Define Hypocrisy
Hypocrisy is defined as the practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess. In a world with increasingly disparate ideas, one must be more vigilant than ever to ensure that they do not circumvent the line of hypocrisy and genuineness. Can one be against the liberation of an oppressed, dictatorship country in the Middle East while advocating the alleviation of suffering in Africa? Can one be a proponent of human rights while supporting abortion? If I had a nickel for every time I heard somebody complain about Republican polices leading to global warming and then see said person hop in their vehicle and drive a mile away, I would be able to buy a plethora of gum balls. To have an opinion and be able to express it freely is a tremendous virtue that the people of this great country have a right to. A majority of the six billion people on this planet do not have such a right, let alone many others that we take for granted. Is it too much to ask somebody to have an opinion, but also to practice it in real life?
posted by HeadBangin' | 10:24 AM
1 Comments:
Few things arouse as much resentment as recognizing hypocrisy in others. Philosophically speaking, however, I would imagine that nearly everyone is a hypocrite on some level - after all, if Socrates and Freud are to be believed, we are all pursuing what we believe to be pleasurable and good to us, and we pursue it because we don't yet have it; so, if we voice our desire for what we are not yet, does that mean hypocrisy?
Of course, I don't think so. :) The hypocrisy we are talking about is the hypocrisy of Al Gore using private jets (that still used leaded fuel), John Edwards circumventing his Medicare taxes, or Oprah blaming the government for not bailing out New Orleans homeless while she resides alone in her multi-million-dollar home.
There is no shortage of pundits exposing hypocrisy on all sides of the aisle of public affairs. What remains is for people to pause and take these exposures seriously. I think the problem is that people identify too closely with public figures and idealize them, to the point that the very charge of "hypocrisy" creates a sense of need to rally around the figure in defense. People should rally around the truth, not the people trying to spread their version of it.
Ugh, I hate using the word "rally." It just conjures up the image of a bunch of whiners asking for handouts. :)
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