The Blog: Cogito Ergo Blogo
Hypocrisy
06 July, 2012, 09:06 am
Posted by JP
This week’s episode is about Hypocrisy. There’s certainly a lot of hypocrisy around, especially in politics. But how bad is it? Is it a simply necessary evil for an effective politician? Or is it really one of the worst kinds of vices?
I suppose we ought to start by trying to get clear on what exactly hypocrisy is. The word ‘hypocrisy’ comes from a Greek word meaning “playing a theatrical role”. So, we might start with:
A hypocrite is someone who pretends to be something he's not.
That definition probably fits a lot of cases, but I don’t think it's quite right. Consider a courageous abolitionist before the Civil War who travels into the South, where he pretends to be a good ol' boy in order to get slaves so he can smuggle them up north. He pretends to be something he isn't; but would you call such a hero a hypocrite? It depends on what his motives are, and whether he believes he ought to have the values he just pretends to have. Our courageous abolitionist surely doesn’t never think he ought to adopt the values of the slaveowners, so he’s not a hypocrite. So here’s a second try.
A hypocrite is someone who pretends to be something he's not, and knows he’s not, but thinks he ought to be.
But now imagine another character, a guy who volunteers at a soup kitchen. His motive isn’t feeding the poor; he doesn’t care about the poor. Moreover, he doesn’t even think he ought to care about the poor; he thinks such traits are weak and unworthy. He volunteers in order to meet vulnerable women whom he can take advantage of. Like our courageous abolitionist, he doesn't believe in the values he pretends to have, in this case feeding the poor. If we think this fellow is a hypocrite, we need a new definition. Perhaps we should merely say this fellow is a cad. A cad and a hypocrite both act on bad motives, while pretending to have good motives. But the cad doesn’t even realize that the motives he pretends to have are better than the ones he actually has.
So let’s turn to the question of whether, if hypocrisy is in some situations a bad trait, just how bad is it? In some situations is the hypocritical thing to do the right thing to do? In particular, is this often the case politics?
Consider two politicians who both pretend to worry about the plight of the poor in order to win votes. One of them thinks it would be silly -- immoral even -- to worry about the poor. According to our definition, this politician is a liar and a cad, but he’s not a hypocrite. The other one doesn’t care much about the poor either, but let’s say he thinks he'd be a better person if he did. So he is a hypocrite -- but I'd prefer him to the first because at least there’s some chance that the feelings he pretends to have will eventually take hold.
One might suppose the word ‘hypocrite’ isn’t quite right for the second fellow. It sounds like he just suffers from weakness of will. He thinks he ought to care about the plight of the poor, and he even pays lip service to the cause, but he’s too weak or selfish to actually do anything about it.
But here’s the crucial difference -- his lip service to the cause is precisely what makes him a hypocrite. If it were merely weakness of will, he could admit that he ought to be doing more to help the poor than he actually does. But instead, he pretends to be doing something about it, when really he knows he’s not. So he is a hypocrite, and like most hypocrites, weak-willed.
Is hypocrisy a good thing in a politician? Well, perhaps we ought to agree that being a hypocrite of this sort is better than being a cad and a liar. Faint praise, to be sure. But is there any way to avoid it in the world of politics? Success in politics require getting more votes than one’s opponent. Won’t a hypocrite always have an edge in this endeavor?
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Comments
I read your post carefully, trying to absorb all that was being proposed. Then, encountering the final paragraph, I almost choked on my Port Republic Lager. You see, to me, a "cad", "liar" and "hypocrite" are all the same. I suppose, in our situationally ethical world, DEGREE matters---in some personally defined, situational way. And there is the 'rub', as they say. There are either lies. Or there are not. We either care. Or we don't. History appears to show that we do not care. That it does not matter. I must have missed something? Did anyone else?
My best regards to Mirugai---if you are still out there.
Neuman.
Regarding Jefferson's slavery hypocrisy I have this thought:
Jefferson lived during a time when many of the wealthy or affluent American's owning vast estates were built and maintained with the labors of human slavery. Jefferson believed in the equity of all human beings no matter the color of skin but was caught in the hypocrisy of knowing right and doing wrong; caught between believing in the inalienable right of equality and the inequitable livelihood of not only himself but his family and nation at the time.
Jefferson lived at a time when the question of slavery was being contested to the degree of civil war and found himself on the turning point that led us not only to our national independence but also the abolition of slavery.
Jefferson led the way to freedom while living in the most inequitable times of our past.
I would not call Mr. Jefferson a hypocrite but rather a champion of freedom, a true hero to us all.
Imagine that an American would have to defend him at all,
=
Hypocrites are 10 for 12, or, a dime a dozen. We have come to accept liars as business-as-usual...apparently, because there is no other MO with which we are comfortable. This did not, I suspect, happen over night, rather, it has insidiously worked its way into our collective consciousness. Popular culture, and such like. Nothing is ever as complicated as is seems. Nor as simple. Historionic effect---or something like that.
Upon some reflection, I must offer the following assesssment. Hypocrisy is meaningless in this twenty-first century world. Why? Well, because, 1) It has become a universal approach to most anything, from political chicanery to religious dogmatism. 2) Those (many, now) who cannot get their own way by truth-saying, will do anything it takes to gain their edge (see also: #1), above.) 3) There are no unremitting penalties for being a hypocrite (or for being a pathological liar, for that matter.) All one need do is watch the popular television series that thrive on deceipt and sensationalism. Is this the descent of man? It certainly seems to be. I guess my worldview is out-dated. OK, then. I'm good with that.
"Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes"? Walt Whitman
I think we generally regard it as "do as I say, not as I do."
Hypocrisy is a light bulb that goes of when we reach about 16 or 17. We use it as a defensive reflex; "You're such a hypocrite!" "You used to smoke!" "You swear/curse all the time!"
Some of our best examples come from American literature. We have the Scarlet Letter and the Crucible, both of which deal heavily in Puritanism.
I have seen no comments on this post so far. Is there some problem? Just asking...
As has been said many times, "Hello Neuman." Thank you for your regards. I have been following the blog, but have been traveling and have put my philosophy writings aside for a bit. Here is a piece I did on making the martini. When you are frustrated by hypocracy, and seek some solace, a good martini can work wonders. Regards to you, and the regulars.
THE MARTINI
“The simplest drinks are the hardest to make … well.” Mirugai
“The ice makes the cocktail.” Chalik
When we say “martini” we mean a cocktail served up, in a martini glass (not a giant one), with the ingredients gin, dry vermouth, and perhaps a marinated olive. Such a drink made with vodka is NOT a martini; you might call it a “vodka martini,” but it is not a “martini.”
GIN
Gin is to be 80-90 proof, no more; the 100 and higher proof gins (such as Bombay Sapphire) are too hot, and they make the botanicals too harsh tasting. There are as many flavors of gin as there are herbs and botanicals to blend and infuse in the alcohol. Juniper berries are most often cited as an essential element; taste one sometime and see if you like that flavor; alone, I don’t, but quieted in a blend, it is OK. I don’t like lemon verbena either (again, harsh and acidic); you probably do, so those with l.v. are probably more to your taste than mine.
For the cocktail “gin and tonic” (with lime), the gin should have an herb and floral profile very different from a gin used in a martini, which has a much less complex goal.
So for martinis I prefer the less complex, less floral, less herby gins. Boodle’s is my favorite martini gin; Gordon’s is much cheaper and is my second favorite. Beefeater is fine, too.
Keep your martini gin in the freezer, and don’t let it sit out for any period of time.
So, you have to taste a number of freezer gins to find the one you like best, keeping in mind that it should be rather neutral (comparatively speaking) because the vermouth will contribute herby, winey, floral overtones.
DRY VERMOUTH
Dry vermouth is a fortified white wine, aged with various herbs and flowers. You have to taste a number of them to find the flavor profile with which to complement the gin. Right now, I like one from Cinzano, called Extra Dry. Others are Noilly-Pratt, Martini, and Vya, Gallo, Lejon. But whatever d.v. you select, remember to never let it out of the refrigerator after it is opened. Just about every martini you drink, at a bar, restaurant or at someone’s home, tastes like shit because the d.v. they are using is 1. years old, and 2. kept in some warm cupboard where it goes bad in a few days. What do you think an open bottle of white wine (with added herbs) will taste like after a year at 75 degrees? Shit – it will taste like shit! This terrible flavor kills all the good intentions of your beautiful gin.
There is a lot of controversy and bullshit about how you want to use so little d.v. – some say to use an eye-dropper for one drop, or just put a drop in the glass, swirl it, and throw it out. My feeling is that good d.v. can really complement and add to the profile of the gin, and the key is to find just how much to use by tasting various ratios and seeing what you like best. I use a little squirt with my thumb over the bottle top. But don’t be afraid to blend it to your personal taste as to the amount you use; when you make one at home, where you are assured you have good stuff, to your taste, you can use more; when you are out, given the poor quality of most d.v., a drier (i.e., one with less d.v.) drink might be more successful. Always tell your host you want your drink “ice cold,” to blunt the off tastes of crappy d.v.
OLIVE
The olive adds a hint of pickle juice, and if it is a good, fresh one (again, not one that has been in the jar for six months, in or out of the refer), it continues to pickle in the cocktail, and the little bite complements the drink.
They cannot technically be called a martini, but I often will substitute for the olive, a small pickled onion, or a tiny, tiny sliver of lemon peel.
THE GLASS
A martini glass – and not one of those oversized ones; the drink is rather small so it can stay chilled while being drunk; the big glasses let the cocktail get warm, and that kills it.
Always have two martini glasses on hand in the freezer. And if guests will be drinking martinis that evening, have two glasses per person in the freezer in advance. When one martini is finished, wash the glass and put it in the freezer; a second drink is made with the second glass from the freezer.
ICE
Cracked ice is best; old ice that has picked up the smells of the refrigerator destroy the cocktail’s hopes. If you have an icemaker in your fridge, or if you make your own cubes, remake your ice supply every week. If you don’t believe me, just taste the ice you have in your freezer right now. Do it! See?
MAKING THE DRINK
Put in a cocktail shaker: 1 ½ oz (a jigger) of gin from the freezer; a squirt of d.v. from the bottle in the fridge; half fill with ice. Cap the shaker. Shake violently for 10-12 seconds.
Take the glass out of the freezer and pour the cocktail through the shaker strainer into it. Ice shards are just fine; they add the tiny bit of water and the cool that smooths everything out. Put the shaker with its ice back in the freezer.
Plop in the olive, or skewer it with a toothpick into the glass.
Try to let as little of your hand come in contact with the glass as possible, to keep it chilled. Drink it before it warms up. You can refresh a slightly warmed drink by, first, straining all the water out of the shaker (with ice left in it), and reshake the drink for 6 seconds.