Are You A Cynic or Just a Jerk? 

Cynicism is popular because grindset bros are too proud to call it what it is; depression.

The opinion "Don't complain unless you can think of a better alternative" is ALWAYS exclusively held by people happy with the status quo. I've never heard that said by someone who is actively being exploited.

There's definitely a difference between cynics and wet blankets. A cynic will have something to say beyond their criticism. A wet blanket just wants to shit on things and end the conversation.

Probably apocryphal, but Diogenes telling Alexander the Great to “stand out of my sun” when asked if he wanted anything, is a baller move. Also bringing a plucked chicken to the government building and saying “behold, Plato’s man!” Dude was hilarious!

Diogenes was an absolute legend.

So in other words: Ancient Cynicism is "Skepticism", while Modern Cynicism is "Pessimism."

I legit cried during Guardians 3. Some of the best performances, CGI, and full-circle character arcs in the entire MCU.

I'm disappointed there wasn't even a passing mention of George Carlin here. He was the the best of both worlds, he questioned absolutely everything but he also offered plenty of solutions. Granted, they may have been insane solutions but solutions nonetheless lol.

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 was the last legit good MCU movie. I'm not budging on that. My favorite Tom Green bit was when he said Drew Barrymore got the "successful movie career" in the divorce settlement.

My favorite bit I remember from Tom Green was when he painted a terrible amateurish painting, then snuck it into the collection of an actual art museum, and then would take the guided tours of that art museum and when they'd get to his painting, he'd loudly declare how much he thought that particular painting sucked, and would try to deface it with a marker.

Stoicism and Cynicism actually complement each other. Stoicism teaches you how to find yourself and live well, Cynicism teaches you how to establish yourself as a social agent and make the world a better place. But both need to be well understood.

My favorite Tom Green bit was when he tricked a movie studio into giving him money to make a movie. 'Freddie got Fingered' is just Tom Green seeing how far he can take it before the money runs out and the studio tells him no.

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 was actually a really emotional and well rounded end to the this group of guardians. If you love animals, it really touches you hard. I cried a few times watching it

The Tom Green bit where he goes around with a Pizza trying to undersell a pizza delivery guy is unironically hilarious

I recently took a note from Diogenes and started living in my car to not be tied to rent leases. It has its challenges but all in all it’s quite liberating!

Diogenes is by far the ancient philosopher I resonated with the most

Tom Green is definitely one of the reasons why I'm such an absurd weirdo. I got a double whammy of him and Freakazoid at the same time 😅

We need to petition Wisecrack to get more former Burns students in the comments with embarrassing stories

I like stoicism and read stoic philosophy often and I’ve tried to implement stoic philosophy into my daily life. My main criticism of stoicism is the modern interpretation of the philosophy as a sort of path to success. You read the books and you take cold showers and wake up at 4 am and stop masturbating and grind grind grind like there’s no tomorrow and then you’ll be successful. Of course, success isn’t the goal (or they say it isn’t) but the message is clear: stoicism will make you rich and successful. And then you’re told that when you’re successful you shouldn’t be preoccupied it’s your success, but success is still the goal. Which is too bad because I think it has a lot to offer the regular person. A lot of philosophy is incredible but a bit too deep and inaccessible to regular folk. Stoicism is very easy to understand and implement in your life. I like the press it gets but I don’t like the Sigma male mindset it’s often associated with. It’s like being a Christian and cringing at the Crusades. Like, dude, you’re missing the point!

It's always millionaires and billionaires who lecture on "know when you have enough" and "your problems are of your own creation."

I was in middle school during peak Tom Green. I can’t pick a favorite bit, but there’s one I love where they leave Glenn at some crappy motel with a fruit basket he doesn’t want. I have not been able to find a video of this one online. 😢

To be fair and balanced, it seems like anytime you look more than one link deep into any person or organization that at face value seems worthwhile, it's nearly inevitable that you're going to uncover some awful horrible thing they've done or said that undermines the potential good they are attempting to do.

In my personal experience. I was a cynic in my 20s. Then ended up going to therapy. I'd be considered a stoic now...There's a story there but I'm tired. Just wanted to help with engagement

As long as humans lie for their own benefit, cynicism will be not only relevant, but necessary, to avoid yourself and others being victimized at every turn by the self interested element in all of us.

Too “radical” for mainstream. Let’s imagine a new reality that if you want to prep your own meals you have the time and ability to acquire quality ingredients. Great video as always! Let’s feed this algorithm.

My favorite Tom Green bit was the fancy restaurant fight in Freddy Got Fingered. It's like a fever dream version of "that" scene from every movie around the time.

Love the new thumpnail! Really encapsulated the video! You guys rock!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Diogenes plucked an entire chicken to falsify Plato’s definition of a human as a featherless biped.

