Virtue Signaling

Virtue signaling is where I take time out from organizing my local Pride group's BLM protest (so, so important for we white allies to participate) to help out a poster on DL. I want you to know, OP, that I feel your pain and have made a four-figure contribution to a charitable organization that helps support people like you. Never fear, it won't impact my regular giving to those six other groups. Don't thank me -It's all in a day's work; just part of the caring-and-sharing. Now, back to making cakes for my annual 4th of July Party for the Homeless. We provide them with a great meal, and an extra dessert to-go. Those people really need us to help them get through the holidays!

Basically what all the Fortune 100 companies are doing now by posting Pride logos or BLM logos.

Here are the people who invented the phrase

Although I am a wealthy white woman, I understand the oppression of minorities. Why, I used the BLM hashtag in three FaceBook posts today!

Posting a Tweet that has someone yelling white power in the background.

I use Semaphore to signal my virtue to passing ships, in the hope of being fucked by sailors.

R6 = DL virtue signaling

I just want all the poors to know I contribute a lot of money to our local food bank.

Conservatives in Canada accuse Justin Trudeau of this every single day

I'm a Virtue-Signaller but my parents and their parents and their parents were evangelising Christian Zealots.

They went to the dark corners of the earth to convert the heathens but I don't have the time for that.

Sociopaths think that when someone expresses concern for someone or something and wants to help, that expression is insincere and primarily aimed at garnering praise from others for one’s concern for others.

E.g., when someone advocates for banning plastic straws, and tries to get others to support such a change via social media, sociopaths can’t comprehend how someone seeing animals harmed by plastic straws would even bother to try to help them. They conclude that the effort must be insincere and its purpose is merely to garner attention and praise.

#jesuischarlie

#bostonstrong

#jesuisparisien

It has to be the right signaling for the moment.

R10 - your parents carried the white man's burden and you grew up to work hard to buy shit from Pangolin eaters.

R13 - let poor Miss Lindsey show us what Vairst Laidee won't do that he does. Miss Lindsey be best for massage of prostate for the olds.

Charles Dickens wrote about Virtue-signallers in his 1852 novel 'Bleak House'.

Mrs. Jellyby is a "telescopic philanthropist" who devotes her time and energy to setting up a mission in Africa while ignoring the needy in her own family and neighbourhood.

The worst virtue signalers are the ones who created the term "virtue signaling" just so they could be recognized as the brilliant, insightful cunts who are herding minds and spirits towards wokefulness.

"Self-aggrandizing blowhards," "show-offs," "phonies," "insincere do-gooders" are among phrases that use non-smug pseudo-technical language. "Purity spiraling" is an example of what happens when the will to diagnose commonplace, conventional human foibles with fancy-dress pseudo-sociological verbiage spirals into absurdity.

At least these conceptualizations have been adopted and abused by all sides of the political polygon.

Hisssssssssssss.

I ver nice jacket to go visit de uglies childs of de miexican. It telling dem if I don't care, vy dei do? Daddy buy jackiet from store of de poors.

I’m a business and will donate a portion of my profits to some charity but I’m going to tell the world about my generosity first

Jennifer and Sarah Hart were virtue-signallers.

They had a slogan "Kindness is Contagious"

As I understand it, virtue signaling is the rough equivalent of the individual humble brag.

Designed to mock and denigrate any form of social consciousness or engagement, but only when it comes to progressive causes.

R22 What is your definition of "progressive"?

OP, virtue signaling is what conservatives and other related assholes say as an insult if you give a shit about something and say so on social media or in public.

Anyone using that term is a cunt from hell.

OP here thanks for the replies. So basically it’s someone doing something good, like volunteering or donating money, but telling people about it in order to be seen as a good person. Is that kind of it?

R25, it's more than that. It is speaking out in, online or in person in a manner designed to attract attention, about some fashionable social issue, while doing little to actually help solve the perceived problem. People who actually work to fix a problem are not virtue signaling. Virtue signaling is more about being seen as "one of the good guys" as opposed to actually doing something. Jesus spoke about this - it was a problem for the Pharisees.

For example, all those people who drive around alone in their cars with masks on are virtue signaling. Wearing a mask at the grocery store is not virtue signaling.

Using the #BLM hashtag on twitter or facebook is virtue signaling. Working to eliminate poverty and violence in urban areas is not virtue signaling.

Criticizing Trump on DL is virtue signaling. Quietly sending money to a candidate you support is not.

Post a black square on IG because everyone is doing it.

