You're probably right, and I'm probably being too optimistic by half. I'm sure that if I took the time to look, there's at least as many historical examples to disprove my suppositions in the article.

But dammit, I have to believe things will get better. A gloom-and-doom pessimist might be right more often than a starry-eyed optimist...but at least the optimist has hope, and has a reason to continue going forward even in the cold and the dark.

And no, I'm not calling you a pessimist. I'd say that more likely, you hold yourself to be a realist, to accept things as they really are, and you strive to refrain from making assumptions about the future. Yours is probably the wiser (and more knowledgeable) way.

As for myself, I'm content with remaining the hopeful fool. The role does seem to fit disturbingly well.

On a side note, I was going to say that maybe the luck of the Irish blood in my veins plays a part in my attitude. Then I remembered your own last name, and realized that's probably an argument that wouldn't work out as well as it might have otherwise.