"If only it were as easy to banish hunger by rubbing my belly." 🤣🤣🤣

My favorite Tom Green bit was when he lugged around a container of grape juice, drinking it while ‘pissing’ into another container. Then he continues the cycle by drinking the piss and turning it into grape juice.

My favorite Tom Green bit was his appearance on Clone High as himself for the ADD episode. In particular the scene where he falls out of the library window.

I'd really love to see you guys talk about absurdism similarly to this video.

Guardians 3 and Across the Spiderverse are both not merely good but excellent. I generally think the backlash against Marvel is overblown (as bad as Thor 4 was, it was still miles better than Thor 2, for example) but regardless of that backlash, these two movies are genuinely excellent.

Your videos are always awesome michael! 🎉🎉🎉🎉😊😊😊😊

Channel has been becoming better for me inthe last few years. Thx

Nah, that was a very smooth transition to patreon pitching

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🤨 Cynicism is often associated with a critical and negative perspective on various aspects of life, such as politics, movies, or celebrities. 01:07 🤔 The video explores whether cynicism is a relevant philosophy or just an excuse for being judgmental. 03:16 💡 Cynicism is compared to stoicism, with the former being criticized for tearing down ideas without offering replacements. 05:24 📜 Ancient cynicism, as practiced by figures like Diogenes, involved challenging social norms and encouraging ethical change in listeners. 10:47 🏛️ Cynicism can serve as a form of creative refusal, rejecting social conventions to create space for new norms and social communities. 18:33 🤷‍♂️ Cynicism is less marketable as a self-help tool compared to stoicism, as it challenges the value of societal norms and efficiency. Ancient philosophies like cynicism and stoicism raise questions about their relevance in modern life. Made with HARPA AI

Guardians 3, and the whole trilogy, are legit good to great movies. Though 2 is probably still the best.

I find a lot of ease of mind in the classic stoic and budhist philosophies, but the stoic tendancy of resignation towards oppressive systems is one of the main reasons i will never call myself a stoic.

As a resident of Ottawa I was introduced to Tom Green early, on his program on Rogers community cable. 🙂

Hey Wisecrack, I really miss your philosophical analysis of pop culture media, I really hope we get a “The philosophy of Barbie” or maybe a Deep or Dumb of it, I’m pretty sure it’s worthy to talk about

Only a few minutes through the video and im already imaging people in 500 years thinking of Eric Andre as a modern day Diogenes. Edit: and I think both people would find that idea hilarious.

The intros to the ads have been absolutely priceless the last few videos

Laughed my head off at the "while I sprayed my pet penguins with champagne" line.

If Holiday was actually a stoic, he wouldn't shoot video of himself taking notes. Like holy shit, talk about vanity.

"Tom Green can hump a dead moose." That's it. That's the best moment in Tom Green's career. A mention by Eminem.

Don’t know how could you make that MCU comment when the last one was Guadians 3

How in the Optimus Prime did Tom Green got to date Drew Barrymore?

4:40 No way Home and Wakanda forever! The latter was pretty good but That crossover was on a whole other level!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤❤

One of the few identities I subscribe to is the cynic. I will always be cynical, always have been. To question is to live! Question everything, poke and prod until the truth comes out. Nothing is what it seems, never accept anything at face value.

That hypothetical friend sounds really smart.

Without a doubt, the Tom Green Show skit that I remember most is the one where he has all the statues put in his parents yard depicting "things from his childhood." One of his father like shaking his fist in the air and his mom cowering, he says "This one is called 'Where's My Dinner, Bi***." His dad is like "Tom that never happened."

I am a cynic and often have the mindset that the only people who are happy are those who are simply dumb or not paying attention. But I like to think that whenever I am being a debby downer, it is coming from the right place. I’m not trying to make people feel uneducated or convince them they should be less happy. I like to think I use it as a reminder to especially younger generations that you have to work for happiness and even those who deserve it don’t always get it. I remind people how shitty life and people can be so they can be ready if it ever happens to them.

Cynicism is a self defense mechanism.

4:45 For me, the definition of "Good movie" is "Movie that I enjoyed", so yeah.

amazing content, thx for sharing! 👍

Infinity War. Infinity War is not only a very very good MCU film it's a very very good film overall. Like academy award caliber film from the story telling, characters, drama, arch, revelations, amazing acting and cliff hanger ending. Infinity War is by far not only a good MCU film, I submit the BEST MCU film and will go down as an all time great film.

I would love to see the "R" rated origin story of Oscar the grouch. How did he end up in a trash can and did have anything to do with Regan? God damn it I do have a Freddy got F story. My friend was at his moms but his dad grounded him and I was over. We hear the car pull in while we watching this movie. I hid in one of rooms and they let him in. That movie was playing and they all sat down to watch it. I didn't get to see this particular scene but apparently there was an elephant and it was worse than the hotdogs on strings when playing the key board. He said "What are you watching?" and they played it off like this was normal but that movie was not like other movies. Now that I think about it Tom Green my have been a pioneer on the frontier driven by the love of money and fame. Idk if he knew but he did leave and came out and everything was fine.

