I was thinking about hypocrisy after Svend mentioned something on Sunday morning. IIRC it was a general trend in America to ridicule the Victorians because they had all these very high ideals and they didn't live up to them.
I was thinking about everyday life and the difference between ideals and what you actually do day to day and I came to thinking that hypocrisy isn't all bad.
Here's the thing. If it's about huge stuff, like raising your teenager then you shouldn't be a hypocrite. If you're leading the biggest, most powerful country in the free world you should definitely practise what you preach. On the other hand, in most of our lives, the things we have double standards about don't really matter, so we should go easy on each other about them.
Obviously this is about perspective. It's one thing to say you don't drink and then have a few beers (yes, these are examples from my own life) but it's quite another to hold your partner up to this standard of perfection and then deride them when they make mistakes (that one's off Dr Phil).
Here's an obvious example: I am idealistic. I would like to live in a country not dominated by capitalism. But I am bombarded with images and desires and I can't help myself and I consume (see previous entry). Does that make me an inherently bad person? No. Should y'all stop being my friend because of it? I don't think so.
Political views are always contentious though, so the example isn't perfect but I think my point is clear. If it doesn't really matter why make an issue out of it?
There's some interesting discussion coming out of this entry, now made public, which I intended to be a sort of diatribe about self-centredness but has turned into a kind of 'what is happiness?' thing. Good reading in there, although I'm not that articulate on my meaning.
This will likewise be crossposted to my lj so y'all can comment on this one over there.
Posted by jenni at March 15, 2006 12:40 PM