Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Difference between revisions

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The answer depends on where the series falls in the [['''Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism]]'''.

A story can be idealistic or cynical towards any idea. In general, if the story values or is hopeful for a particular ideal, then it is idealistic. If the story criticizes or assaults that expectation, then it is cynical.

For a simple, archetypal example, let's assume that the idea to believe in is [[Humans Are Good]]/[[Rousseau Was Right]]. In idealistic series, [[Friend to All Living Things|those who believed it]] got [[The Power of Friendship|lots of friends]] and a [[Happy Ending]] (therefore, [[Right Makes Might]]), while cynical series are [[Crapsack World|Crapsack Worlds]]s where [[Wide-Eyed Idealist|those who believed it]] [[Downer Ending|got ruthlessly bullied]] by [[Humans Are the Real Monsters|everyone else]] (therefore, [[Might Makes Right]]). Of course, the definitions of "Right" and "Crapsack" in the above can technically mean whatever one wants them to mean.

However, be careful not to confuse idealism with [[Tastes Like Diabetes|straw optimism]], cynicism with [[Nietzsche Wannabe|straw pessimism]], and the scale as a whole with the [[Sliding Scale of Silliness Versus Seriousness]]. Also note that when this applies to characters, this does not mean good or evil. After all, it's perfectly possible for an idealist to be [[Knight Templar|evil]], and a cynic to be [[Knight in Sour Armor|good]]. Likewise, a very cynical series could be quite [[Lighter and Softer|lighthearted]] (see also: [[Crap Saccharine World]]), conversely a very idealistic series could be extremely [[Darker and Edgier|dark]]. It's also true that [[Black Comedy|comedies]] can be cynical as all hell, and dark dramas or brutal [[Deconstruction|deconstructionsdeconstruction]]s can end [[Earn Your Happy Ending|idealistic]] (see also: [[A World Half Full]]).

See also: [[The Idealist]] and [[The Cynic]] for the archetypal characters. For how both sides often portray each other, see [[Wide-Eyed Idealist]]/[[Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids]], and [[Grumpy Bear]]/[[Silly Rabbit, Cynicism Is for Losers]]. See [[Cynicism Tropes]], and [[Idealism Tropes]] for lists of each.

{{noreallife|This particular sliding scale can be the topic of fierce debate (hence [[No Real Life Examples, Please]]).}} Each person will have a different point which they tend towards. Therefore, this scale is most useful in targeting demographics and those who are sympathetic to a certain world view, and identifying where on the spectrum one's own work is.

[[Category:No Real Life Examples Please{{PAGENAME}}]]

[[Category:indexMorality Tropes]]

[[Category:SlidingSorting ScaleAlgorithm of Idealism Versus CynicismTropes]]