Optimistic, Pessimistic, or Realistic?

[Al Gorefiend]

Pessimistic. If you don't fight the flow, the flow will drown you. Optimists rely on kidding to themselves and covering their eyes.

[Slant]

Those three don't even go together..
Realists can come to different conclusions. Positive or negative. Optimistic or pessimistic. often a mix of it.
The opposite of realist is a dreamer, or idealist.

A pessimist is what an optimist calls a realist. And vice versa.

[May90]

Pessimistic. If you don't fight the flow, the flow will drown you. Optimists rely on kidding to themselves and covering their eyes.

That's... not even remotely what being an optimist means.

[Revi]

Greatly depends on the topic. I like to believe I'm a realist at least, which is why I'm not consistently one or the other - but most consider me an optimist.

[Al Gorefiend]

That's... not even remotely what being an optimist means.

Optimistics look forward to the positives, glass half full kind of people yeah?

[Deleted]

Realist by me and my friends, deranged xenophobic lunatic by anyone from the left

[mvaliz]

Pessimists always call themselves "realists" in order to falsely justify their cynical views... Mostly to themselves.

[May90]

Optimistics look forward to the positives, glass half full kind of people yeah?

Optimist starts a working day telling themselves, "This day is going to be awesome and productive!"
'Realist' (what people mean by it) starts a working day telling themselves, "Well, I don't know how it is going to go. We shall see".
Pessimist starts a working day telling themselves, "This day is going to be awful boring and a waste of time".

It is about the attitude, not the perception of reality. No one is covering their eyes, people just expect different things in their life.

[Kathandira]

Do you not see an opportunist also being in the same category as a realist; rather than saying those two are completely different or opposites?

hmm. interesting. I guess they can be paired up.

[Nanaboostme]

Optimistics look forward to the positives, glass half full kind of people yeah?

I agree with your initial comment to that reply. Optimism you can say, relies more on faith than hope.
I have faith that I will become president vs I hope I become president.

[May90]

I agree with your initial comment to that reply. Optimism you can say, relies more on faith than hope.
I have faith that I will become president vs I hope I become president.

I'd say it is more about what you focus on. Suppose, you have a job interview, and you can't predict the result. If you are an optimist, you will think something like, "I will do my best and try to hit the job. If I don't, it's okay, I have a lot of options left". As a pessimist, you would instead think, "Oh, this interview is so important and scary... I might fail, and that would be horrible. I will still try to succeed, but, welp."