Oddly, Hypocrisy Rooted in High Morals
People with a sense of moral superiority tend to be douchebags
Morally upstanding people are the do-gooders of society, right? Actually, a new study finds that a sense of moral superiority can lead to unethical acts, such as cheating. In fact, some of the best do-gooders can become the worst cheats. Stop us if this sounds familiar…. But often in life, the line between right and wrong becomes blurry, particularly when it comes to cheating on a test or in the workplace. For example, somebody could rationalize cheating on a test as a way of achieving their dream of becoming a doctor and helping people. In the new study, detailed in the November issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology, researchers find that when this line between right and wrong is ambiguous among people who think of themselves as having high moral standards, the do-gooders can become the worst of cheaters.
News flash: holier-than-thou types convinced of their own moral superiority tend to be major asshats. I know; what a shock, eh? Part of me would like to be able to recognize that most folks who profess and lives high moral, ethical, and ideological standards do so for the right reason. The problem, though, is that a few intolerant hypocrites muddy the water for everyone. William Donohue makes it easier for reasonable people to ridicule Catholics. James Dobson does the same thing for Evangelical Christians. Tom DeLay and Sam Brownback do it for Republicans. It’s a long and not particularly distinguished list, but what they all have in common is the absolute certainty of their own moral rectitude and superiority, as well as an abiding intolerance for those who disagree and think differently than they do. I know…if it sounds like the attendance list from an Asshats Anonymous meeting, well, it’s because that’s basically what it is
I suppose I should be thankful, because these intolerant troglodytes so often provide TPRS it’s raison d’etre. Jeebus, talk about easy targets….
The results recall the seeming disconnect between the words and actions of folks like televangelist and fraud convict Jim Bakker or admitted meth-buyer Ted Haggard, former president of the National Evangelical Association, an umbrella group representing some 45,000 churches.
“The principle we uncovered is that when faced with a moral decision, those with a strong moral identity choose their fate (for good or for bad) and then the moral identity drives them to pursue that fate to the extreme,” said researcher Scott Reynolds of the University of Washington Business School in Seattle. “So it makes sense that this principle would help explain what makes the greatest of saints and the foulest of hypocrites.”
Why cheat? Why not?
Why would a person who thinks of himself as honest cheat? The researchers suggest an “ethical person” could view cheating as an OK thing to do, justifying the act as a means to a moral end.
I suppose when you inhabit the moral and ethical landscape that these trolls do, holding others to a higher standard than you do yourself presents no problem- if you’re even aware that this is what you’re doing. Hypocrisy and a pronounced lack of self-awareness seem to go hand in hand for this personality type. Judging and condemning others is no problem- indeed, they may feel it their right- but they seem to possess a pronounced inability to recognize their own hypocrisy and moral double standard.
The sad thing is that this sort of hypocrisy is almost not even newsworthy anymore. I’ve become something close to numb to hypocrisy of this nature, simply because it’s such and ingrained part of the social and moral landscape these days. One thing that has changed for me is that I’ve learned to appreciate this sort of hypocrisy for it’s entertainment value. It’s not as if hypocrites and double standards are going to disappear any time soon, so I figure that I might as well get comfortable and enjoy the ride.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must complete the preparations for William Donohue Appreciation Week. If you can’t beat ‘em, and you don’t particularly want to join ‘em, you might as well have some fun with ‘em….
