ThisTroper started out all WideEyedIdealist.... and then the world let him down, over and over again. He eventually became bitter and cynical, yet still tries to fix things, because he still feels a shard of hope left embedded in his soul.

ThisTroper has seen his loved ones succumb to substance abuse, had his life fall apart around him and is facing the person he loves and looks up to most dying young. He has also walked through flowers in the Spring, swearing that he could taste nectar on his tongue. He's seen his younger brother grow up into a handsome, skilled, intelligent young man. He's seen the sun rise [[color:red:red]] and the moon illuminate pitch black. For me, the awful things that happen do not invalidate the beautiful things this world has to offer. I can't save the world, but I can contribute to the small place where I exist. While I can yet stand, I shall do exactly that.

{{This troper}}. She has a very sour disposition and is a DeadpanSnarker, yet still strives to do good... Assuming you catch her when she's good.

{{This troper}}. He has a very sour disposition and is a DeadpanSnarker, yet still strives to do good...I think I've heard this before. There is a nice guy in him somewhere, just buried under layers of bitterness and cynicism.

And another. The fact that evil is, in my experience essentially a path to a hollow, depressing, and completely meaningless existence doesn't hurt, although being a good person frequently isn't much better. Every victory for goodness counts, though, as rare as they may be, and while you may have to EarnYourHappyEnding, and then some, it's worth it. Having a suitably dark and somewhat twisted sense of humor helps.

Considering how cynical, dark and DeadpanSnarker I tend to be combined with my personal honor code that is some odd combination of deism, chivalry and bushido {{this troper}} is counting himself this though I prefer to think of it as Samurai in Sour Armor.

Two years ago, I was a textbook WideEyedIdealist. The idealism's gone -- but not the drive to Make Things Right.

Heh. Looks like {{this troper}} finally found an accurate way to describe how he feels. Idealism is for suckers. He would've slit his wrists a long time ago had he kept a view that the world is a decent place. But reality is a cruel and harsh mistress. But the simple fact that seeing a small child smiling brightens his day............that's the sort of thing worth protecting.

ThisTroper swings between WideEyedIdealist and KnightInSourArmor. It depends what mood you catch him in, and being a depressed snarky Commie bastard doesn't help. His friends are usually surprised that he can be a cynical bastard but still think RousseauWasRight.

ThisTroper has been through the HeelFaceRevolvingDoor. In Order - TrueNeutral, LawfulNeutral, NeutralEvil, LawfulStupid, TrueNeutral, NeutralEvil, LawfulEvil, NeutralGood, and now firmly situated at LawfulGood. Something of a {{jerkass woobie}} in earlier times, he has become Fettered to his personal code of Honor, and taken up TheMessiah Tendencies. While still retaining knowledge that the world is full of {{Black and Gray Morality}}, {{this Troper}} strives to be White, or at least a Lighter Shade of Gray. But with loads of Heroic SelfDeprecation Thrown In to keep him honest.

{{This troper}} is thankful for a {{trope}} that finally fits her as a glove!

{{This troper}} is sarcastic, down-right cynical and would rather drop dead than get caught saying something romantic or idealistic in public... But I'd walk miles for you, just to see you smile. And I love humans, no matter what they put me through. I know this is sappy and stupid, but I just want to say this: I don't care who you are or what you've done. Know that there is at least one person out there who will never, ever give up on you.

... Holy shit.

Read ''that'' while listening to this. Warning! ManlyTears may be shed.

I agree wholeheartedly. And you made me happy just from reading that. Nice one. ^_^

''Awwwww.'' To both the troper above and below... I wish you were less cynical but still thank you for being just so NICE!

Am I the only one who felt amusement rather than heartwarming at that?

ThisTroper, when doing something nice for other people, basically either expects bad things to happen as a result, or figures it's futile and meaningless in the end. He considers it worth doing anyways. If asked why, he probably couldn't give an answer that would be logically sound. He can't really make a difference or change the world for the better and knows it. But he'll always enjoy making others happy one way or another. Also, I like the above {{troper}}.

Thank you. I get the feeling I'd like you too if we ever met.

