misanthropy - why is it so bad?

LOL

Yes it's bad cos it can make you selfish / lonely / mental.
I think humans need to feel part of a community or society in order to realise their potential.

I think the "death" of society under thatcherism contributed a lot to lots of the social problems we have now in the UK because people view other people as "them" instead "us".

On the other hand, you can't change things if you don't acknowledge the truth, and the truth is that lots of people are total arseholes.
 

gek-opel

entered apprentice
Surely one can acknowledge the very definite existence of society whilst absolutely hating its component parts (ie- people)? Misanthropy doesn't have to be selfish... Misanthropy to my mind implies a very clear sense of universal hatred, rather than a Thatcherite indifference or denial of the existence of others- indeed it is to be all too painfully aware of society, and of others as individuals...
 
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Surely one can acknowledge the very definite existence of society whilst absolutely hating its component parts (ie- people)? Misanthropy doesn't have to be selfish... Misanthropy to my mind implies a very clear sense of universal hatred, rather than a Thatcherite indifference or denial of the existence of others- indeed it is to be all too painfully aware of society, and of others as individuals...


I wasn't suggesting that misanthropy means to deny the existence of society.

I think my bit about the death of society under Thatcher was a misplaced reference to one of the reasons I feel misanthropic to a great extent, ie. a good reason to hate people, rather than an attempt to definte misanthropy.

The thing is that if you hate everyone, you put yourself in a position in opposition to society and it will either make you very depressed and lonely or else into some kind of maniac who believes he is superior to everyone.

So to answer you question, yes it is bad (for the individual in question) (it probably isn't good for society in general either to have angry & alienated people walking around waiting to snap).
 

bruno

est malade
i don't know if it's such a bad thing, sometimes belonging to mankind feels like a total farce. this delusion of separation of man from nature by virtue of intelligence, for example, is increasingly repulsive to me, and it's like coming out of a spell when one realises that everyone, including friends and family, has been programmed to think they are not animals (although they eat and shit like every other beast). but misanthopy is a negative love, it's engaged to the object of its hate, i find it's far more radical to neither reject nor accept the code and opt out from the club via suicide, disappearance, etc.
 
Please don't commit suicide!
Re: disappearing - how do you do that? All you can do is disappear from the sight of a certain group of people and go and be among a different group... or perhaps live in a hut in Siberia or something? That would be truly misanthropic of course.

this delusion of separation of man from nature by virtue of intelligence

Genetically man is of course an animal but it seems likely that the size and complexity of a human brain makes mankind qualititively different to other animals. We ARE different in one very important respect. Pretending that we are just animals and therefore anything we do to the world is "just nature" is a nice get-out clause for the irresponsible.

sometimes belonging to mankind feels like a total farce
Yes I agree, if you live in our globalised/capitalist world and are not to some extent misanthropic then you must be quite unthinking or crazy or something. But to me misanthropy implies something further where you can't relate to any others.

I think what's needed is a sense of belonging or brother/sisterhood despite the failings of others.
Being aware of the fucked-up nature of humanity but loving each other anyway.
Personally, I struggle with this! People piss me off as often as they make me happy.
 

bruno

est malade
i don't think one disappears except by going mad, when language ties and emotional ties are severed, then one truly vanishes. by going to the mountains you are saying 'i'm going to the mountains', it's not true separation. i always understood misanthropy as something like satanism in that it needs its opposite, i may be wrong.
 

spooky girlfriend

Wild Horses
i don't know if it's such a bad thing, sometimes belonging to mankind feels like a total farce. this delusion of separation of man from nature by virtue of intelligence, for example, is increasingly repulsive to me, and it's like coming out of a spell when one realises that everyone, including friends and family, has been programmed to think they are not animals (although they eat and shit like every other beast). but misanthopy is a negative love, it's engaged to the object of its hate, i find it's far more radical to neither reject nor accept the code and opt out from the club via suicide, disappearance, etc.

