Society breeding cynicism

I was going to write w hole post on how society at the moment breeds cynicism. However, I came across this article which summarises the point exceptionally well. I think some of the good main points in this article are that cynicism can be mistaken now for intelligence, or in some other ways to be cynical is to be cool, or to know a lot about what is happening in the world. But as the author points out, we are not living in an age of anxiety any longer, it is an age of cynicism.

How to measure cynicism

-        When it comes to measuring cynicism, the easiest way to measure it is through measuring trust. However, trust is not always an indicator of cynicism. People can trust but be cynical at the same time and likewise people can  distrust and not be cynical either. But to measure trust, there are some key things to look for. 

-        Aspects of trust that can be measure can include predictability, the ability to fulfill promises, overall honesty and evaluations about why a person or group of people engage in behaviours. 

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        So when it comes to education, examining predictability, examining the ability to fulfill promises, considering overall honesty and evaluating a persons motives can either build trust or distrust. Being critical in regards to these aspects are important, however, a teacher must be careful not to build cynicism. 

cynicism in schools.

http://managementhelp.org/personalwellness/cynicism/

This article here provides a very good overview of how cynicism occurs within the business management sector, however, many of the comments lend themselves to how students think and work too. Firstly, they mention how cynics see their view as realistic, and that the attitude can be a way to ‘indulge in anger and resentment’ leading to acting out. This behaviour, acting out, being angry at others (or having weird emotions) being resentful towards others etc. is quite typical of every teenager. Hence, they may find it easier to be more cynical of government, media, organisations etc. because for them, emotionally, it is easier to be angry and not trust others while they try to form their identity than it is to become trustworthy.

However, as the article mentions, this attitude becomes dangerous when it becomes a means of emotional protection. When students blame something other than themselves for their own failings.

Within the current generation of students, this attitude can sometimes appear as a lack of work ethic because they feel that education is not valuable, and you can get by in life without it. It appears in the arguments and discussion had within classrooms about ethics and morals and the discussion is fuelled with understandings from students developed from their interaction with the media and parents. It appears when students go through trauma and feel they can’t trust the systems in place to support them.