Why do haters hate?
In a wealth-obsessed world where every demographic has their politically correct but ultimately narrow-minded ideologies,
it’s not hard to see how the rise of “The Hater” came about.
But is the hater really cynical, or is she a poser?
Thought to be an exemplar of cynicism, Ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes of Sinope
actively pursued a lifestyle in spite of social conventions.
His goal, however, was not simply to give people the finger.
He lived his philosophy, which held that reason is superior to the passions,
that courage is superior to wealth, and social convention should be flouted wherever possible.
You see, all three make life more complicated.
More importantly, they make a virtuous life vastly more difficult to achieve.
By detaching oneself from these things, however, one will have a better, freer life.
Obviously, separating oneself from the conveniences of modern life is no easy feat.
In fact, many of us would think it makes life worse, not better.
But this is just the sort of thing Diogenes did
because he believed in pursuing freedom in action, speech, and self-sufficiency.
Haters, on the other hand, are superficial.
They merely look down at everything that’s not down, cool, rad, hard, tight.
Although doing so might be fun, it’s NOT meaningful — it doesn’t accomplish anything.
At least, that’s what Diogenes the Cynic would likely say.
A Cynic is someone who puts himself at risk, at least so far as social status is concerned.
But it could be even more dangerous than that. The Cynic takes life seriously.
A Cynic would be one, for example, who chooses to be homeless, who is genuinely not impressed
with supposedly important people, and who aims at living a simple life in conformity with nature.
The hater just stands back from the crowd in order to pass judgment,
but they don’t actually do anything in support of their professed view.
Mostly, they’re just jealous of what they don’t have, which actually makes them prime targets for the real Cynics.
It’s a lot harder to be earnest and rational in your quest for a virtuous life, to be a Cynic,
than it is to merely be critical, to brush off a question with some smug comment like,
"If you have to ask, you obviously don’t get it…”.
Cynicism demands real action, because the Cynic aims at virtue.
So, dear viewer, are you merely a playa hater, or are you an original Cynic?