Line #19 Main/SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism


1	[[quoteright:220:[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ch_20.png]]]]
2
3	->''"The pessimist sees a dark tunnel;\
4	The optimist sees a light at the end of the tunnel;\
5	The realist sees ''two'' lights at the end of the tunnel,\
6	and the engineer sees three idiots standing on the rails."''
7	-->-- '''[[GermanHumour German joke]]'''
8
9	Can ThePowerOfFriendship save the day? Or [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption Is Violence the Only Option]]?
10
11	The answer depends on where the series falls in the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism.
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13	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, assaults, and [[AccentuateTheNegative accentuates the negative]] about that expectation, then it is cynical.
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15	For a simple, archetypal example, let's assume that the idea to believe in is HumansAreGood[=/=]RousseauWasRight. In idealistic series, [[FriendToAllLivingThings those who believed it]] got [[ThePowerOfFriendship lots of friends]] and a HappyEnding (therefore, RightMakesMight), while cynical series are {{Crapsack World}}s where [[WideEyedIdealist those who believed it]] got [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer ruthlessly bullied]] by [[HumansAreBastards everyone else]] (therefore, MightMakesRight). Of course, the definitions of "Right" and "Crapsack" in the above can technically mean whatever one wants them to mean.
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17	However, be careful not to confuse idealism with [[WideEyedIdealist straw optimism]], cynicism with [[StrawNihilist straw]] [[TheEeyore pessimism]] (let alone realism, for that matter), and the scale as a whole with the SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness. 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 [[KnightTemplar evil]], and a cynic to be [[KnightInSourArmor good]]. Likewise, a very cynical series could be quite [[LighterAndSofter lighthearted]] (see also: CrapsaccharineWorld), conversely a very idealistic series could be extremely [[DarkerAndEdgier dark]]. It's also true that [[BlackComedy comedies]] can be cynical as all hell (see also: {{Satire}}), and dark dramas can be consistently [[EarnYourHappyEnding idealistic]] throughout (see also: AWorldHalfFull).
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19	See also: TheIdealist and TheCynic for the archetypal characters. Less sane characters fit in this scale in their own way, with a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} or a LoonWithAHeartOfGold leaning towards the Idealism side. For how both sides often portray each other, see WideEyedIdealist[=/=]SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids, and SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers. See CynicismTropes, and IdealismTropes for lists of each.
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21	This particular sliding scale can be the topic of fierce debate. 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.
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23	CerebusSyndrome describes a shift from comedy to drama and this often also results in a shift from idealism to cynicism. ReverseCerebusSyndrome is the inversion. When shows [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig Zag]] between the two, they're on a CerebusRollerCoaster.
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25	[[noreallife]]
26	----
27	!!Examples:
28	[[index]]
29	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/AnimatedFilms
30	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/AnimeAndManga
31	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/ComicBooks
32	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/FanWorks
33	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/{{Film}}
34	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/{{Literature}}
35	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/LiveActionTV
36	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/{{Music}}
37	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/NewspaperComics
38	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/RecordedAndStandUpComedy
39	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/TabletopGames
40	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/{{Theatre}}
41	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/VideoGames
42	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/VisualNovels
43	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/{{Webcomics}}
44	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/WebOriginal
45	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism/WesternAnimation
46	[[/index]]
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