rant · moment 3 of 17
Cynicism vs. Sincerity, and the Guy Who Wanted His Screenplay Shown to His Agent
from Kind Of A Minister · #28
Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.
3 minTim argues cynicism is healthy and necessary, mocks the idea that people want 'authentic' experiences, and tells the story of a near-stranger asking him to pass writing along to his agent.
- 7:05Tim argues that cynicism can keep you alive and is foundational to skepticism about power and corporations.
- 7:32He describes a 2005 mortgage pitch scenario to illustrate the need for healthy skepticism about offers that seem too good to be true.
- 8:02Sincerity is not always called for; people confuse wanting authentic voices with wanting sincerity.
- 8:34Tim recounts a stranger on Facebook asking him to show their screenplay to his agent without any established relationship.
- 9:01He respects hustle but criticizes the presumption of someone barely knowing him asking for such a favor.
- 9:12Tim admits to being fake himself, maintaining fake friendships and attending weddings of people he hates for career advancement.
- 9:30He describes becoming a godfather to someone's child purely out of transactional network-building in the comedy business.
- 9:48Asking an acquaintance to show your screenplay to their agent is delusional and would screw both parties.
cynicismironysincerityskepticismNew World Mortgage