Tom Green's stand-up just a few years ago where he recounted his experience on the celebrity apprentice with a then blooming Trump was one of his best performances. It was removed from his abrasive cynicism that made him famous in his youth but it was interesting to see him on stage within sort of a post Tom Green perspective

how can someone propose solutions without evaluating the problem? that's like saying you shouldn't eat eggs; you should only eat omlets

Cynicism is a reflexive thing some people use

In science and in martial arts, cynicism is the name of the game. Question and scrutinize everything, but when proven otherwise, you politely accept that this new idea is valid. In my mind, cynicism is stoicism's younger, more misunderstood sibling. But the way I see it, cynicism and nihilism are not grimdark doomer philosophy.

"Learned Optimism" by Martin E. P. Seligman defined cynicism differently. There is a difference between optimism and pessimism; each saw the world as either better or worse than reality. The cynical people saw it AS IT REALLY WAS. In test/experiments, the cynics were spot on their assessments of the situation. That's there value. They don't let you pile the b*****t on and get away with it.

Favorite Tom Green: waiting in the garbage bin early in the morning to catch his Dad's reaction to the new mural Tom had painted on the hood of his Dad's car.

Cynicism is just a fancy word for “I’m aware that every single person is to some degree a self interested liar.”

I was never a student of Michael's but hes the best teacher for me... his voice can teach me all day soft yet strong.

How in a world this bad could anyone not feel a large degree of Cynicism? Greed is killing so many industries, the climate is deteriorating, homelessness and poverty are at record highs. Governments are becoming more fascist and hate and racism are spreading everywhere. Please explain to me why anyone should be optimistic these days.

I laughed out loud at that line about sticking to reading thinkers who've lived since running water. No! Haha. I think cynicism is a useful default frame in the hypercapitalist, media-saturated world we live in. When it comes to corporations, government, and celebrities, my expectations are rock bottom. But I very much appreciate you bringing up that the value in cynicism is as a first step in a commitment to problem solving, creativity, and action. More about Audra Simpson and Glen Coulthard, please!! Dare we explore Landback next?

"Self-help" is a modern term, yet there were ancient antecedents. Cynicism, Stoicism and Epicureanism were all such antecedents. While originating in the Classical Period, their followings grew most afterward, during the Hellenistic Period. That was for good reason. The world seemed increasingly chaotic to the ancient Greek city-states as their economies declined within the Mother Country itself. People turned increasingly away from civics and towards improvement of the Self. "Cynicism" means something like "to live as a dog." Diogenes represented that well, indeed. The idea was to inure one's self to hardship and disappointment. In doing so, hardship and disappointment become easier to take. Toughen up, butter cup. The importance of questioning traditional authority was in the fact that traditional authority rested on, and promoted unreasonable expectations for most people. Among the ancient Cynics, there was no inclination to launch revolutionary, democratic movements. The whole point of "cosmopolitanism" was to challenge the cherished idea of city-state particularism. That was yet another standard of traditional authority in the city-states. As far as "bro-ness" goes, that's attitudinal. It can be attached haphazardly to any doctrine of self-empowerment. That's because our concept of masculinity is tightly wedded to a sense of social dominance. (This was even more so true among the ancient Greeks, btw.)

3:48 Why not?? Because I need to rehab my house. 😂😂😂 But I haven't seen this one, so I'm using it as my break time. 😊

This one really made me think, thanks!

One of the best times of my life was living on the streets of Atlanta in Jan. And dumpster diving for food. The best to me were bakeries and pizzerias

Undercutters pizza is my fave tom green bit. I remember staying up late a friends houses and watching it on MTV

Holy shit I laughed so god damn hard when you pitched the discord Patreon group right after the critique against it! Nice work team.

Could y’all do a video on Bruce Lee’s philosophy of JKD? I use his principles which have a basis in Zen and Buddhism, but I think these principles are a practical way to look at the world and how we interact in it.

"I don't know if ibwas good at teaching"...man, as a teacher, that hits me

Cynical to me hold some truth that we can’t hold on things forever yet is seems so lazy sometimes to even try or make changes to me that is selfish socially and also harmful to society

17:37 lol it looks like the statue was constructed sideways so Alexander's shadow never falls on Diogenes

"My face is on the bus...bus cant move because my face is touching the bus" Love that tom green bit

favorite tom green bit is the one he did at a canadian store called casa de açores, some friend azorean dude was just trying to sell him trash

When Tom is stroking the horse.. will always be classic.. remember my parents reactions lol different times!

Has a house with horses on land where you can't see your neighbors.... classic stoic.

