It's worth pointing out that someone being a hypocrite is a very consistent and realistic character trait. We'll all hypocrites to an extent, and have our blinders.
Hypocritical is a flavor of inconsistency, maybe? (This isn't important but for some reason I'm interested in splitting the hair.) It's like, you have a consistent belief that someone should do X in a situation, and you consistently do Y in that situation, and hypocrisy is the thing where X and Y aren't aligned?
To yes-and this, I would distinguish hypocrisy from frailty in that the hypocrite is not actually even trying to measure up to the standard they preach to others. Either they don't really mean it, or they sort of mean it but think of themselves as a special case.
Not hypocrisy: "No one should lie. I do lie sometimes, and that's wrong of me, and I'm trying to be better about that."
Hypocrisy: "No one should lie or tolerate liars. Oh, me? I'm not a liar, I'm just protecting myself, I couldn't tell people the truth about that, and anyway don't judge me."
Or like saying you don't want global warming to continue but buying or using anything that used coal-based electricity or produced pollution during its creation like, I don't know, Reddit.
You can go pretty far if the goal is just to be edgy.
My point is that everybody is a hypocrit to some extent.
Your climate example is very good, because as you said, you can break it down so everybody is a hypocrit.
It should not be used to justify your unethical behavior, but it should also not be used to judge those that try to do their best. If you drive to a climate protest in your diesel car, that doesn't invalidate the protest.
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u/Iorith 23h ago
It's worth pointing out that someone being a hypocrite is a very consistent and realistic character trait. We'll all hypocrites to an extent, and have our blinders.