Good Lord. Those fine upstanding Baptist women invented virtue signaling. Talk shit about your neighbor, lie cheat and steal. But then show up for the Sunday Church dinner with your finest casserole and fried chicken just to show your fellow congregants how fucking amazingly holy you are.

R28, I think that goes beyond virtue signaling. That sort of behavior should be considered rank hypocrisy.

Virtue signalling isn't exclusive to any one political ideology or persuasion.

For me, obviously cis gendered people who feel the need to state their pronouns are (usually) virtue signaling. It's not really about making trans people feel included. Rather, it's about publicly aligning oneself to a particular ideology.

R11 and R22 have it. The rest are either right wing trolls or have drunk their koolaid

No, r31. Some aspects of human behavior exist irrespective of where one falls on the political spectrum.

I think at its core, virtue signaling is about wanting to feel part of a community of believers -- religious, political, or something else. It's about wanting to appear that one belongs in that group, that one believes the right things. It's a very basic human need.

As with anything, some people "virtue signal" for the sole purpose of the humble brag - making sure others know how very aware and socially active they are. "Did everyone see my selfie at the BLM march? Rainbow flags, everyone! Hashtag hashtag"

HOWEVER, some people classify EVERYTHING as "virtue signaling" even when it isn't. I think some jaded people probably thought the post about all the elephants dying was "virtue signaling." "You can't possibly really care about elephants, you're just virtue signaling." No, I actually do love elephants, and wish they weren't under threat.

You can be genuinely active and concerned about something, and that doesn't mean you're virtue signaling. It's usually the people who have to make sure the world repeatedly knows how active they are. A simple statement of care and concern is not equivalent to virtue signaling.

I think it’s the proclamation of good deed doing without doing any deeds aka Twitter.

Caring about something and even stating that you care - does not at all mean you're virtue signaling.

Having to convince others repeatedly - humble bragging about how "woke" you are - is virtue signaling.

It's okay to state that you care - but when you have a superficial need to make sure everyone knows - then it's time to stop your virtue signaling.

I disagree that doing something and speaking or even bragging of it are virtue-signalling. Virtue-signalling is when words are all you offer, wokeness with no delivery, expressions of support without actual support - a statement with no actual donation, investment or work. A hashtag is pure virtue-signalling. It is usually accompanied by scolding others. It shades into hypocrisy pretty much inevitably.

A much better example for this site would be people who pretend to be gay-friendly but are merely hiding the tsunami of homophobia coming from rap music, the Baptist/Evangelical church, the hood and the entire continent of Africa.

‘Faggot’ is always at the edge of their tongues waiting to be used at any moment!

Other than that, these people are extremely woke/superior/judgemental/micro transgressed!

It's a meaningless phrase, as half the time you can't guess whether someone's motives are genuine anyway. If you think someone is "virtual-signaling," it almost always says more about you than the person who is supposedly doing it.

There are currently several thousand refugee children living in the most deplorable conditions imaginable in the Moria refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece. Several NGOs in the Netherlands have pleaded with the government to resettle these children with Dutch families, but while the government has committed to supporting the children financially provided they remain in Greece, it will not allow them to enter the country. The organization that wants to drive down to Greece to remove these children from the camp and personally bring them back to the Netherlands--some of the most impassioned people you will ever meet--has been accused by the far right of "virtue-signaling," even with concrete plans in place; some intend to foster a child themselves. So it can be an easy way to quickly deligitimize even the most heartfelt initiatives.

If you feel the need to defend people who are virtue signaling, you are probably a virtue signaler.

Some of the recent virtue signaling is almost comic. Like the mansions in Hancock Park that have measly BLM signs in their windows (as if to say, "Please don't attack my beautiful home, I swear, I like black people -- but mostly I just don't want my home destroyed).

R40, I think that's more just not wanting your home burned down by the socialists.

Actual virtue signaling isn't just "SJWs," it's anyone who performatively gives to a charity or endorses a good cause in a way that makes it obvious they want kudos and attention.

A lot of the political examples of virtue signaling given here in this thread are actually examples of dogwhistles.

"Virtue signaling" as a phrase is used mainly by alt-right assholes nowadays though, and they accuse everyone of it. Say something like "The cops were wrong to be talking about starting a race war to wipe all n*ggers off the planet" and an alt-right fuckwit will say you're just "virtue signaling."

[quote]For me, obviously cis gendered people who feel the need to state their pronouns are (usually) virtue signaling. It's not really about making trans people feel included. Rather, it's about publicly aligning oneself to a particular ideology.

