A Letter to the Editor I wrote that was recently published in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022:
When a person’s behavior is inconsistent with, or contradictory to, one’s stated beliefs, that person is known as a hypocrite. For most of human history, hypocritical behavior has been considered shameful. In the past, obvious hypocrisy was an embarrassing kiss of death for a political career. It denoted insincerity, or even stupidity. Historically, hypocrisy has not been an admired behavior.
To most people, hypocrisy feels phony or fake. Most of us prefer authenticity to hypocrisy. We like being around people (and political leaders) who are real, genuine, honest, trustworthy, and sincere. Within ourselves, hypocrisy destroys self-esteem. Authenticity, on the other hand, enhances self-esteem and self-confidence.
When highly functioning people observe hypocritical behavior in politicians, it diminishes trust in the politician and the entire political system. In recent years political hypocrisy has lost its shame, evolving into an acceptable political strategy. It is a phenomenon that is spreading distrust of a government run by such elected officials.
When a representative form of government wallows in hypocrisy, the concept of autocracy gains appeal for some voters. When elected leaders would prefer to spread ruinous lies than build consensus for the common good, authoritarianism will inevitably be on the rise.
Before hypocritical politicians can be held accountable for their destructive behavior, voters must be willing to recognize and acknowledge the disease. It is a scary thought that our elected officials may be an accurate reflection of the collective consciousness of American society. As long as enough voters admire and accept hypocritical behavior, the American form of representative government is in danger. My hope is that the upcoming elections will provide an opportunity for some serious soul-searching before votes are cast.
