Do you agree that being hypocritical isn't necessarily a bad thing?

Question

I mean sometimes good advice is good advice, no matter who it is coming from. If both people agree that something is right or wrong, is there really anything wrong with telling them they should or should not do something, regardless of the teller's actions?

I can tell someone they shouldn't smoke while I've got a cigarette in my hand, it doesn't make me less right does it? All they can do is turn it around and say I shouldn't smoke, doesn't change the fact that we are both harming ourselves. I think sometimes it's a good idea to tell people stuff like that. Do you think if we humans weren't so caught up with comparing ourselves to others, we wouldn't be so offended when people give us advice like that?

Answer 1

When you don't like it, you call it hypocrisy. When you like it, you call it diplomacy. The difference is in the perception, not the behavior.

As to the example of the cigarette, I think if you really believe that harm is real, you should put out your own cigarette. Indeed, you should quit smoking. If you are too addicted and "cannot" (which means you are unwilling, because of course you can once you decide to) quit, then it is really absurd for you to tell someone else they shouldn't smoke. Saying "You know we should not be doing this," to a fellow smoker standing in the back yard because you have been ejected from the clean air inside may be acceptable, but runs the risk that the other person challenges you to quit together. Can you rise to the challenge?