4 Ways You Are Being a Hypocrite

Most people like to think of themselves as honest people. Their words and actions line up. They speak truthfully and accurately. No one likes to think of themselves as a hypocrite. Unfortunately, most people have at least a few hypocritical behaviours. They have parts of their personalities where their words and actions do not line up. For most people, these issues are relatively minor. Perhaps they get annoyed when other people interrupt them, but they have a tendency to interrupt people themselves. 

Fortunately, most hypocritical behaviours are not serious problems. They are annoying for those that witness their friends, co-workers or acquaintances being duplicitous, but most hypocritical behaviours do little harm in the long run. That said, no one wants to continue being a phony if they can avoid it. They want to practice what they preach whenever possible. Before one can stop being a hypocrite, though, they need to be able to recognize when they are being hypocritical. Here are four ways you are being a hypocrite.

Pirating Music or Movies

If you ask just about anyone on the planet if they think thievery is acceptable, they will say it is not. You might hear a few exceptions, such as in the event that someone is starving to death, and they steal food, but most people will say that stealing is wrong. Sadly, people’s words line up with their actions less and less on this. 

Go up to almost any computer savvy person and ask them how many songs they have on their phone. The number will probably be very large. Then, ask them how much it cost to buy all that music. The answer will likely be that they did not buy it all. They pirated much of it. Essentially, they stole it.

If you say that stealing is wrong but then go pirate movies or music, you are being a hypocrite. Either admit that you find thievery acceptable when it is more convenient for you, or stop pirating things off the internet.

Hashtag Activism

Social media is filled with people advocating for various causes. Almost each of these causes has a catchy, clever hashtag to go with it. Some of these causes, such as the #MeToo movement, end up simply being known by the associated hashtag. 

Social media is a useful tool when it comes to spreading the word about a cause and getting people interested in a movement. Too often, however, people confuse posting about a problem with actually fixing it. If you think that it is terrible that some meat products come from animals who are treated cruelly, you need to do more than wail about it on social media or post disturbing pictures of the animals with clever hashtags. You need to actually address the problem. Buy the meat that comes from animals raised in good conditions even when it is noticeably more expensive. Stop supporting restaurant chains that do not carefully vet their suppliers. Most people, however, are not willing to go that far. They would rather share clever hashtags and let the problem continue than spend a little extra money or skip out on their morning latte.

Road Rage

Driving is a sure fire way to end up with someone annoyed. It may be you, or it may be another driver on the road. Someone, however, is always unhappy with someone else on the road. Ironically enough, many people seem to practice the same driving habits that drive them crazy when others do them. As such, it is a common place for hypocrisy to show through. 

When you are behind the wheel, what drives you nuts? Is it the guy who did not put on his turn signal? Is it the woman who practically sat on your bumper? Is it the family that drove so slowly in the passing lane? Think about that, and now consider what you do when you drive. Do you drive slowly in the passing lane because you do not know where precisely your left turn is and you do not want to miss it? Do you text at red lights and not realize the light has changed until someone honks? If you find yourself doing the same things you hate to see others do, you need to either calm down when they do it or change your own behaviour. 

Accidental Insults

Everyone sticks their foot in their mouth at some point in their lives. They try and say two different things, and a twisted, embarrassing combination of the two comes out of their mouth. They ask someone a question that unwittingly brings up bad memories. They do something as simple as compliment a person’s new haircut when the other person hates it. There is no way to avoid accidentally sticking your foot in your mouth. What you can control, though, is how you handle it when others are the ones chewing on their own feet. Do you get offended and lash out at the person who made a mistake, or do you laugh it off? Do you see other people as being too sensitive when you mess up but jump down the throat of those who accidentally insult you? When someone says something insulting out of ignorance, do you calmly explain the problem so they will not do it again, or do you scream and yell? Everyone makes mistakes, and no one ever learned anything they were not taught, so think carefully about your reactions to an accidental offense.

Everyone has a few hypocritical behaviors. For the most part, they are relatively harmless, but that is no reason to keep those poor habits. Instead, take a long look at which is closer to how you really feel, your words or your actions. Then, correct the one that is false so that your words and actions line up. If you are someone who has actions that are more true but do not want to put words to them, that is your first clue that something is wrong. You do not so much need to correct hypocritical behavior as much as correct bad behavior. After all, if you cannot admit to your actions, they are not things you should be doing.

Beliefnet.com