The Art of Handling Hypocrites in Today's Society

What is a clear case of someone acting hypocritically?

Once upon a time, I worked with this guy we'll call "Bob." Bob always said he would give me stuff back "today or tomorrow," but he hardly ever did. He could have just said "Next week" or "whenever I can," and I would have been cool with that. But no, Bob liked to make promises about when he would get things done, and then he wouldn't follow through.

The funny thing is, even though Bob was always late with his work, he had no mercy for others who were late with theirs. If someone didn't meet their deadline with Bob, he wouldn't be understanding at all. Instead, he would go on and on about how important it is to be reliable and a good team player.

Bob demonstrated all the characteristics of a hypocrite.

Have you ever had a friend who always cancels plans at the last minute? Or maybe you know someone who expects a lot from others but doesn't hold themselves to the same standards. We all have people like that in our lives, and sometimes, we might even be the ones acting like a "Bob." It's frustrating when others let us down, but when we do it, we always have an excuse ready. To figure out why this happens, let's take a closer look at why we dislike people who act like Bob.

How would you characterize someone who behaves like a hypocrite?

Bob's being a hypocrite! He's all like, "You should do this and that," but then he turns around and does the opposite himself. It's like he's playing by different rules depending on who he's talking about. So not cool, dude.

It's normal to hold different people to different standards. Just think about how we expect a doctor to know more about medicine than someone who isn't a doctor. We wouldn't get mad at our friend for not being able to fix a leaky sink, but we would be upset if a plumber couldn't do it. The same goes for people we trust a lot, like close friends or family. We wouldn't be mad at a stranger for not telling us we had food in our teeth, but we would expect our best friend to let us know. And then some people need extra understanding, like kids, older folks, people who are struggling, or those who have disabilities. It's all about treating people fairly based on their abilities and circumstances.

We all have different ways of judging people, like how we decide if someone is being honest or not. But why do people like Bob who act one way and then do the opposite make us so mad?

One reason why it's not fair is because, unlike other situations we've seen before, Bob has different rules for different people, even when they're in the same situation. This goes against the idea that everyone should be treated the same. It's like saying that some people are more important than others, even though we should all be treated equally.

Imagine this: You and your friend both forgot to do homework and now you're both in trouble. It wouldn't be fair if the teacher only punished one of you, right? You'd probably feel pretty upset if that happened. It's the same idea at work. If you and a coworker are both behind on your work, it's not fair for one of you to get special treatment while the other doesn't. You both should be treated the same way. It's okay to feel frustrated if someone is playing favorites or not being fair. Just like how you'd be mad if someone cut in line in front of you at the store. It's all about fairness and treating everyone equally.

In America, people believe that everyone should be treated fairly. This means that no one, not even the most powerful people, can break the rules without consequences. You can see this idea in action at the United States Supreme Court, where the words “Equal Justice Under Law” are written above the entrance. This is a reminder that the law applies to everyone equally.

Sometimes police officers give special treatment to their family and friends by giving them a "get-out-of-jail card." This is a form of hypocrisy that makes people angry because it shows that some officers abuse their power. It may not seem like a big deal compared to other abuses of power, but it's still wrong.

Local police unions give out special cards that you can show to an officer if you get in trouble for something small like speeding. The officer might let you off the hook and not give you a ticket if you show them the card.

Did you know that police unions give out special cards to important people like politicians, judges, and reporters? These cards are supposed to be a way of saying thank you, but some people think it's not fair. They say it shows that not everyone is treated the same under the law. It's like saying one thing and doing another, which is called hypocrisy.

Police officers work hard and deserve our respect. But just because someone knows a cop, doesn't mean they should get away with breaking the law. Police unions sometimes ask for special treatment that can make it hard for everyone to be treated fairly.

Sometimes people accidentally treat others unfairly without realizing it. For example, a teacher might not know that a student has special needs, or a shopper might not see the long line. But hypocrites are different - they purposely use double standards all the time.

Bob always picks favorites, and guess who his favorite is? Yep, you guessed it - himself! This constant self-favoritism is one of the reasons why we get so mad at hypocrites. They act like they're better than everyone else, which just isn't fair.

When someone criticizes others for things they do themselves, it shows they think they're better than everyone else. It's like they believe they don't have to follow the same rules as everyone else. This makes them seem disrespectful and like they think they're superior to everyone else.

Hypocrisy can really mess up relationships. It's like when someone says one thing but does another. It's tough to trust and respect someone who acts like they're better than you. And it's even harder to want to help them out. It's not easy to trust someone who doesn't seem to care about what you care about, or your hard work and skills.

Hypocrisy is like when someone says one thing but does another, and it's not cool. It's not just about being dishonest, it's also about losing your integrity. Integrity means being whole and strong, like a building that doesn't have any cracks in its foundation or a ship that doesn't have any holes in its hull. When you're not true to yourself, it's like having a crack in your foundation or a hole in your hull - you become weak and more likely to fall apart.

