richardhutnik on 04 September 2012
| HappySqurriel said: I would argue that the more strictly partisan a person is the more likely they're to be a hypocrite; and sometimes being called out for your hypocrisy is necessary. As an example there are many high profile "environmentalists" who live lifestyles of waste and excess which begs the question as to whether they're hypocrites or if they simply see the environmental movement as a way to make money. Calling these people out for having a carbon footprint the size of a small country while they claim that CO2 is destroying the environment is something that everyone should do; much like a preacher who has sex with men while demonizing homosexuality should be called out by everyone. |
When you call someone on hypocrisy, you are calling them on them falling short of their own moral code they profess. One can also call someone out on the behavior as being wrong, without naming hypocrisy as the charge, by just calling out the behavior itself and saying it wrong. Charges of hypocrisy are usually thrown at people over behavior the charger of hypocrisy find favorable, while the person charged of hypocrisy confesses to oppose. The two examples of this you mention, are examples. In the heart of the accuser is a belief that the behavior is IMPOSSIBLE to uphold (not being homosexual, not having a large carbon footprint) so the charge of hypocrisy is a way to undermine the value of the person holding it.