{{This troper}} is paranoid, cynical, sarcastic, generally misanthropic, subscribes to the works of Friedrich Nietzche and only showers three to four times a week, and yet he goes out of his way to make sure that his friends are as happy as they can be. The world is often a cruel and terrible place, but it's still our world, so nobody should just let it be that way. Also, the above two guys? {{This troper}} would very much like to shake their hands.

This Troper,even though he is a very nice person, constantly strives towards optimism, and despite constantly having his ideals crushed by cynics, continues to strive for doing the right thing. Even though he realizes how tough life is, and just how tough life can possibly be, you should still aim for changing the world for the better instead of letting the world change you for the better. Till this day, he still would rather people stop fighting each other and learn to work together in harmony, and will keep the bond he chose to have towards his words, in order to do his part in acheiving peace despite his semi-cynical outlook, is an avid believer in hope.

{{This troper}}, who is a complete "DeadpanSnarker", lives in Mablethorpe, a small seaside town in Lincolnshire, England and it's actually one of the most miserable places in the UK, because what could have been done for the community is done for the tourists who only show up during the summer. Once upon a time, he would sneer at anyone who said a kind thing about Mablethorpe (made worse by the bureaucratic red-tape making it hard to get a job), but he read a story in the local paper about a 7-year-old boy, who made donations to the hospital that treat him after a car crash, even going so far as to ask for donations instead of presents on his 8th birthday. The fact that this lad was local, made me realise that the town may have gone to the dogs years ago, its community (whether they themselves believe it or not) is still worth looking out for. While my attitude towards the crime rate, lack of job oppurtunities, and the general neglegence of the local council has not changed, that story made me wish to do more for the community.

{{This troper}} ended up mixing a PluckyGirl personality and an AwfulTruth experience, and turned into this. I may be cynical, I may belive you can't trust humankind as a whole, and I may have way too many facepalms for seeing people failing to realize what I was seeing coming from a mile. But I'll do anything that I feel is right and good, just because if it helps doing this world a little better, then it's worth the time.

This troper. Years of being told "Try it - you'll like it!" and it backlashing miserably 4/5 times seems to make me live for the 1/5 time it actually ''goes'' as promised.

This troper's friend is like this. While he shares many of the same views, he still believes in chivalry and doing the right thing, which contrasts with this troper's view of "do what benefits you, no matter who you have to tample, unless that person is really important to you," thus making him react in disgust when I crack more dark jokes or do more evil things. I don't know how our friendship has lasted this long.

This troper is intensely cynical, and sometimes can be disturbingly pragmatic and amoral. A phrase he often repeats to himself: "People are like babies: shit, snot, screams...and smiles."

This seems to be my default mindset when going out, or playing an online game. I tend to avoid people, and snark around the assholes, but if anyone's in need of assistance, I'll gladly help out. Even if it comes back to bite me in the ass. Which it will. And has. Several times. God knows why I keep on keeping on, but oh well.....

This troper knows several people who appear to, like him, have a Psychic MarkOfTheBeast on 'em that pretty much says, "Disrespect me and be rude to me". One of 'em was told by his neighbour that he was a drain on taxpaying society. Despite this, he called 911 and got his neighbour's house (Which was on fire from a lightning strike) saved. His neighbour asked WHY he did that after he was so rude to him, when the dude responded, "Just cause it was the right thing to do - after all ''YOU'' and your family did to me, you can burn for all I care."

This Troper is this. People are often surprised when they find out that the cynical DeadpanSnarker volunteers at a hospital and is a socialist.

This troper is absolutely this, wrapped up in a {{Soapbox Sadie}} package. Yes, I care about animal rights, the environment, human rights, anti-consumerism, and social justice, and yes, I am aware that I will not see all of these issues resolved in my lifetime, and yes, I'm well past the age of thinking that petitions and letters to politicians will change the world. But will i stop fighting for what I believe? Dream on!

This Troper is the remarkable combination of misanthrope and chronic hero. He hates just about everyone, and yet he always steps in to help whenever he can. Do people deserve it? No. But who else is going to?

