Liberals are hypocrites.
They complain about how climate change is manmade, but then they still ride in planes and drive cars, and Leonardo diCaprio flies around in a private jet to lecture people on being more environmentally friendly.
Conservatives are hypocrites.
They say they care about babies, but the second those babies get born, they don’t want to pay taxes so all children will have access to food or healthcare, or pay medical bills for moms for whom abortions are the oh-so-much-more-affordable option.
Liberals are hypocrites.
They say they care about babies, but they don’t care about them at all until they’re born. They’re just an excuse to expand government, which is all liberals care about (if I’m reading the conservative websites correctly).
Conservatives are hypocrites.
They say they’re the party of small government, but they want the government to regulate your sexuality and women’s bodies and where which people can pee.
Liberals are hypocrites.
They say they believe in civil liberties but they won’t even let teachers pray in schools.
Conservatives are hypocrites.
They say they want America to stop shipping jobs overseas, but they nominated a guy for president who got rich(er) by shipping jobs overseas!
Liberals are hypocrites.
They say they want everyone to get paid a fair wage, and then they buy things that are made by underpaid labor under awful conditions in other countries. Because those things are cheap.
Conservatives are hypocrites.
They say they believe in sexual morals and biblical standards, and then nominate a thrice-divorced man to lead their party.
Liberals are hypocrites.
They say they don’t want money in politics, but that WikiLeaks email leak exposed the DNC as having offered positions to people who donated lots of money!
Conservatives are hypocrites.
They say “All Lives Matter,” but only when they’re trying to silence people of color who feel like their lives don’t matter in American society.
Liberals are hypocrites.
They claim black lives matter, but only when those black lives aren’t wearing blue.
Conservatives are hypocrites.
They worry about women being raped, but only by transgender people in bathrooms.
Liberals are hypocrites.
They worry about making sure everyone has equal protection under law, but don’t worry about perverts in bathrooms.
Conservative Christians are hypocrites.
They say they believe in the Bible, but they cherry-pick and ignore everything it says about social justice and taking care of the earth.
Liberal Christians are hypocrites.
Some of them say they believe in the Bible, but they cherry-pick and don’t listen to what it says about ordaining women, homosexuality, and eternal damnation.
And on, and on, and on it goes.
Naturally, both sides will want to explain their positions, and nuance them, and neither would agree with my phrasing… about themselves. I nailed The Hypocrisy of the Other, though, I bet. Just nailed it.
And that’s it, isn’t it? We’re all delighted to see hypocrisy exposed, but only the hypocrisy of people with whom we don’t agree.
I’m as guilty as anyone in being one-sided. I hope I’m guilty in being one-sided on behalf of the marginalized, but I’m definitely one of those liberals who wears clothing that was probably made by overworked and underpaid folks in Bangladesh because it was cheap. I meditate on the evils of capitalism, but at the end of the day, if it’s cheap, I’ll buy it, and I prefer restaurants where I don’t have to tip. I want everyone paid a livable wage, but I don’t want that wage to come out of my pocket directly.
Maybe we all have blind spots.
Maybe that verse that says “There is none righteous, no not one” is about how even those of us who have the best of intentions, and I like to think that’s most of us, are capable of ignoring how certain things we do perpetuate things we don’t believe in.
Maybe we shared that link about how people on the opposing end of the political spectrum are hypocrites because maybe one of them will read it and realize their hypocrisy and change to our way of thinking. (Has that ever happened?)
Or maybe we did it because if they’re so ridiculous and awful, maybe we can feel a little better about our own duplicity.
God of truth, guide us into faithfully following you with our whole hearts, not just our words and aspirations. Save us from our own self-righteousness. Help us to live with more integrity, and remind us to attribute good intentions to those with whom we disagree. …And help us be just a little bit less delighted by the hypocrisy of the Other.
Amen.
About David M Schell
I am a doubter and a believer. I have a Master's in Divinity from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, but because faith grows and changes, I don't necessarily stand by everything I've ever written, so if you see something troubling further back, please ask! Read More.
You made some good points, and in a way that calls us all to examine ourselves more carefully.
Thank you! 🙂