Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy. We all know what it means. Some of us more acutely than others. Simply, as I understand it, it is a tendency to say one thing and do another, usually, as the result of a breakdown of personal integrity. And, it runs a broad range, from, say, telling all your friends that you think one brand of beer in the clubhouse cooler is the most exquisite experience of your life so that they'll drink it, leaving your REAL favorite alone, to infinitely more serious issues, like infidelity in marriage, or, my favorite example, corruption in politics. In doing some cursory research on this subject, I consulted both my 1938 and 1945 dictionaries, each from different publishers, one a large library edition, the other a condensed school version. One indicated that it was "pretending to be what one is not; the putting on of an appearance of virtue which one does not possess". The other, while agreeing, added "a condition of thought and feeling different from that which appears; a deception as to real character and feeling, especially in regard to morals". The synonym list was also revealing; deceit, sanctimony, sham, pretense. Now, why would I, you ask incredulously, use antique dictionaries for research any more than you would use a 60 year old phone book to find a local tire dealer? Well, here's my reasoning: Because there is a tendency to "update" new dictionaries to reflect modern usage, which often includes corruption of terms that cloud the original meanings, I find it useful to use the older versions to filter out much of that corruption to get much more efficiently to the "root" of a meaning. While it's commendable of publishers to keep everyone abreast of the latest word and phrase coinages, I do not support the morphing of traditional meanings because the effect tends to be revisionism affecting the proper interpretation of rather important issues, like history, or documents, like The Constitution of the United States or the Bible, for example. So, while I've learned an appreciation for newer references for obvious reasons, I found it necessary to defer to non-corrupted authorities to determine the real meaning of hypocrisy. I found it significant that there were references to it at least as far back as the writings of the Bible, (And the hypocrite's hope shall perish. -Job viii. 13.) which indicates that it was a concept that was historically well known. As to my reference works' publishing dates, it was very active at that time in Europe under the Nazis, to be sure. And, it has certainly shown its ugly head back through the times of the Roman emperors, and further still, to the reaches of recorded history. But, I like to think that, unlike this day and age, where it's so rampant as to be accepted as normal behavior, especially in government, there was a time in these States where hypocrisy was far enough below the general public's moral standards as to not be prevalent enough to warrant public mention, let alone attention. The sanctimony displayed by people practicing hypocrisy, and, which almost always attends it, is demonstrated to give it implied credibility. Ironically, however, that too is a hypocrisy, as hypocrisy cannot by definition logically support credibility. It merely provides, unfortunately, a healthy foundation for cynicism. It's all a sham. Therefore, those who practice it cannot be logically supported, either. But it continually amazes me how many and how much are supported illogically. In this era of brazen hypocrisy, the very best defense against the pestilence it can visit on our lives is vigilance, so while one might find it acceptable to run a red light at a quiet intersection to rush home to vote for a candidate on a television talent contest, a more important vote to risk life and limb for by far is the one on Election Day. Take the time, learn the truth about the issues and candidates, and don't let hypocrisy become completely mainstream by allowing those who practice it to gain power. Since this blog is a new undertaking for me, it will obviously see refinement, so I will not be offended by critiques, although, I will choose as to whether to consider them. Thoughts?