This troper is sometimes afraid that he might be toppling over into KnightInSourArmor territory... but then I remember that I can still cry at TheGreatGatsby and I'm reassured.

This troper wears JadeColoredGlasses, and loves anime, music and literature as a form of escapism. He wouldn't give a damn to his classmates, who he dislikes in varying degrees. Then he looks around, sees that nobody wants to help, and goes in to help. It doesn't matter what their responses might be, he just wants them to know that no matter how bad things turn out, there's still someone who will stand by them, no matter how much he hates the world.

This troper started up as LawfulGood, but attending four years of BreakTheCutie Elementary School (it got a bit better in high school) turned her into a KnightInSourArmor: DeadpanSnarker, views the world probably a bit darker than it is, but still trys to keep up helping others if they need help.

I'm a person who believes the average person to be a myopic self-preservationist, ignoble, hypocritical, cowardly, base, and vulgar. I believe that most people out there, no matter how intelligent or educated, are stuck in the ideological mud, completely inflexible and unable to deal with the fact they may be wrong, and willing to drag down the world rather than admit it (A problem I find myself slipping into at times). I believe that out of paranoia and fear, people are driving this world to destruction. I believe we've become money-obsessed, and drunk on power, too addicted to realize how we're damaging ourselves. The world is burning with the fires of ignorance, and most people are throwing gasoline on it. But, I'll be damned if I don't use my little spraybottle to keep it back as long as a I can, because despite all of that I'm still LawfulGood because somewhere deep inside, I still believe that if you teach people how to think, how to learn, how to be tolerant, how to turn the other cheek instead of continuing cycles of violence that maybe, just maybe, tomorrow will be a brighter day.

That was beautifully put. I was going to write my thoughts, but you just articulated them for me exactly.

This troper is similar to the above troper, but in a very different direction. I'm a person who believes the average person to be as much of a tyrant as they can get away with, hypocritical, overly judgmental, and unwilling to accept other standards of propriety. I believe that most people out there, no matter how intelligent or educated, view others as having positions entirely without merit, completely inflexible and unable to deal with the fact that they might not have the right answer for every situation, and willing to beat the rest of the world into submission rather than admit it (A problem I try to avoid, aside from the ocassional snarky internet post). I believe that out of paranoia and fear, some people are driving this world to destruction. I believe some have become obsessed with the idea that force is superior to trade, drunk on a desire for more power, and too blind to see how they're harming everyone else. The world is drowning in floods of control, and most people are spraying as much as they can into the deluge. Still, I'll be damned if I don't try to keep the light of freedom in the darkness, even a smouldering peice of driftwood floating on an ocean of smothering good intentions. Despite all of that, I'm still ChaoticGood; I still believe that if you let people learn from their mistakes, see that other beliefs work too, realize that everyone has something to teach, and offer a helping hand not when you think people need it, but when they freely ask for it, that maybe, just maybe, tomorrow will be a brighter day.

This troper is currently working on a short story entirely based on this concept. Long story short, there is a benevolent empire, rebellion topples it, and the heroes go through moral degredation to pretect what remains. A classic Type 1.

This editor likes to think of himself as being cynical towards cynicism itself - okay, so people are dumb, greedy hypocrites and the world is just waiting for an opportunity to kick you in the teeth. So what? If it bothers you just shoot yourself and be done with it; otherwise shut up and get on with your life.

This troper started out as a typical knight in shining armor, but after years of life kicking me around, I developed an extremely cynical, slightly bitter outlook. But nevertheless, there have been enough people who showed me kindness that I still will do what I can to help, even if I complain about it. Very vocally.

This trope fits me pretty well. I'm a very cynical and misanthropic guy who regularly spends time doing volunteer work.

In general I am considered to be simply a very cynical believer that HumansAreBastards for my demeanor which is half true I am incredibly cynical but i believe more that humans are stupid I in general believe that the we live in a CrapsackWorld but I also believe that we can and should make the world a better place. I also realised a long time ago that neither major side in american politics has the slightest plan to fix any of the worlds shit. In fact I in general try to oppose groups that exploit others or that try to keep one group bellow another and am a fervent believer that everyone should be equal even if it means doing so by laws.

