That actually perfectly explains why so many people get sucked into grifter/grind culture as well as "witness me doing good" charity culture.
Whether its the complete and total downfall/extermination of their perceived enemies or the attainment of infinity money, they would still not be happy because they take their privileges for granted and ultimately their locus of control is the joy of fighting against a perceived oppressor.
Well no, that's misrepresenting what they're talking about.
No one cares if your motivation for helping the homeless is to look good, or to a lesser, but still selfish-ish degree, feeling good about yourself. We judge ourselves by our intentions and maybe negatively project them onto others, but in general we judge others by their actions and actions are pretty much the only thing that really matter.
A fed homeless person doesn't give a fuck what was going through your mind when you give them a healthy snack, a bottle of water, and a dollar. It's objectively a good deed and the world is slightly better for it having been done.
The sometimes choice is that deed being not done at all or that deed being done along with internet clout which may be cringe but, again, as long as you're not putting that person's identity on blast and actually interfering with their lives negatively, it's still good that "fake virtue" was put to use doing the good thing. And that's not a poison merely better than being evil, that's a net good.
This was somewhat poorly articulated but I think you get my point.
I know what you mean; it’s a difference of perspective. On the pragmatic end, “Watch me cure the blind! Not clickbait! Gone wild!” is a net good. Yes, someone’s using it to gain money and fame for themselves, but it’s also genuinely benefitting real people. In the “pick your poison” metaphor, it’s basically water.
From a more philosophical or theological perspective, it is important to distinguish between performance and actual altruism. Feeding the homeless on camera isn’t bad, it’s just that it’s transactional. It pays for itself when you do it that way. On its own, it is not proof of someone’s individual virtue. If they keep feeding the homeless off-camera, then the virtue is very much real - they are actually being the person their “performance” suggests they are.
In Christian terms, it’s just the Book of Matthew, chapter 6, verse 5. “ And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”
Virtue is not something to be paraded around. If you use displays of virtue for personal gain, you are intentionally misleading people to believe you are making sacrifices for others when you are not. It isn’t an evil thing, per se, but the virtue of it becomes false. You are a businessman peddling a very strange yet very good deal, not a hero.
I can’t tell if I’m just Not Like Other People or if myself being horribly disabled and struggling just to have any meaning in my life is why I can’t imagine fighting against a good thing
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u/mythrilcrafter 23d ago
That actually perfectly explains why so many people get sucked into grifter/grind culture as well as "witness me doing good" charity culture.
Whether its the complete and total downfall/extermination of their perceived enemies or the attainment of infinity money, they would still not be happy because they take their privileges for granted and ultimately their locus of control is the joy of fighting against a perceived oppressor.