As much as I try to keep myself in the middle of the sentiment scale, I know that I often tend to tip towards optimism. Which is sort of like a McCarthy-era U.S. politician declaring himself a Communist sympathizer.

In the investing world -- particularly recently -- pessimists seem to be viewed as savvy, sober, and laudably incredulous. Optimists, on the other hand, are starry-eyed and gullible, willing to believe any half-cocked story that a management team or the government cooks up, just so their lollipops-and-unicorns worldview doesn't get punctured.

Of course there are no bonus points for being a pessimist and being proved right -- or vice versa. The only points are for being right, period.

Below, I've taken seven key numbers from seven of last week's major earnings releases, to see whether we can cut through the noise and figure out whether earnings season has started with a bang or a whimper.

1. General Electric: -4%
During the second quarter, GE (NYSE: GE) saw its total revenue drop 4% versus the second quarter of 2009.

Optimist: The bottom line is the bottom line, and GE's net earnings clocked in at $3.1 billion -- 16% above 2009. That $3.1 billion also translated into $0.30 in earnings per share, which was easily better than the $0.27 that analysts were expecting.

Pessimist: Cost-cutting can only get you so far, and a chunk of the profit gains came from the sickly GE Capital arm -- a business line that the company is working to downsize. Worse, much of the top-line weakness came from economically important business lines such as Energy and Technology Infrastructure.

Advantage: Pessimist.

2. JPMorgan Chase: $6.3 billion
During the second quarter JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) reported $3.4 billion in credit loss provisions across all of its business lines -- a total that was a cool $6.3 billion below its provisions for the second quarter of last year.

Optimist: The bank has obviously seen credit trends moving in the right direction, and it's adjusted provisions accordingly. This is great news, since it suggests that banks could be putting huge credit write-offs behind them, ready once again to make solidly underwritten loans.

Pessimist: This is largely a forward-looking guess about how loans will perform. It could be nothing more than wishful thinking. The magnitude of the change also marginalizes JPMorgan's $4.8 billion in total earnings.

Advantage: None.

3. Bank of America: -$1.5 billion
During the second quarter, Bank of America's (NYSE: BAC) Home Loans and Insurance division lost $1.5 billion.

Optimist: Provisions for credit losses declined both sequentially and year over year.

Pessimist: Despite the decline, provisions still came in at $2.4 billion, against $2.8 billion in net revenue for the segment. The housing market is still an ugly, gnarly mess, and it won't get better quickly.

Advantage: Pessimist.

4. Intel: 183%
Intel's (Nasdaq: INTC) second-quarter earnings per share were up 183% from the second quarter of 2009.

Optimist: Not only did Intel notch a huge year-over-year jump, but its $0.51 in earnings per share trounced Wall Street's $0.43 guess. Total revenue was $10.8 billion, up 34% year-over-year. Overall, it was the best quarter in the company's history.

Pessimist: I've got nothing.

Advantage: Optimist.

5. Citigroup: -26%
Though Citigroup's (NYSE: C) second-quarter earnings beat expectations, revenue in its Securities and Banking Division fell 26% sequentially.

Optimist: At least it's profitable.

Pessimist: The large banks -- Citi in particular -- still aren't on firm footing. Thanks in large part to accommodative Fed policies, fixed-income trading has helped the big banks offset grisly numbers in other divisions. Are the banks ready to shed this crutch? I'm not so sure.

Advantage: Pessimist.

6. CSX Corp: 1.6 million
Rail-operator CSX Corp (NYSE: CSX) transported 1.6 million units of goods during the second quarter, an increase of 13% over the prior year.

Optimist: For a while, rail companies had been balancing declining volumes with rising per-unit price increases. The return of volume growth portends good things not only for CSX, but for the broader economy.

Pessimist: Let's not get too excited about one quarter. Can it keep up the momentum?

Advantage: Optimist.

7. Google: -1.1%
Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) reported second-quarter earnings of $6.45 per share, 1.1% below analysts' expectations.

Optimist: This is where investors miss the forest for the trees. Forget Wall Street's quarterly dance. We're talking here about a $150 billion company that managed to grow revenue and operating earnings 24% and 27%, respectively, in a tough economy.

Pessimist: Google carries a premium valuation, so it had better deliver premium results. This clearly shows there are cracks in the Big G's growth story.

Advantage: Optimist.

Who wins?
If you've been keeping track as we went along, you should have a final score of three to three, with one tie. I think there isn't a clear winner in the optimism-pessimism tug-of-war right now. We're looking out over an economic landscape that gives us reason to be both concerned and hopeful.

Of course, I did start all of this by admitting my dirty secret of optimism, and I am still optimistic today. However, rather than being broadly optimistic, I'm optimistic that there are particular stocks out there -- like Intel and maybe even Google -- that are good investments right now.

Do you have a different read on what we've seen from earnings season so far? Head down to the comments section and share your thoughts.

If you enjoy the optimism-pessimism tug-of-war, be sure to check out these six tantalizing battleground stocks.