From Cory Doctorow:

"Let me say, “to hell with optimism and pessimism.” Optimism and pessimism are just fatalism in respectable suits.

Optimism is the belief that things will get better, no matter what we do.

Pessimism is the belief that things will get worse, no matter what we do.

Both deny human agency, that we can intervene to change things.

The belief that nothing will change — that nothing can change — is the wrecker’s most powerful weapon. After all, if you can convince people that nothing can be done, they won’t try to do anything."

https://medium.com/@doctorow/there-is-always-an-alternative-e55fd414d1fd