#pessimists

If no one notices you're gone.

Pessimism doesn't develop in a person's mind randomly. In fact, one of the most common causes is to have repeatedly experienced MULTIPLE situations where bullying, betrayal, rejection, ostracization, and discrimination against you were a constant threat to your safety, emotional security, well-being, and self-worth.

Although anyone can be(come) pessimistic if they have had negative experiences in their past/throughout their life, people who see themselves as outcasts and misfits (and therefore neurodivergent and disabled people, and anyone else who belongs to a misunderstood or overlooked minority) are more likely to be(come) pessimistic since they are often looked down on by society and experience a lot of stigma and prejudice from other people.

A lot of pessimistic thoughts/feelings can actually stem from mental health conditions such as for mood disorders and anxiety disorders. So, the next time you want to call a pessimist "negative" (which is just another way to shame people who do not feel like their life is all sunshine and rainbows), think about how you would feel if someone started to tell you that your life "cannot be so bad" while you're slowly emotionally breaking inside. It is extremely disrespectful, ableist and sanistic to make these kinds of assumptions; especially when you know that the person has one or more mental health conditions like the ones mentioned above. Living with such conditions can be upsetting and difficult to handle for the person who has them.

Realists and optimistic people alike need to stop making it be all about them. If a pessimist has their entire day/week/month ruined, then they probably won't tell you anyway because they've learned that, if they say anything about THEIR feelings and thoughts, that they'll get told insensitive platitudes like "you need to be more realistic and to stop seeing the world in black and white" and "life is great, you just haven't tried/hoped enough". This constant and blatant lack of empathy and complete disregard for their perspective is yet another way to make people become pessimists.