at the most difficult times, relationship problems, loneliness etc, i would have a tendency to get existential about everything..to the extent that you come to thinking that love is nothing but a hormonal/chemical reaction and there is no such thing as the romantic notions one used to cherish about true love.
but these thoughts inevitably lead to misanthropy and an unwillingness to trust people and i agree with what has been said - it will eventually drive you mental.
there's no doubt we're all totally alone. if you're lucky you have a supporting family that you can always return to, but they will not always be there, just as you will one day die, possibly leaving a partner with at least temporary but complete and utter despair.
it appears i've gone off on one but i think the solution is demonstrated in Wiley's verses, for example...sheer bull-headedness and a determination to live for oneself and make the best of what you have are the way forward.
if you find people that can be as dedicated to you as you to them then brilliant, if not you still have yourself.

it's just a shame the aforementioned romanticism of youth leaves you. true love is when you are content as long as your partner is happy...but at the end of the day aren't you in a relationship for your own personal benefit? to make life that much more bearable? a partner-in-arms to face the world with is never a bad thing.
anybody that sees the ideals of misanthropy through to the end is an inevitable suicide case- do you exist if nobody sees you?:slanted:
 

bruno

est malade
no, i don't think one exists without another, it's impossible to begin with since one is in someone and comes out of someone and is completely helpless for a good time without someone. i also think it's laughable when people proclaim they don't need anyone, why did you bother to tell me then?

it's true ignorance is ideal in that you always see the whole, you feel very confident and open, have great erections, etc, but it's inevitable to want to know, and once you do things aren't as attractive, such is life. you need to develop a fetish, i did and i'm very happy.
 

Noah Baby Food

Well-known member
Possibly, misanthropy comes from actually caring TOO MUCH. It's the double edged sword of expecting a lot from people and society, caring, being principled, believing in limitless possibilities and feeling let down and cheated by the reality, and the shit lives people will put up with, and the shit people do to each other. I could be confusing misanthropy with depression, but the two can be irrevocably linked, really. Misanthropy is the preserve of the sensitive. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about...

A band who knew exactly what this all meant were Flipper. Check the lyrics to "Ever":

Ever live a life that's real
Full of zest, but no appeal
Ever want to cry so much
You want to die
Ever feel that you've been had
Had so much that you turn mad
Ever been, so depressed that
(to) those you turn to, you bring distress
Ever sit in tormenting silence
That turns so loud, you start to scream
Ever take control of a dream
And play all the parts and set all the scenes
Ever do nothing and gain nothing from it
Ever feel stupid and then know that you really are
Ever think you're smart and then find out you aren't
Ever play the fool and then find out that you're worse
Ever look at a flower and hate it
Ever see a couple kissing and get sickened by it
Ever wish the human race didn't exist
And then realize you're one too
Well, have you ... ever .. I have
So What

Conversely, it's one of the most uplifting songs you're likely to hear.
 

swears

preppy-kei
I personally don't see the point in misanthropy, because my opinions are of no consequence anyway. "You hate us all? Big fucking deal." I feel more disconnected from people than anything, hatred doesn't seem like the appropriate response.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
people who hate people, come together!

I was Recruitment and Press Officer for my uni's Misanthropy Society ('Hatred With A Smile!'), you know - in between spells as Treasurer for the Anti-Capitalism Society and President of the Anarchy Society.
 
I personally don't see the point in misanthropy, because my opinions are of no consequence anyway. "You hate us all? Big fucking deal." I feel more disconnected from people than anything, hatred doesn't seem like the appropriate response.

I don't think it's something you choose to do in order to affect others.
It's just a condition you find yourself in due to alienation.

That's like saying "I don't see the point in being depressed".
 

swears

preppy-kei
That's true enough, but I do think there is a choice involved in whether you think your feelings of misanthropy are justified. Any strong feelings I have regarding people in general seem childish and ill-informed, so I have to shrug my shoulders and say "What do I know?"
 

Guybrush

Dittohead
Humorous misanthropes = my favourite kind of people.
Misanthropic dry sticks = all right in small doses.
 
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