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The story
CoroCoro Comic, a manga magazine for children, became a hot topic on 5ch after running a panel suggesting that people who “sneer” cynically at things end up a certain way later in life. In the thread, some commenters agreed with the rebuke of a cynical attitude that mocks earnest effort, while others countered that “the problem isn’t cynicism itself, but being irresponsible in situations where you should be a stakeholder.” The discussion spiraled from criticism of so-called “cynic types” into a full generational debate spanning the Baby Boomers, the Lost Generation, and Gen Z.
What people said
https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1791167475/
[Image] CoroCoro Comic: "Watch out—if you're a 'cynic,' this is the kind of life you'll end up with!"
https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1791167475/
[Image] CoroCoro Comic: "Watch out—if you're a 'cynic,' this is the kind of life you'll end up with!"
https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1791167475/
but at least try to become someone who understands other people's feelings.
↓Angerme
Yeah, it's pointless
Leaves no descendants, nothing behind
Just devours resources
I'm already past the child-rearing age
Though my age alone is "respectable"
Plenty of them on X (Twitter) and on "Wolf" (a notoriously catty 5ch idol-fan board)
Sure, but even if I fall, I've got the strength to climb the next mountain
Cynics, on the other hand, get stuck the moment they hit a wall they can't dodge
I threw my one and only life down the drain
Turns out he was right—my life became one long string of running away, so credit to him for reading me well.
Though, as it happens, I did have a talent for running and running until I actually got away with it.
this whole 'work hard and make your dreams come true' mindset is exhausting.
They say the great novelist Kafka was a master of despair,
so shouldn't that kind of 'giving up' mindset get some recognition too?
80s (Baby Boomers) — Hot-blooded
70s (Apathetic Gen) — Cynical
60s (Bubble Gen) — Cynical
50s (Baby Boomer Jr.) — Cynical
40s (Lost Generation) — Cynical
30s (Yutori/relaxed-education Gen) — Lukewarm
20s (Gen Z) — Hot-blooded
10s (Gen Alpha) — Hot-blooded
This really shows how the 40s-70s crowd is Japan's cancer
It's not 'cynicism' itself that's the problem—it's being irresponsible in situations where you should actually be a stakeholder.
Sloppy use of language is exactly how you end up with this kind of 'just try your best at life!' lecture.
'Tokyo Dome, lol'
'Kohaku, lol'
'Arena tour, lol' (mocking idols' real achievements—playing Tokyo Dome, the Kohaku New Year's show, arena tours)
I think having a personality that gets a kick out of lording it over others is just bad.
– Don't rush to rank people as better or worse by a single yardstick
– Be kind to strangers you don't even know
Let's all try to keep that in mind.
I'm working on it myself every day too.
Background and Key Points of This Debate
The term “cynic type” (reisho-kei) spread on Japanese social media in the 2020s to describe an attitude of sneering at people who talk about effort or ideals. The CoroCoro Comic panel that sparked this discussion appears to have been drawn with the intent of cautioning against that same cynical attitude. What divided the thread was whether the simplistic framing of “cynicism = bad” was itself fair. While some commenters agreed with the message, others pushed back, arguing that “the problem isn’t cynicism itself, but being irresponsible in situations where you should be a stakeholder”—essentially questioning the loose use of the term. Separately, posts sorting generations from Baby Boomers through Gen Z and Gen Alpha into “hot-blooded,” “cynical,” and “lukewarm” categories are a familiar genre of online generational theorizing, and it’s worth noting they aren’t based on any rigorous survey or academic research.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “[Image] CoroCoro Comic: “Watch out—if you’re a ‘cynic,’ this is the kind of life you’ll end up with!”“.
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