This troper is unlucky, his reputation is bad, and he didn't turn into a popular person without making enemies. Yet he still tries to help everyone he doesn't hate. And in some cases, people to which he has a "mutual apathy" relationship. Helps he is a DeadpanSnarker with a pechant for SelfDeprecation.

Like most everyone else on this page, I'm a DeadpanSnarker who accepts the idea that this is a pretty CrapsackWorld, but I generally try to do the right thing and prefer doing what makes other people happy over doing what makes me happy. I figure, if life really is so bad, why not try to be a pinprick of light in it all? Doesn't mean I can't be a self-deprecating realist with a default SarcasmMode along the way, though.

Seems the whole world's going down the tubes...I am another cynic. I am a overly intellectual misanthropist, and the few people who can talk to me without becoming lost in my sesquipedalian loquaciousness find that every word that leaves my brooding mind to slip past my perpetually down-turned lips is so wry, sardonic, and overly well backed up that they have no choice but to bend to my every argument when ever I choose to debate about morality, politics, and the nature of humanity. The world is a depressing, disappointing, and disillusioned mess as far as I'm concerned, and the people are the ones who make it this way...but that never stops me from volunteering with Habitat for Humanity when they are in the region, making almost nothing working at a day camp serving food to young kids, and just doing every little thing that crosses my path that could be seen as even remotely noble, chivalrous, and generally decent. I know that this world COULD be a ideal place, even if it's just in theory, and even though I can do literally NOTHING to change the direction that humanity is falling, I do what I can to slow it. This may be the end of innocence as we know it, but I won't do any less, I just...cant.

This troper's dad is a teacher, and says he would rather be strict in a way that helps his students in the long run (even if they dislike him for it) than be overly lenient at their expense just to avoid being thought of as mean by them. He often voices frustration about teachers who take the latter approach.

I wish there were more teachers out there like your dad. Please give him some of your favored outward expression of physical affection on my behalf. I also believe your dad's approach is the best one for ''parents'' and that the problem with young people today is that way too many parents want to be as per your "latter" example. If he approaches parenting the way he approaches teaching, I believe you will go far in life.

This troper firmly believes that she cannot consistently communicate with anyone. That, even should someone wish to express gratitude, she will not understand it, and that most people's idea of gratitude are far too small for the effort. But I cannot conceive of a me that strays from the path of a knight and remains sane. Even if I fail at every turn, I will try.

This troper is so cynical that even he is disgusted by it sometimes. 90% of the people at his school are assholes who seem to think that poking fun at people and being unbelievable irritable, not to mention laughing every time I get mad at them, which happens A LOT. My younger sister seems to be determined to make my life a living Hell, she constantly calls me names, pokes fun at me, and does everything last thing in the book that she can to make me miserable. I tend to look in just about everyone, with a handful of exceptions, with distrust and hatred and I would like nothing better to beat them to a pulp. Hell I'm starting to believe that Humans are bastards For some reason, no matter how much I hate these people, I can't bring myself to do it, there is still a set of morals holding me back. As it says on the main page, I do it because it's the right thing...and I hate myself for it. At this point, I don't exactly know why I care anymore, maybe it's my parent's teaching and constant support, but I doubt I will be causing harm anytime soon. I don't know, sometimes I'm ashamed of what I've become, maybe one day I can get better.

This troper went from a naive little kid to a bitter and cynical teenager, and has settled out to a somewhat-happy medium of this now that she's in her twenties. Her core philosophy is that even though a huge portion of humans kind of suck, humanity's produced enough awesomeness, and Earth is just so damn cool sometimes, that it's worth living here after all.