Just like how a superhero loses their powers when they break their own rules, a person becomes weaker when they act like a hypocrite. It's not cool to disrespect others, but it's even worse when you disrespect yourself by not practicing what you preach. When someone holds others to high standards but doesn't follow those standards themselves, it shows that they don't really believe in what they say. It's like having two faces - one for what they say and one for what they do. And that's not a good look for anyone.

Bob needs to start practicing what he preaches or start preaching what he practices. But he's not doing either. He's always acting like he doesn't care about his own beliefs or like his actions don't matter. It's like he doesn't even respect himself. How can we respect someone who doesn't respect themselves? It's tough to take him seriously when he doesn't take himself seriously. Either he doesn't think his values are important, or he doesn't think his actions have any value.

Let's be real, nobody is perfect, not even adults. Parents, for example, often say one thing but do another. It's like when they tell you to eat your veggies but then they sneak candy when they think you're not looking.

I have to admit, I've been a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to being a parent. Just like a lot of moms and dads out there, I always told my daughter how crucial it is to have a bedtime. I would go on and on about why going to bed at the same time every night is super important for staying healthy both physically and mentally. I knew all about the studies that backed this up, and I would beg her to stop fighting me every night and just go to sleep already.

"Why aren't you going to bed yet, Dad?" she would question. "Well, adults don't need as much sleep as kids do, but I'll be hitting the hay soon, too," I would reply.

I really wanted to be the type of person who got a good night's sleep. I promised myself that I would go to bed early. I knew that if I got enough rest, I would wake up feeling happy and have a great day ahead of me.

I totally said I was going to go to bed on time, but did I actually do it? No way. And guess what? I totally knew I was going against what I said I believed in.

I would always tell my daughter that I was going to bed soon, but that was never the case. Once she fell asleep, I would stay up late, usually browsing the internet for hours. It's kind of embarrassing, but it's the truth. I guess you could say I was being a bit of a hypocrite.

Who is a Hypocrite?

A new survey asked 2,000 grown-ups what they want to do in the future. No surprises here - most people said they want to eat better, save money, and read more. But the tricky part is actually doing these things. It's easy to say we want to change, but actually making it happen is a whole different story.

Why is it that we always promise ourselves we'll eat better, save money, and read more, but then end up not following through? It's like we have all these good intentions, but when it comes down to it, we just can't seem to stick to our plans. What gives?

We all know the basics of eating healthy and managing our money. If we ever forget, we can just look it up online. But even with all this knowledge, we still struggle to actually do what we know we should. Why is it so hard to follow through on our goals?

For centuries, smart people have been scratching their heads over this question. Back in ancient Greece, guys like Plato and Aristotle came up with a fancy word for when we do things that aren't good for us: akrasia. It basically means we don't have control over ourselves. And guess what? We're still dealing with this same problem today, which shows that it's just a natural part of being human.

You know how sometimes people say one thing but do another? Well, it turns out that we all do that sometimes, not just hypocrites. We might not always practice what we preach, even if we think we do.

Setting goals is like creating a blueprint for the person we want to be in the future. For example, if you want to be strong and healthy, you might set a goal to exercise more. Or if you want to have lots of money saved up, you could set a goal to save money each week. Maybe you want to be really smart and knowledgeable, so you set a goal to read more books. By setting goals that match our values, we can work towards becoming the best version of ourselves.

When you set a goal, you're basically making a promise to your future self. Your future self is the one who will have to follow through on the things you said you would do. So, if you say you're going to exercise more, save money, or read more, you're basically telling your future self that they have to keep that promise you made. It's like giving yourself a little nudge to stay on track and reach your goals.

But if you don't have a time machine like in the movies, then your future self can't come back to change things. When it's time to go to the gym, save money, or read a book instead of being on social media, your future self might have different ideas or just not feel like it.

If you break a promise you made to yourself in the past, it shows that you're not taking yourself seriously. You told yourself you'd do something, but then you just ignore it. You're not keeping your own word.

Getting distracted means getting off track from what we want to do, what we believe in, and who we want to be. Being focused doesn't mean we never get distracted, but it means we understand why it happened and can prevent it from happening again in the future.

Sometimes not taking our commitments seriously doesn't mean we're automatically hypocrites. But if we keep being hypocritical, it can start to chip away at who we are. Those little cracks in our character can build up over time. It's easy to fall into bad habits that can change us into someone we don't want to be. No one dreams of growing up to be a liar, a criminal, or a corrupt person, but it can happen if we're not careful. Small acts of hypocrisy can turn into regular habits if we're not careful. So, it's important to be mindful of our actions and make sure we're staying true to ourselves.

Bob wasn't a bad guy, just a little misguided. He thought that making big promises he couldn't keep would help him succeed. But in the end, his habit of not practicing what he preached held him back. He ended up losing friends and business deals because he didn't treat others or himself with respect.

To make sure we don't turn into someone who hurts others and ourselves all the time, we need to be real with ourselves about where we mess up and start caring more about the stuff that matters to us: like our time, our family, our friends, and most importantly, keeping our promises. Even though we all mess up sometimes, understanding what's important to us and making sure we do what we say we will is the secret to being a person with integrity.