So, exactly what is so wrong about being hopeful?

[eeyore]

That is the crux of Obama's campaign - returning an attitude of possibility to our beaten down national psyche. Yes, he has policy specifics, and quite frankly they are not so different from Clinton's. But what gets people so stratified about him is his ability to inspire people to believe that we can be a positive force on this planet again, that we just might be able to restore a faith in possibility and break through the cynical funk that has taken over this country.

So, what exactly is wrong with a little hope? What's so messianic about telling people that the time has come to shake off the shit we've been wallowing in for the past decade plus? What's so cultish about being inspired by someone's message to try to better this country? And what's wrong with believing that it's time for a fresh start in leadership?

What's so wrong about a belief in possibility? I thought that's what this country was founded on. The land of opportunity - remember that tired old meme?

Are you really against someone inspiring hope and a belief in the possibility of opportunity again?

Are you really against that?

[kirby]

1. People are cynical...

So many broken promises trying to accomplish something with a rigged system, I think has left many unwilling to 'believe' or 'hope' for fear of disappointment. Its a generic trust issue.

[rucky]

8. It exposes the nature of cynicism.

Cynics like to paint themselves as "realistic," and that's partially true. But it's also an indication of a defeatist and helpless attitude. Possibly people who were once idealistic, only to get soured by failed expectations.

Anything worthwhile I've accomplished has started with an ambitious goal. It never worked out just the way I planned, but the process of trying to get there has ended up with something worthwhile.

[KittyWampus]

10. Cynics prefer the Status Quo as it validates their personal philosophy. Cynicism=Inertia

[Blue-Jay]

2. Cult! Cult! Cult! Cult!

[Uncle Sinister]

3. nothing at all. I love that quality in him, he inspires me. but hope is not enough,

and it's not enough to balance out his negatives, IMO.

[NastyRiffraff]

4. Nothing at all

And it's great to inspire. But it needs to be backed up with substance. Man cannot live on hope alone.

[DS1]

5. Keyword(s): cult : 88 topics match your criteria

that. apparently.

[eeyore]

14. Oh joy. Thanks for showing up, DS1.

Please, for the good of us all, seek therapy.

[whatchamacallit]

6. Hopeful = foolish, brainwashed, substance-less, immature... DUH! n/t

[Tom Rinaldo]

7. Hope is too small a frame for the discussion we need to have

Hope, like promise, is a positive word with a real and tangible meaning. But a promise made is not a promise delivered.

All of us have credit ratings being compiled on us. When we borrow money we promise to pay it back. Those who can show a good likelihood of following through on that promise are given loans at a lower interest than those who do not have as solid a track record at keeping their promise.

Clinton is NOT campaigning against hope. Yeah I know how a somewhat clumsy phrase she uttered gave rise to that meme but it is a false one none the less and if you listen to much of Hillary at all that is abundantly clear.

Let me be clear. I am not someone who argues that Obama can not fulfill the hopes he is raising. I believe he is sincere, and I believe that the power to inspire has practical advantages when it comes time to deliver the goods. But the fact that Obama is sincere and may be able to deliver the goods doesn't throw me to the opposite pole from cynicism either. I do question his actual ability to fundamentally deliver, and in so questioning I am not slamming hope per se.

We recently experienced real change in America. We recently were given fresh leadership. We recently shook off an extended period of the status quo. We did that in 2000 by "electing" George W. Bush President. Change is a value neutral word. A pendulum is continually changing direction. Symbolically the Obama campaign just pulled a massive "back to the future" move by embracing the legacy of America's camelot. Talk about retro.

If you listen to Hillary Clinton's message you will find that it too is full of hope. Her specifics driven approach to discussing problems facing American gives some of us more hope that she actually knows how to go about bringing about the changes that we actually need than some of the more inspiring rhetoric that we get from Barack Obama gives us. A lot of it is in perceptions. We have two candidates who are hopeful. We have two candidates fighting for positive change and a new era in America and the world.

[eeyore]

15. She actually reminds me of my dashed hopes for Gore.

I don't dislike her, but I just can't get excited about her. I see the past and all of the negativity of the end of Bill's presidency. I know she is not Bill, but I cannot separate them. The main feeling she inspires in me is sadness at what could have been. Gore should have been our president, and likely would have been were it not for all of the acrimony over Bill's affair. I just can't go back there.

[KittyWampus]

9. I love the juxtaposition of your User Name "Eeyore" with your thread title

:)

[eeyore]

13. Yeah, I surprise my own self some days

I'm a full blown cynic for the most part, but I do have to believe in the power of what's possible. What the fuck is it worth otherwise?

[calico1]

11. Nothing at all...

As long as there is substance to back it up. You can hope and dream your life away if there is no substance there to make your dreams come true.

[Bluerthanblue]

12. hope is like water-

humans cannot live without it.

But it is also potentially dangerous.

It can drown you-
It may flood you-
It can be used to control you-
It can overwhelm you-
It needs something from you to become whole- Even if all that is, is a chance-
It makes up more than half of this earth-
It can dry up, like during a drought-
It can be very difficult to find-
It can be hoarded and manipulated-
It can sustain you longer than any other substance-


We desire hope, and hate ourselves for our desire. Some of us are afraid to trust that things really can improve. We are afraid of loss, pain, happiness, success. So we blame "hope". We demonize "hope"- because we know that hope sometimes ends in hurt and dissapointment. But we cannot live without it.

So some distort "hope"- They come to expect dissapointment, betrayal, failure, lack- and without realizing it, they feed their own expectations. When they 'get' what they've expected, it is proof to them that they are 'right'-

Seeing others who really do give hope a chance, those who sometimes get positive rewards makes those who fear hope uncomfortable. This messes up their vision of hope always being negative, so they try and destroy those who make life un-predictable again.

and so it goes.

I have lived a very strange life. Hope is something I've spent a lifetime studying. Hope is something oppressed people have learned to cultivate with incredible success.

peace~

[jillan]

16. You cannot fix the problems of the world by hoping they will go away.

I love hearing about hope from my church, but I need more from my pols.

[Bluerthanblue]

17. you can't fix the problems of the world without hope- hope

isn't the same as 'wishing'-

Hope involves you- It means pushing aside your doubts and moving forward towards something that is not easy or sometimes 'likely' to achieve.

Wishing means wanting something to happen- but not investing yourself in it's outcome.

peace~

[whatchamacallit]

18. Simple, it's not what Hillary is selling, so discount it.

It's a strategy that's all.