Moral Self-Licensing
© 2018 Rick Adamson
By Rick Adamson 5.15.18
"Research shows that people tend to reward themselves after they do a good deed — so-called moral licensing. So if people vote to redistribute other people's money, perhaps they feel less guilty about not giving away their own money.
For example, people eager to help the poor may not feel they have enough money or skill to contribute to the poor, but by voting for higher taxes (to redistribute the income of others) they believe they are helping. From this perspective, they have fulfilled their moral obligation.
Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio, provide good examples of this kind of self-deception. They fly private jets spewing carbon dioxide while admonishing the public to limit carbon emissions, as if their crusade for the greater good exempts them from the very thing that they insist is immoral.” The Upside of Inequality: How Good Intentions Undermine the Middle Class by Conard, Edward
As Jordan Peterson said as he considered his beliefs: "Anyone who was out to change the world by changing others was to be regarded with suspicion.” And of the people he knew: "their beliefs and modes of being seemed to disguise frequent doubt and profound disquietude." I would add perhaps Dysphoria or Rumination or both.
I heard a radio talk show host say the other day that being liberal licensed a person to hide behind liberal causes while, at the same time, pursuing opposite courses of action. For example, Eric Schneiderman just resigned as New York Attorney General amid assault claims by four women, even though, he was investigating the Weinstein companies and advocating for the #MeToo movement.
Now look, we are all human. We are all flawed and imperfect but if one must grandstand from soap boxes shouldn't they at least live by what they preach?
To be clear, I am not preaching here!!
And That's that!
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