The 5 Worst Types of Virtue-Signaling

American Thinker:

By Bode Lang

Virtue-signaling is one of the lowest forms of opportunism, but not all attempts are equal.  Here are the five worst types: 

1. Virtue-signaling the implausible, for cheap applause 

In the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo addressed concerns about the potential economic damage of banning citizens from working by claiming, “if everything we can do saves just one life, I’ll be happy.” 

A few days later, Cuomo tweeted, “My mother is not expendable.  Your mother is not expendable.  We will not put a dollar figure on human life.” 

It might be surprising that an ardent supporter of unrestricted abortion would profess such a commitment to saving lives, but even if we ignore Cuomo’s abortion stance, his statements instantly qualify as among the worst of its kind.

This type of virtue-signaling is particularly egregious because upholding this newly declared standard is so impractical that it’s obviously insincere.

If Cuomo truly believed that any economic sacrifice is justified so long as it preserves “just one life” then we should also abolish cars, planes, surgeries, helicopters, alcohol, swimming, laundry detergent, sex, and prescription drugs because they all kill people.

The implausibility of adhering to his virtue-signaling not only reveals how disingenuous Andrew Cuomo is but also displays the character of those who pursue cheap applause.  A comfortability with blatant dishonesty is required to play this game.

If anyone confronts Cuomo for his specious assertions, virtue-signaling has a built-in defense system of their superior motives to neutralize criticism about facts.   

2. Virtue-signaling their battle against invisible enemies 

When Elizabeth Warren chastises racism for murdering Michael Brown, she is capitalizing on the perfect virtue-signaling opportunity.

Even though Michael Brown did not have his hands up, and his death was not the result of racism, all virtue-signaling regarding the ordeal is immune to criticism.

If the claim turns out to be a lie, it remains viable because the incident highlights the “larger societal issue.”  If it wasn’t true, it should have been.

Professing their unrelenting resolve to continue fighting invisible oppressors is the key.

Stacey Abrams complaining that she lost the Georgia election because of racism and voter suppression was a complete lie, but her “refusal to give up” still makes her a civil rights hero.

Jussie Smollett, Mattress Girl, Christine Blasey-Ford, Covington Catholic, the college rape epidemic, and migrant children at the border — the list goes on.

In each case, the battle may have been false, but the struggle is real.

A similar catastrophe occurred in the U.S. Women’s Soccer lawsuit over “equal pay.”

Virtually every Democratic presidential candidate tweeted ad nauseum about their outrage over the abhorrent discrimination against female soccer players.

The ruling of the lawsuit disclosed that the women’s team earned more money than their male counterparts.  This tiny fact would not put a dent in the discrimination claim, but only require shifting the goalposts.  The women proceeded to argue that despite their higher earnings, they would have made more money if they had the same collective bargaining agreement as the men, and therefore, discrimination had occurred.

But the truth was revealed when the judge pointed out that the women’s team “rejected a pay-for-play model identical to the men” in return for $100,000 guaranteed salaries.  The women could have accepted the same offer as the men but opted for a higher base salary with smaller bonuses during their negotiations.  The women’s team chose a more secure compensation package as opposed to the riskier agreement the men selected.

The discrimination claim was a fraud.

But for those committed to signaling their virtue, the solution is always more.  

Following the ruling, Megan Rapinoe would tweet, “we will never stop fighting for EQUALITY.”  Another player, Alex Morgan, tweeted, “this will not discourage us in our fight for equality.”

Joe Biden would show his solidarity with women by tweeting they should not “give up this fight” while threatening to withdraw funding for U.S. soccer if those anti-women bigots don’t pay women equally.

The fight against invisible enemies pays dividends for Democrats because if the monster doesn’t exist, it can never be defeated.

In a never-ending battle, insatiable generals always have something to do.  more here

h/t Forcibly Rearranged.