Curmudgeons

So I've been trying to put together a podcast of our Thursday lunches, and the first thing we need is a name. Dennis likes "curmudgeon". I like it also, but I am afraid it may be getting over publicized. So Dennis goes exploring to see just how widely it is being used. His report:

‘Curmudgeon’ has potential, with the right qualifier. Can we aspire to such high standards?

‘Curmudgeons corner’ may be taken see: http://curmudgeons.blogspot.com/

There are a few other web sites with curmudgeon in the name. my favorite (name only) is

The ‘inchoate curmudgeon’ at http://blog.louspringer.com/


ker MUJ en) noun A cantankerous person; an ill-tempered and disagreeable person.

curmudgeon n. An ill-tempered person full of resentment and stubborn notions. [ Origin unknown.] from http://theconstructivecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2005/10/definition-for-curmudgeonhood.html

Cur-mud-geon [origin unknown]
1. archaic: a crusty, ill-tempered, churlish old man.
2. modern: anyone who hates hypocrisy and pretense and has the temerity to say so; anyone with the habit of pointing out unpleasant facts in an engaging and humorous manner.

Taken from Jon Winokur, The Portable Curmudgeon (New York: NAL Books, 1987).

Comment: (1) should be avoided; (2) should be embraced by those who can withstand it.

From http://www.concentric.net/~marlowe/curdef.shtml
A curmudgeon's reputation for malevolence is undeserved. They're neither warped nor evil at heart. They don't hate mankind, just mankind's absurdities. They're just as sensitive and soft-hearted as the next guy, but they hide their vulnerability beneath a crust of misanthropy. They ease the pain by turning hurt into humor. . . . . . They attack maudlinism because it devalues genuine sentiment. . . . . . Nature, having failed to equip them with a servicable denial mechanism, has endowed them with astute perception and sly wit.
Curmudgeons are mockers and debunkers whose bitterness is a symptom rather than a disease. They can't compromise their standards and can't manage the suspension of disbelief necessary for feigned cheerfulness. Their awareness is a curse.
Perhaps curmudgeons have gotten a bad rap in the same way that the messenger is blamed for the message: They have the temerity to comment on the human condition without apology. They not only refuse to applaud mediocrity, they howl it down with morose glee. Their versions of the truth unsettle us, and we hold it against them, even though they soften it with humor.