Simon Critchely, author of “The Book of Dead Philosophers”, wrote in the NY Times on 4/2/2009 that “perhaps this recession will make cynics of us all.” He explains this logic by stating that “cynicism is a moral protest against hypocrisy and cant in politics and excess and thoughtless self-indulgence in the conduct of life.”
The article entitled “Cynicism We Can Believe In” can be read in its entirety at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/opinion/01critchley.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=SimonCritchley&st=cse