The Hypocrite World Cup: Everyone's a winner

@wwaycorrigan

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'Before you criticise somebody, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you do criticise them, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.'

'We're all part of the same hypocrisy, but let's keep up the charade.' (Image from Behaviorist.)

Faultfinders

Yeah, it's an old one but many of today's holier-than-thou types could do with hearing it. Not that it would lead to any self-reflection, never mind a change in their ways. Such people, mostly found in the comfortable, influential classes of high-income nations, are quite convinced of their righteousness.

Rather than 'walk in one's shoes', what they often do is irately pursue — at a safe distance — those they criticise, making their targets' lives as difficult as possible whilst enjoying pleasures they wish to deny others.

Philanthropy is, however, at the heart of all this. Others simply don't know and are incapable of knowing what's good for them. So it's these superhumans to the rescue. We are forever in their debt.

Most of these say-rather-than-do-gooders are, as you may have guessed, nothing more than hypocrites. They publicly proclaim to be virtuous yet their private actions and way of life generally betray this. What they do have on their side, though, as a buffer to the many contradictions, are influence and power.

'Chinese suppression of protesters: an outrage. Canadian quashing of protesters: it's for the good of national security.'

When they defend freedom and liberty, it's on their terms only. Should they call for greater social control — vide pandemic lockdowns — it's for everyone else, not them.

They are experts at seeing the faults and flaws in foreign lands but are generally blind to them closer to home. See, for example, the likes of Jacinda Ardern and Justin Trudeau. 'Chinese suppression of protesters: an outrage. Canadian quashing of protesters: it's for the good of national security.'

Corrigible

So while Fifa President Gianni Infantino came in for much criticism and ridicule when he spoke about the double standards of many in the "democratic" West on the eve of the Qatar World Cup, he wasn't far wrong.

Getting lectures from Fifa on morals may seem a bit of a wild shot, so to put it, but the association is well-steeped in immorality, so it does have, in a way, detailed knowledge of the subject area.

Now, this isn't to say that we should all just ignore evil acts and immoral practices. No. It's a case of at least acknowledging our own knowledge gaps and shortcomings in the first instance. Finding the right tone is also important when speaking out.

It's very difficult to listen to, let alone actually act on, the words of those who try to come across as incorruptible, know-it-alls. The only incorruptible, faultless humans are those yet to be born.

So whether it be action on climate change, tackling a global pandemic, the Brexit fallout, Petro versus Uribe, left versus right — what have you — be wary of those pontificating that their way is the right way.

Popular support for somebody or something doesn't automatically confer infallibility. Safety in numbers and the madness — and badness — of crowds are but two sides of the same coin. Today's unquestionable truth is tomorrow's big lie.

Thus, we should all aim to be a little more corrigible (cautiously and questioningly, that is) and less incorrigible, if I do say so myself. In doing so, we might just find the other's shoes are a nice fit.
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In awe of the strongman

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

We've seen plenty of ire directed at those who haven't completely condemned Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine or shown unconditional support for the under-siege locals.

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping: Leaders with real conviction? (Photo from Wikipedia.)

Super Zelenskyy

Even some expert analysts on the region, that is to say, people who actually have a fair idea of what they're talking about, whilst speaking out against Putin's actions, have come in for criticism in some quarters for merely suggesting the reasons behind the attack.

The simplified narrative for most of the media, politicians and those who like to be told how to think right now is: Russia and everything Russian evil; Ukraine and everything Ukrainian, good.

As discussed previously here, one should tread carefully when there's such widespread agreement.

Of course, many of us have a tendency to plump for the underdog, hence the support for innocent Ukraine against bully-bear Russia. Indeed, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is being portrayed as some sort of superhero saint. For sure, from what we've seen he has been impressive, but we can assume he has a few flaws.

'We have two "excellent" examples of such types right now. One is currently running amok in Canada, the other in New Zealand.'

Nonetheless, he is the perfect strongman counterweight to Putin over which the West can idolise. For as much as some of us may think Western democracies have moved on from salivating over strongmen figures, there still seems to be an innate desire for a patriarchy of sorts.

Gentle tyrants

In fact, this could be why some actually view, or at least did view, Putin as a likeable rogue.

What's more, on the global level, the Russian president has been the underdog against Nato and the West in general, a West in which many of the agenda-setters appear to be nothing more than self-righteous, often hypocritical virtue signallers.

With a dearth of impressive leaders to look up to at home and tired of being constantly patronised, a no-nonsense Putin — we can also include Xi Jinping here — appeals. There's a feeling, à la Donald Trump, that these men rule with conviction rather than pussyfoot around, trying to please everybody but achieving very little.

In functioning democracies, such types do have their place. They can take on the technocrats. It could be said that the European Union is in dire need of one.

The problems arise when there are no checks on the strongmen, when there's no one to challenge them. This generally happens when they've been around for too long. They do usually self-destruct but not before causing a lot of collateral damage on their way out.

Yet, the strongman is usually easier to comprehend than, let's call them "gentler" leaders. The latter is often more pernicious. They claim to be forces of good. Indeed, they are so convinced that they are morally right that they don't see the harm they do.

We have two "excellent" examples of such types right now. One is currently running amok in Canada, the other in New Zealand. 

It could be said that Justin Trudeau and Jacinda Ardern are like terrible twins of one Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, aka former UK prime minister Tony Blair. One can only hope that, like Putin's, their respective regimes are coming to an end.

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