Discussion Do you consider yourself a misanthrope?

[crystal_meth97]

As the title says. If you consider yourself a misanthrope, how do you cope with people in your daily life? Do you try to minimize your social interactions or do you see human connection as a necessary evil, so to speak? What disappoints you the most about humanity in general? Feel free to discuss your view and experiences, I'm curious because it's something I think about often and it sometimes drives me insane.

 

[sserafim]

Yes, I consider myself a misanthrope. I just don't like people. I don't talk to people in everyday life. I minimize my social interactions because I don't enjoy socializing. I've become a NEET after college and I enjoy the isolation. I have to say that everything about humanity disappoints me. The only positives about humanity are its intelligence, knowledge, consciousness (higher order thinking), creativity, achievements, inventions and scientific discoveries

 

[Dark Moon]

I'm mostly misanthrope. I don't like most people, I'm a recluse so I usually don't talk to people and minimize interactions.

What disappoints me the most is the bullying, betrayal and bad experiences I had to endure.

 

[derpyderpins]

As the title says. If you consider yourself a misanthrope, how do you cope with people in your daily life? Do you try to minimize your social interactions or do you see human connection as a necessary evil, so to speak? What disappoints you the most about humanity in general? Feel free to discuss your view and experiences, I'm curious because it's something I think about often and it sometimes drives me insane.

No. I have a ton of problems with individual people, but at the end of the day I tend to like people generally. If I meet somebody or get to talk to them 1-on-1 it's so much different than in a group. When I was in college I'd be the type to go to a bar and just talk to the other lonely person next to me. I think the more one interacts with others the more they can empathize. I've seen myself have so many faults and issues throughout the years, so I try to recognize that when someone else is doing something I don't like there's usually a reason for it. Some people definitely end up pretty rotten but most are trying their best. And we need people in our lives to function to our fullest; just look at this site and how even people who claim to hate or not care about "people" come on here so that they can be heard and relate to others with similar problems.

What disappoints me the most is that people don't stick with their convictions and fold so easily. Put another way, they are weak and hide themselves from difficulty. It's what lets society slip away from us.

 

[EvisceratedJester]

I'm guess I can be kind of misanthropic at times, probably due to socializing causing me a lot of stress and draining me. I wouldn't outright call myself a misanthrope though.

 

[moshimoshi]

No I like probably 80% of people I meet, but there's many times where I don't like talking to people and like to keep to myself. I love being by myself and even though it's unhealthy for me I have a habit of self isolating for very long periods of time. Although there are occasions where I hate everyone and everything usually when my mental health is bad

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

No. I don't consider most misanthropes to be true misanthropes either. So many so called misanthropes only hate humans and humanity because of the way other people are treated. True hatred for humans means taking pleasure in the suffering of others, especially when they're innocent.

Being a misanthrope because of how we've fucked the climate also makes no sense to me since someone who claims to hate humans should be applauding the fact that they're causing their own destruction. In the event that we do so, nature would honestly be perfectly fine without us.

 

[leavingthesoultrap]

It's a tough question. I do like some individuals and I have empathy for a lot of people. But some others ...

 

[Yuina]

Hmm, no. I wouldn't say I am. I don't hate humanity as a whole. I try to see the good in everyone, even if I know I shouldn't. I'm just… afraid of conflict. I like people. I like making friends.

 

[xinino]

Humanity "the excess" should be dead or transgressed

 

[damyon]

It depends.

I do not hate society in general, but I do not like certain groups within it. That is why I choose to dissociate myself from them—being alone is better than being with the wrong people.

It's quite possible that those "wrong" people see me as a misanthrope

 

[Ferdinand Bardamu]

With Humanity in its current state, yes. As it should be, no.

 

[lizzywizzy09]

No. I used to but now I just feel this weird sense of frustration and pity. If anything, I realize now that I'm the problem, not others necessarily.

