Have you ever noticed that accusations of hypocrisy are almost always levelled by those desiring to loosen rather than to tighten standards of behaviour? If all standards were suddenly to evaporate, it would save accusers the trouble of identifying people as hypocrites because there would be no norms to hold them to. Of course it would also deprive them of the pleasure of assuming a position of moral superiority while likely changing many people’s behaviour for the worse. This suggests that, one way or another, too quickly charging others with being hypocrites carries a certain long-term risk for the accuser as well as for the larger society.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011, 3:40 PM
April 6th, 2011 | 4:51 pm | #1
How about the death of shame and how that’s impacted individuals, culture, and society.
April 6th, 2011 | 8:57 pm | #2
Often people accuse others of being hypocrites because they feel that the accused are not perfect so how dare they hold a moral standard. However, the accused knows they are not perfect but recognizes the truth that there are indeed standards that we must strive to attain to regardless of our imperfections. It is because of our imperfections that we ought to strive for higher standards lest we entirely erode to complete vagabonds.
April 6th, 2011 | 10:01 pm | #3
Yes, this is so true. How often, when “hypocrisy” is discovered, do we tell the guilty party to make their words conform to their behaviour rather than to make their behaviour conform to their words! It’s almost as if simply telling the truth about what we do automatically dignifies it in some way and gives us a licence to continue engaging in the same conduct – and with boldness, too.
April 6th, 2011 | 11:51 pm | #4
Interesting, David. I’ve always been a bit of a fan of hypocrisy, the tribute vice pays to virtue. As I say here, in a piece on hypocrisy, inconsisency and exceptions (and Conrad Black), a society is better off when its cads are Dr Johnsons rather than Hugh Hefners.
http://importantstudies.blogspot.com/2011/03/when-it-comes-to-moral-systems.html
April 16th, 2011 | 12:19 pm | #5
The problem is not hypocrisy as such. We all fail to live up to our own standards. The issue is that the rhetoric of those who often get caught with their pants down (sometimes literally) are so vicious and hateful in their condemnation of others.
No one says anything when someone like Mother Teresa, for example, states that sex outside of marriage is a sin. It’s a standard she has, that’s all. She was also humble and recognized her own weaknesses.
On the flip side you have someone like Pastor Grant Storms who used to protest public gay events with a bullhorn, loudly condemning and denouncing everyone within earshot. Unfortunately, he was arrested this last year for masturbating in public near a children’s playground.
How should we react, exactly? Well, at least he said the right things?
From experience, the people who are the loudest in their denunciations of others are simply looking to deflect attention and hide from their own failures as they see it.
There’s truth to the phrase “As one sows, so one reaps.” React to the world in blind hatred if you must, but don’t act surprised when it reacts in kind.
Links
Blogs
Find Us
Contact