This Troper knows of the evil that men do, and how much they do it. And yes, I know I alone can't make a change in the world. But I guess I still believe in my ideals, in my hopes and dreams for a better world, in the goodness of man... simply because that's how I can keep myself sane and sound. I believe because if I- no, if ''we'' lose sight of those ideals, then we'll never be able to see past the bad things and make things better. Idealism doesn't mean naively believing everything will be alright; idealism is knowing that there's something worth believing in- and something worth fighting for. Maybe that doesn't make me a KnightInSourArmor, seeing as I'm not that cynical... but hey, doesn't mean I can't be idealistic and be a DeadpanSnarker at the same time, right? On the other hand, when this troper's in a bad mood, he does take a more {{Knight Templar}}-ish attitude towards the problems of the world... and he's perfectly fine with that.

{{This troper}} realized a few days ago that I probably fit this {{trope}} fairly well. I have a talent for reading, understanding, and empathizing with people. As an unfortunate side-effect, I'm also quite cognizant of the horrible little things that go on behind the mask of civility that most people put up and thus tend to be highly cynical and misanthropic. I see humankind in general as a group of stupid, selfish, ignorant savages all after their own piece and willing to trample anyone in their path. And yet, rather than simply giving up and succumbing to hopelessness, I continue to be a generally good person, or at least a decent one. Why? Because I know that though I can't save the world, I can make the lives of those around me a little bit better. The world sucks enough without me adding to it, so why not try to at least be a decent human being? Of course, it doesn't stop me from being sarcastic about things, but it's either laugh or cry.

{{This troper}} has seen his share of trouble, and near-continuously vents his frustrations through liberal application of sarcasm. He's slightly worried that he suffers from undiagnosed paranoia, often convinced others around him mean ill will towards him. Despite this, he fights through that and always tries (and often succeeds) to form deep, meaningful relationships with friends and acquaintances alike (and heck, one of his best friends is a former foe). Despite the senselessness of the day-to-day and all evidence to the contrary, he insists the universe is fundamentally ordered and worth enjoying. Many of his friends find his optimistic outlook...less than realistic, but all it comes down to is accepting the bad and taking it in good humor, always mindful that the flip side of all this is the good.

{{This troper}} (Brick3621) is an interesting case in that he decided to adopt the KnightInSourArmor demeanor ''after'' he saw the article. Before, he had simply been too cynical for his own good. Then he realized that idealism is not necessarily naive, silly, or ridiculous.

This troper as well. I'm a bit of a controversial figure, really; while I do help people every way I can, I have a tendency to berate them a little when they get into trouble, but I'm happy to get them out of mess nonetheless. I'm a KnightInSourArmor with emphasis on the 'Sour' part.

This troper finds a tendency towards this, but feels that this is at least partly motivated by self pity and a need to be praised. An IronWoobie complex, if you will. I would like to gently bring this to the attention of above tropers as a possible unfortunate cause/side effect. Self pity is seductive destructive.

There's a particular author whose blog I follow who hates Stephen Moffat with a hatey hate for making ''Series/DoctorWho'' too cynical, because it's supposed to be about pacifism and openmindedness and curiosity and other such nice things, but in his opinion tends to be more about scary monsters, romantic plotlines, and the ratings when Moffat's in charge. You probably won't be surprised to hear he's astonishingly cynical himself and, when not ranting about ''Series/DoctorWho'', rants about how almost everything and everyone in the world is bad and awful, or about how he's personally bad and awful, but he perks up a little when he's talking about science, socialism, the joy in the eyes of a small child pretending a cardboard box is the TARDIS, etc. He does such an impressively good job of matching this trope that it comes across almost as though he's aware of the trope and, like most of the people on this page, decided acting that way would be cool.

Quite a few tropers seem to feel this way towards TVTropes, particularly after spending overly long reading TroperTales.

This Troper firmly believes that the world is an inherently bad place, and that there's nothing anybody can do to fix that. Regardless of that, he refuses to stop trying under any circumstances; and he has endless respect for anybody else (like the tropers on this page) who keeps fighting for the little victories. You won't change the world, but you might help somebody out, and that's really all that matters.

This troper hates humanity, for how much we have screwed up the world on the part of nature and on the part of other humans, but unfortunately, I am yet another member of this damned species, and am therefore obligated to help the other wretches, including those who have done nothing to help me and even those who have hurt me. Furthermore, helping others is also more of a selfish thing for me as it leads to fewer hostilities toward me.