What is virtue signalling anyway?

[WhatInThe]

To me virtue signalling is:

Usually unsolicited un-necessary comments that are supposed to make an the individual look good. Unsolicited and Unnecessary is frequently the tell. Also they are frequently captain obvious comments. Sometimes a deflection but mostly for brownie points with an individual or audience even if co workers, family, friends etc.

 

[Warrigal]

"A good deed dies when it is spoken about."

"When helping the poor leave the camera at home"

"Don't eat with someone that is going to brag about feeding you."

"If you want to feed the homeless then feed the homeless. But the moment you put it on social media, you're also feeding your ego."

On the whole I agree with these sentiments however I feel pretty chuffed by the way our small congregation of less than 3 dozen members, that was unable to hold public services for months during the COVID restrictions, was able to assemble and distribute over 100 Christmas food hampers to struggling families in our district. Also distributed were about 50 boxes of toys and stocking fillers. Is it virtue signaling to speak about this with pride or is it an example of some good news shared at the end of a very dark 2020?

Forgive me for asking but when I was teaching I read some work by Bruner. He wrote that every word is a concept and the way to clarify a particular concept is to look for the attributes that the concept must have, attributes that it may or may not have and attributes that it never has. As a maths teacher I would use this idea to clarify what is meant by a square, a triangle, rhombus, parallelograms and other mathematical terms. It was important to look at the positive and negative attributes.

I think different responses here have been pointing to certain attributes such as self promotion, self righteousness, hypocrisy, haughtiness and bragging as being essential characteristics of virtue signalling. The presence of any of these attributes make it easy to label a statement virtue signaling.

The negative attributes are harder to identify. For example, Mother Mary McKillop, Australia's first and only recognised saint, used to write to her young nuns scattered in outback Australia with the exhortation "Never see something wrong without attempting to put it right". This was a tall order because there was much that was wrong; poverty, sickness and ignorance to name three, and the nuns had no money and few resources. However, Mother Mary devoted her whole adult life to these causes and the order she founded carries on this work to this very day. She encouraged virtue in others and did not lack it herself. So this is what is meant by a negative attribute. Because she was not a hypocrite she was not virtue signalling. Sincerity would be another negative attribute for VS.

Thanks for listening.

 

[grahamg]

I'm always "virtue signalling", what's wrong with the rest of you "I just don't get it" (?)

 

[Aneeda72]

On the whole I agree with these sentiments however I feel pretty chuffed by the way our small congregation of less than 3 dozen members, that was unable to hold public services for months during the COVID restrictions, was able to assemble and distribute over 100 Christmas food hampers to struggling families in our district. Also distributed were about 50 boxes of toys and stocking fillers. Is it virtue signaling to speak about this with pride or is it an example of some good news shared at the end of a very dark 2020?

Forgive me for asking but when I was teaching I read some work by Bruner. He wrote that every word is a concept and the way to clarify a particular concept is to look for the attributes that the concept must have, attributes that it may or may not have and attributes that it never has. As a maths teacher I would use this idea to clarify what is meant by a square, a triangle, rhombus, parallelograms and other mathematical terms. It was important to look at the positive and negative attributes.

I think different responses here have been pointing to certain attributes such as self promotion, self righteousness, hypocrisy, haughtiness and bragging as being essential characteristics of virtue signalling. The presence of any of these attributes make it easy to label a statement virtue signaling.

The negative attributes are harder to identify. For example, Mother Mary McKillop, Australia's first and only recognised saint, used to write to her young nuns scattered in outback Australia with the exhortation "Never see something wrong without attempting to put it right". This was a tall order because there was much that was wrong; poverty, sickness and ignorance to name three, and the nuns had no money and few resources. However, Mother Mary devoted her whole adult life to these causes and the order she founded carries on this work to this very day. She encouraged virtue in others and did not lack it herself. So this is what is meant by a negative attribute. Because she was not a hypocrite she was not virtue signalling. Sincerity would be another negative attribute for VS.

Thanks for listening.

There is something in the Bible about if you talk about the good works you have done on earth, then you have already received your rewards from your peers, and will receive no reward in heaven.

I am often told by people that because I adopted two disabled boys, I will surely go to heaven. . I just nod my head in agreement rather than point out the obvious. I did not adopt my sons as a pathway to heaven. As perfect as I am, I needed no other help to walk along heaven‘s highway. (virtue signaling? My heck, I think I’ve got it .)

 

[Sunny]

And then there's the "humble brag" as often seen in Christmas newsletters:

"Oh, my gosh, it is soooo hard having brilliant and talented children! I barely have a minute to myself with all the activities they have! Robert, Jr., is on the premier soccer league in the city and will be playing in a tournament in Europe next week. That means TWO trips to the airport (I'm just shaking at the thought!) and he'll barely get back in time to see his sister dance the lead role in the City Ballet's Nutcracker. I was so hoping she'd just get a minor role as it would be so much easier, but a prima ballerina IS a prima ballerina! So many trips to drive her to practice..... If she was only attending public school, it wouldn't be a problem but her private school is a real stickler about attendance and her grade in Advanced Mandarin has dropped to an A- (I'm humiliated to have to admit it!), so we may have to address the problem of extracurricular activities next year or she'll have to end up attending Yale or Vassar instead of going to the Sorbonne as we planned. I feel guilty about it, but sometimes I wish my children were just ordinary. " Robert, Sr., has been soooo busy since his big promotion that I hardly ever see him anymore. I had to cancel our annual Boxing Day party this year as he'll be at the White House, advising the transition team on something or other. Boo-hoo for me.....sometimes I wish we had our old dull and boring life back! "

And that, boys and girls, is a humble brag.

Ah yes, I remember those Xmas newsletters well! They seem to have fallen off lately, maybe because we're all staying more in touch via Facebook and other social media?

I've got a perfect antidote to this: somebody should send out a newsletter grumbling about their selfish, ungrateful kids, their lazy grandkids, their horrible job, and all the projects they tried this year that just didn't work out. But it should obviously be satirical.