People are people

[George Hawrysch]

[ Olga Meerson: ]
> Both expressions are misanthropic: keep your expectations low.

Communicating disdain or cynicism is one possible *use* of them, but
no disparagement of humanity is inherent. Your own example of люди как
люди conveys a positive assessment of humans in implying that they are
not expected to behave like animals -- the conjunction would have been
"и" if it were intended as a denigration.

By contrast, saying something like this: "люди как люди -- ведут себя
по-зверски" would indeed express misanthropy. So these expressions are
used to affirm the speaker's opinion of humankind either way, not just
to assert a negative one.

George Hawrysch

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