Great book you recommended on nihilism by Nolen Gertz from the past video, second time reading it. 👍🏼

that description of sages reminds me of the White Lotus group from ATLA (avatar)

one of my favorite tom green moments was the first time he got the bum bum song to #1 on TRL

The only thing I know about Tom Green is that I had a classmate in high school who was a real oddball and sang what I think was the opening song for that show an awful lot.

I still don't understand this idea that if you want to criticize something, that you MUST offer up a solution, otherwise you're just a PoS. Like, where does that notion come from to begin with? Is it the critic of the cynical critic just being lazy and not wanting to think for themselves? Like "ugh, don't make my life harder by pointing out truth and breaking my delusions unless you're going to tell me a different way to live so that I don't have to put the work in myself to figure out what's best for me".

12:46 this was interesting. It doesn't really seem to mean a whole lot with regards to philosophy, but it's definitely a powerful criticism of political institutions. I found that words not only define and redefine our lives, but they also effect our thought processes. We mostly think in terms of what we can express linguistically. The cosmopolitan idea that human beings share a common experience and have similar needs, and that they should try to live harmoniously, is pretty solid political/cultural philosophy. Honestly, I didn't get a whole lot out of this. I couldn't even tell you what either stoicism or cynicism means according to this video. I will tell you that I have practiced both first hand. As far as I'm aware, Stoicism is practicing humility, whereas cynicism is offering critique. They're inevitable compromises that humans must make in this world, it would seem. I feel like some of the stoic advice referenced, about getting comfortable and not expecting anything is not especially interesting. It's not very intellectually demanding, or anything you would need someone to tell you. Neither is diversifying your portfolio. Honestly, it comes across a bit white collar, or privileged. Like first world problems. It certainly doesn't really offer coping mechanisms for existential crisis or depression, although that seems pretty specific to me. He's right about one thing that I've said before, its easy to offer criticism, but hard to come up with a solution. I don't really intend to offer advice beyond the obvious to anyone, because it's the only good advice really. If its too subjective, it's just not appropriate, and it won't get taken or it won't work. I would say, the best form of cynicism is informed cynicism. If you have some evidence to back your claim, or perhaps an appropriate alternative, then you've been a successful cynic. It's actually a more relevant, albeit less exciting, topic for me.

idk, i figure, question everything, includes question myself, and by the time i start thinking i've got things figured out, i should question that too

12:10 during the p4ndemic I took some classes with professors/lecturers that I found brilliant. Fast forward a few semesters to in person lectures and I wanted to strangle them. I don't know how were you as a lecturer, but some people, you included, shine on prerecorded media.

As one of your current students you are great at teaching.

does anyone else imagine the Stoics v Cynics like West Side Story?

“What else to you have to do?” I laughed out loud.

The Tom Green skit where he's asking the old man where he's going always spoke to me.

My cynicism runs so deep that when he ask me to comment on the last best MCU movie, I only hear him asking me to increase engagement to promote Wisecrack's ranking in the RU-vid algorithm. Nice try, Michael! By his own omission about cynics he knows that I'm 100% right.

"Daddy would you like some sausage, daddy would you like some sausages?" Haha

I need to see this video again. I think I did not catch everything in one play.

I just want to be like my dog, really - which is where cynicism comes from. Odd to have an episode on cynicism and not mention that. But, all-in-all, not a bad addition to the videos describing cynicism and placing it in a modern context. Quite a good one, really. Still weird that it left out all the stuff about dogs and homelessness. It was pretty key to what Diogenes was getting at. But I have never seen one of the non-homeless explain it all in terms I fully understand it. Not even the good ones, like yourself. 2 decades of homelessness opens your mind to Diogenes and cynicism in a way that you just don’t get without it. It’s the double-edged sword - great enlightenment, shit living conditions. But yeah, I do think it’s cute when I meet anyone who’s not been on the street describe themselves as a cynic, or try to define cynicism (this isn’t about you, I don’t know your circumstances and don’t want to assume anything, it’s just something I’ve found when talking to people about this).

One benefit I think can only be delivered by a cynical outlook is seeing through the “orphan crushing machine” narratives. When stories seem heartwarming, a bit of negativity is needed to see the ugly truth behind it. Granted, positivity also has its place. The ideal is probably a healthy balance of both and become wise: knowing when to be positive and when to be negative and how to use both in proportion

Will you provide a Reading list please? On Diogenes and Ancient Cynicism/Stoicism. It's easy to find the works of; Plato, Socrates, Suntzu, Nietzsche, and Macavely as an introduction into philosophy, but it feels like Diogenes and Zeno thoughts have been lost in a River of Grifters. Do you/y'all have any recommendations, both deep dives and introductions (that I can pass along to those who'll listen?). Thank you for reading my comment! "If only I could satisfy Hunger just by rubbing my stomach."... Or something like that