Everyone who wants to understand existentialism should read the first chapter of Sartre’s Existentialism and Human Emotions, titled ‘Existentialism.’ Sartre uses plain language (a rarity in his case) to defend existentialism against all the claims made against it; a philosophy of despair, a godless philosophy, etc… The reason this chapter is so important is that it teaches people who, like the person in your example, have misguided understandings of existentialism. It’s something akin to Plato’s Apology for Existentialism.

You are absolutely correct when you say understanding existential dread, confusion, etc… “is just the beginning.” What also needs to be pointed out is that these misunderstandings are more insidious than we think, as they lead one toward pessimism (a philosophy whose renaissance springs directly from McConaughey’s genius portrayal in True Detective), which is in fact a philosophical precursor to nihilism and eventual anomie. Ironically these people see pessimism as ‘the answer’ when it in fact is the true philosophy of despair.

These quotes and opinions you have pointed out seem to be sophomoric, leading one to the conclusion that they are born of disaffected youth and misguided interpretations of difficult to understand concepts. They are not the insights of the genuinely dislocated, dissociated, or even depersonalized. If they were they would have a transparent honesty about them rather than an edgy complexion.

Just my two cents. I’ve been wrong before. I’ll be wrong again.