 

[Dark Moon]

It's a tough question. I do like some individuals and I have empathy for a lot of people. But some others ...

You're going to reply to me then do it directly otherwise don't bother with it.

 

[leavingthesoultrap]

You're going to reply to me then do it directly otherwise don't bother with it.

What are you on about?

 

[Dark Moon]

What are you on about?

Because you don't like me right?

 

[leavingthesoultrap]

Because you don't like me right?

Lol what? I don't remember ever interacting with you.

 

[passivethought121]

Not really. I don't have a dislike for everyone, yet am always that every individual I see in my day to day life is capable/likely/willing to inflict pain. However, that's just me being paranoid and having low self esteem. I can be empathetic and considerate if needed.

I often dislike social interaction, but its not necessarily humanity; I hate that I am hyper-aware of my presence, mass, and volume. I hate the sound of my voice. I hate how I make conversations awkward and I always need a clarification/repeat cause I didn't understand the first time.

 

[red24]

Of course. After a certain level of intelligence is impossible not to be one. Human selfishness and selfrighteousness are impossible to cope with. And even if one is not very smart. Is still impossible to cope with humans. I personally dislike everybody. I only loved my former partner and that's it. I dislike my own parents and only like my siblings because I have memories from the past. But the vast majority of humans are just unbearable with their arrogance and stupidity. And the ones who are not stupid, are even worse.
It must be the age. I used to like humanity when I was young. Something happened in the meantime.

 

[vitbar]

I used to be one, or more in that direction. Got older, gained more empathy and insight into other people, stopped taking myself as seriously too.

 

[Nobody Special]

Not at all.

 

[Pluto]

 

[wCvML2]

Maybe but not sure, because I do avoid most people out of general distrust but I think almost everyone does the same especially nowadays when people are distrustful of one another more than ever. I honestly don't know where the line is drawn between average person to misanthrope because I see sort of misanthropic behaviors also in regular people.

 

[Venessolotic]

Yes, I'm a misanthropic antinatalist.

Misanthropic antinatalism > Philanthropic antinatalism

 

[Plentiful_Despair]

I consider myself to be a fucking asshole. Really, you wouldn't like me. But I'm not a misantrophe. I care about this world, about the POTENTIAL of humanity. That's one of the main reasons I'm suicidal. I can't stand to look at the state of this world. It is the worst hell imaginable, all potential for the human race thrown into the trash. I am trash too. Born into trash, dying as trash.

 

[thislife24]

I feel like I am weirdly in the middle. I love and care about people, but I have major trust issues and misgivings towards people in general. It's kind of a weird paradox.

 

[Pessimist]

I'm a misanthrope. I believe that human nature is inherently evil. Of course it's a spectrum: in extreme cases, there are people who enjoy murdering, raping and torturing people. Then you have the average person, who "only" supports the meat industry, immoral wars, etc. But I don't believe in so-called "good people", and I'm extremely skeptical of altruistic behaviour.

 

[Forever Sleep]

Yes, I avoid people where I can. I work from home and get everything delivered. Probably a fair bit of mine comes from social anxiety.

I think it's terribly disturbing that, at our core, we seem to enjoy conflict. Otherwise, there wouldn't be wars, hate crime etc. I suppose in my immediate circle of people, it's more that you can't rely on people. We've all let one another down badly at some point. So, it feels safer to try and be self reliant.

It kind of upsets me maybe that I'm not more self reliant. I still feel the need for emotional support from people when awful things happen. Plus, I really appreciate this place. As someone rightly pointed out, maybe you can't call yourself an introvert and issolated when you post so much on a public forum! I guess that shows a need to interact with people.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm not meant to be this person. If in fact, it would help if I socialised more. Sometimes I am actually happier after a chance conversation with a neighbour or delivery driver. I find I don't end up hating individuals. I suppose it's the same problem though. I fear becoming reliant on someone and them leaving. Abandonment issues I guess.