What is a Curmudgeon anyway?



A curmudgeon's reputation for malevolence is undeserved. They're
neither warped nor evil at heart. They don't hate mankind, just mankind's
absurdities. They're just as sensitive and soft-hearted as the next guy, but
they hide their vulnerability beneath a crust of misanthropy. They ease the
pain by turning hurt into humor. . . . . . They attack maudlinism because
it devalues genuine sentiment. . . . . . Nature, having failed to equip
them with a servicable denial mechanism, has endowed them with astute
perception and sly wit.
Curmudgeons are mockers and debunkers whose bitterness is a symptom
rather than a disease. They can't compromise their standards and can't
manage the suspension of disbelief necessary for feigned cheerfulness. Their
awareness is a curse.
Perhaps curmudgeons have gotten a bad rap in the same way that the
messenger is blamed for the message: They have the temerity to comment on
the human condition without apology. They not only refuse to applaud
mediocrity, they howl it down with morose glee. Their versions of the truth
unsettle us, and we hold it against them, even though they soften it with
humor.

- JON WINOKUR