# What is so bad about hypocrisy? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 29, 2000, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-hypocrisy/24014 "2000-06-29T14:18:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Drew\_Blade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/958977/32.png) [@Drew\_Blade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drew_Blade)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2000, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-hypocrisy/24014/1 "2000-06-29T14:18:14Z")
Nobody likes hypocrites, but what makes them so bad? Person A is a bank robber. Robbing banks is generally considered BAD. Person B spends much of his life convincing people that robbing banks is bad. What person B does is generally considered GOOD. Person C robs banks by day, but spends his nights and weekends convincing others that robbing banks is bad. Person C is a hypocrite, and I think most people would consider him to be worse than person A. But why? Robbing banks is bad, convincing people not to rob banks is good, so C is squarely between A and B on the moral scale. I don’t know if there is enough here to debate, so I am asking for your humble opinions. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2000, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-hypocrisy/24014/2 "2000-06-29T14:39:42Z")
Go to the library and get a copy of Charles Dickens’ novel MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT. Read it. You will make the acquaintance of a character named Mr. Seth Pecksniff. The mystery of why hypocrites are considered assholes will suddenly become as clear as glass to you. ---
**Author:** ![Drew\_Blade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/958977/32.png) [@Drew\_Blade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drew_Blade)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2000, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-hypocrisy/24014/3 "2000-06-29T14:52:11Z")
Seth Pecksniff sounds like a winner already. I will look for MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT. Thanks for the suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2000, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-hypocrisy/24014/4 "2000-06-29T18:13:56Z")
There’s a coupla forms of hypocrisy, as I see it. They bug me for slightly different reasons. (1) Does one thing, says another, knows it’s inconsistent but doesn’t care. That’s just weasely. (2) Hypocrisy where someone applies a different set of “rules” for himself. To me, this is purely selfish and suggests to me someone lacks some moral reasoning and the ability to realize the g_dd_mn world doesn’t revolve around them. (3) Hypocrisy where one says and does different things at different times. It’s inconsistent and suggests that the person lacks the insight and intelligence to see the logical contradictions in his actions/statements. I guess there’s the final type, where the perpetrator is aware of the hypocrisy and does care about it, but can’t quite resolve it. That’s me all over. Ex: When I’m behind the wheel, I rail about the pedestrians; when I’m on the sidewalk, I rail against motorists. I’m aware of it and find it an interesting statement on my own love for relativism but I am not proud of it. ---
**Author:** ![jamshid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecd19e/32.png) [@jamshid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jamshid)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2000, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-bad-about-hypocrisy/24014/5 "2000-06-29T20:21:24Z")
You’ve forgotten the obvious: Perhaps Person C doesn’t want anyone else horning in.