This 100X

If you use the phrase “virtue signaling” you are a fucking deplorable or someone who apologized for their ilk. The concept comes right from 4chan and the alt right. If you use it, you are no better. We always had hypocrites and called them such. Virtue signaling is a concept that was specifically created and promulgated by sociopaths to call into question any kind of altruism.

R44 is a virtue signaller extraordinaire.

Typically, can't see nuance or the idea that two things can be true at once, i.e. 1) the term MAY (emphasis may) have originated on the alt-right, and 2) people of all political persuasions use it today.

how LIMITED

Black Lives Matter could flood the poorer neighborhoods of Chicago this July 4th weekend and save 20 lives!

[quote] Actual virtue signaling isn't just "SJWs," it's anyone who performatively ...

Anyone who uses "performatively" in a DL post is definitely virtue signaling.

It's a term right-wing idiots use to bash liberals. Only stupid people use it.

It’s using good deeds, social causes, or philanthropy on social media to make yourself look good when the reality is you’re just jumping on a the bandwagon d’jour for optics.

It’s also a disproportionate amount of rage in the comments section, which is usually in all caps and starts with, “SO WHAT YOU’RE SAYING IS..” following by a gross misinterpretation, generalization or distortion which is a pretext for sharing some personal anecdote that makes them look superior or more “woke”.

Liberal here. Virtue signaling is real. It comes down to sincerity. You know damn whether someone has always practiced what they preach, or if they suddenly started promoting how "woke" they are when they saw everyone else around them doing it. Plenty of examples of that on social media in the past couple months.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

R51 thst is called a circular firing squad lol

Sign of the times.

*that

It's a term alt righters use to minimize the efforts regular non-racist people .

R54 [quote] ... the efforts regular ...

Oh, dear.

No, calling bullshit on virtue signaling doesn’t make you right wing. It means you have critical thinking skills. There’s real altruism and investment in social justice issues, and people just using them to appear socially conscious on social media.

Sweats and PF Flyers signal cheap.

Shiny leotards and $85 workout shoes show you're SERIOUS about getting in shape.

There's no such thing, according to many progressive Dataloungers!

I have never thought of it as political or belonging to any of political leaning. It happens on all sides. To me it is all talk with no action with the talk being to make you look good, fit in, or get attention from your group of choice on a moral / ethical or current topic. It is quick and easy moral outrage or support - just a few clicks and voila, you have done your part.

Exactlu it’s just faux activism

Symbolic gestures taken as a method of demonstrating to the people around you your superior morality.

Current major example would be the yard sign phenomenon in wealthy liberal areas, where people put up preachy signs saying "We don't care who are, just that you're our neighbor," in a bunch of languages they don't speak, or maybe a black sign with "We're listening," (i.e. don't break our windows.)

A.k.a. Secular bible thumping.

#jesuisselfish=I am virtue signalling my honesty.

Virtue Signaling: self righteous fake wokeness

Here.

R56 unfortunately if you have critical thinking skills and don't simply follow the herd and parrot all the correct "woke" lines, you are considered to be a right-wing Trumpster by DL. Trust me.

If you want to understand virtue signaling, simply read some threads on Nextdoor. It is over-run with scoldy white people yelling at others about how black lives matter and if you're not attending protests you're part of the problem, but 2 weeks earlier they were screaming that everyone should stay home and wear their masks and social distance otherwise they're basically murdering thousands of people by spreading the virus. Now they're back to the virus scolding because to them the black lives matter thing is so June and the 4th of July is coming and OMG some people might spread the virus this weekend.

Virtue-signalling SJWs polarize me HARD in the opposite direction, though I keep those indoor thoughts to myself.

Yes, R67, we have to keep those thoughts to ourself otherwise the DL woke scolds will FF us and we'll be banned from DL for six months.

Virtue Signaling is just another of those right-wing terms used to attack and dismiss the left.

r69, think again.

Why would I do that, R70? I'm right.

No you aren’t, r70. Now sit down.

"Anyone using that term is a cunt from hell."

And tell us what is someone using the term "cunt" but calling himself a "progressive"?

R24^^^

R72, I'm completely rigjt. It's a term invented by the right-wing to demonize and dismiss those of us on the left. You're just dancing to the alt-right tune they're playing.

Term or no term, r75, the concept itself is not new, and it applies to people on all points of the political spectrum.

Do look into acquiring some nuance.

Well, it isn't all the alt-righties who are driving around flaunting their C-O-E-X-I-S-T bumper stickers.

