the world works, and there are no exceptions"

My personal creed has been the world is a bright and lovely place, people just don't comprehend everything in it, so they try to fit the entire world in a nice little box they can comprehend and control, except the world doesn't work like that, and when they slam into something that "doesn't fit" in the box people tend to flip out.

Then again I'm a christian who has been bullied and put down by my classmates most of my life, looking at the bright side of things is kind of my lighthouse of a middle finger to all the douchebags and depression in my corner of the world.

You brighten MY day, porny jestery gap-toothed rabbity thing! ^_^

"Every Quentin Tarantino movie ever made"

Jackie Brown isn't bleak, and many would say it's Tarantino's best film.

Superhero movies? Myself I stick to rewatching The Incredibles and Robocop. Superhero comics? I suggest you pass on them all and pick up some translated Tezuka or Moebius.

The idea that the world is unrelentingly grim and decaying has been around since ancient Egyptian times at least. I'm not saying civilisation (I mean in terms of decency, not technology) isn't something you have to fight for, but it *is* still here.