Hypocrisy is one of the lamest charges in politics. First, if you are in politics long enough at some point you will take positions that are inconsistent with each other. But the weakness of the hypocrisy charge goes deeper, especially when it comes to those in the public square, politicians or not, who ask us to be better people. One might call them the preachers of morality. You often hear or see these people attacked because of this or that personal failing that they have (remember the grief Bill Bennet caught when it came out that he really liked to gamble). But taken to its logical conclusion it means that no one can ever be held accountable for his actions.
Here's an example. Like many of you out there in blogland, I sometimes violate traffic rules, such as the speed limit for example. Does that mean I must be silent on the public benefit of traffic laws? To be perfectly consistent must I advocate their removal, since I sometimes violate them? This is what I would have to do to avoid the charge of hypocrisy, since I actually think people should obey traffic laws, even though I sometimes do not. Should we get rid of all traffic laws, since most of us violate them from time to time? Another example. I bet most of us, at some point in our lives, have taken things that don't belong to us. Maybe you took that stapler from work home with you. That's called stealing, and in some cases (such as taking the stapler) it's the crime of theft. Again, I confess that at certain times of my life I have taken things that didn't belong to me. Does that mean I can never tell anyone it's wrong to take things that aren't yours? After all, wouldn't that make me a hypocrite? Isn't every parent in the world a hypocrite, since they all tell their children not to do things that the parents themselves have done, or maybe even continue to do? How can any minister encourage us to forsake our sins without being a hypocrite?
The hypocrisy charge demands that you be a saint before you can say something is morally wrong. This seems to be doubly true for public persons who call us to change our sinful ways, since their hypocrisy is so publicly exposed. The only way to avoid hypocrisy is to be perfect, which is impossible, or to have no convictions you can fall short of, which is deplorable. You see, there are worse things than being a hypocrite. Being a moral cipher is one of them. Perhaps we should listen respectfully to those who call us to the better angels of our natures, be compassionate towards their inevitable failings, and yet, recognizing our own failings, also be modest and charitable ourselves when we criticize the moral behavior of others. The first two suggestions are especially pertinent to the permissive left, and the last could be a lesson for the moralistic right.
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