Those are the ne plus ultra of virtue signaling.

No it's the alt-right demonizing people for making a statement supporting peaceful coexistence.

Whites being offended on behalf of blacks is virtue signalizing. The black community has brought this up a million times. Everyone wants to prove how morally superior they are by acting outraged when they don’t actually do a damn thing to change it.

R78, did you just virtue signal in a thread about virtue signaling?

[quote]it isn't all the alt-righties who are driving around flaunting their C-O-E-X-I-S-T bumper stickers

Flaunting?

And somehow a "Grab mah pussy, Trump!" is less offensive than some old "coexist" sticker put on a car back in 2003?

R81 You can't make value judgements like 'less offensive' or 'more offensive'.

Offence is a personal reaction to something. It changes from person to person and decade to decade and fad to fad.

Mitt Romney, the king of private equity vulture capitalism, ruining jobs and economic security, marching in Black Lives Matter demonstration, is virtue signaling.

[quote] There's no such thing, according to many progressive Dataloungers!

Exhibit A: r69's post!

The alt-right detest progressive values. 'Virtue signaling' is one of the buzzword expressions they coined to call into question the sincerity of those who hold such values.

'SJW' ('social justice warrior') is another.

The use of such expressions generally identifies one as an alt-righter or member of the far right.

R85 not at all. What bullshit. I am progressive left and use both terms for acts of mendacity.

Then you'd best stop doing it, R86. Both terms are proprietary alt-right lingo.

Furthermore:

r86, you'd better listen to the righteousness officer at r87, or she's sure to write you up and report you.

I don't agree with that linked analysis. It is not true in Europe, in any case. The left can and does use these terms.

When they don't know any better, perhaps, R90.

R85 What is your definition of "progressive"?

Then they're just supporting the alt-right, R90.

It doesn't work your way, hun.

Who you talking to, R94?

The dumb cunts who think the left doesn't use SJW to snark about the idiots SJWs.

R86/R94/R96 isn't "progressive left" at all. Read its posting history; it's a troll.

[quote] [R85] What is your definition of "progressive"?

It is whatever [italic]I[/italic] believe. I am the model of goodness.

Give it up, R98 - you and your socks have been exposed. You've lost.

R85, do you want my manhood up your love shaft?

Even if the alt-right started it and does it, I see it constantly done by progressives on Twitter to tut-tut those of us who don’t fall sufficiently in line. I’ve never been Folxed by a Republican.

And I was just reading about the softball team that quit en masse after its manager tweeted to Trump their supposed support of THE FLAG. That wasn’t virtue signaling, that was AWESOME.

[quote]Even if the alt-right started it and does it, I see it constantly done by progressives on Twitter...

If they're on Twitter, R101, how do you know they're really progressives? Especially if they're using the lingo of the Right?

The same situation obtains here. Anonymous online personas are really a cipher; they could be anything.

And if it quacks like a duck...

Define "Folxed", please.

See also: Clicktivism -a policy of using the internet to take direct and often militant action to achieve a political or social aim.

Best example: Stop Kony 2012 campaign, celebrities were retweeting and sharing it like crazy over social media, bit the dieectorof the film snapped and was taped screaming naked on a public street

Mike Pence's 'never dine alone with a woman' rule (unless the woman is mother Karen).

R105 That's actually a great conservative example. Christians virtue signal like crazy, all the time.

R106, it takes a alt-righter to describe or think of it in those terms, though. Those who speak of 'virtue signaling' do not believe that virtue exists, or if it does, it is worthy of nothing but contempt. Describing the prudishness, moralism, and hypocrisy of Christians does not require either the perspective or the vocabulary of the Right.

Good definition given in this article:

"Virtue signalers are, essentially, phonies and showoffs—folks who adopt opinions and postures solely to garner praise and sympathy or whose good deeds are tainted by their need for everyone to see just how good they are. Combined with a culture that says only victimhood confers a right to comment on certain issues, it's a big factor in online pile-ons and one that certainly contributes to social media platforms being such a bummer sometimes."

Unsurprisingly, a study has found this behavior is linked to naricissism and sociopathy. Wonders abound!

R107 It's not alt-right just because you say it is. Not your place to tell other people what they can and can't say, either. Fascist cunt.

Virtue signalling is practically anything you have ever heard out of the mouth of the Duchess Markle.

R109, the term comes from The Spectator, a right-wing UK magazine. You're free to say whatever you want, but you should also be aware of how these right-wing buzzwords are being used by the alt-right to demean and silence those of us on the left.