Before the oh-so-infamous winter term, I wrote an article about hashtagging outside of Twitter and how we use this fine social media attribute as a crutch for comedy. For 502 words, I ranted about how much I cannot stand logging onto Facebook and seeing "#freeweezy." But here's the kicker — while writing this article, I knew that I was one of those unnecessary hashtaggers.
I, Maeve "Danger" McDonough, am a hypocrite. And you are most likely one too.
Hypocrisy is something we all do. Everyday we encounter it in its natural form. From American politics to that person who says they are a vegetarian but really eats pepperoni on the down low, hypocrisy is everywhere and it is absurd to not admit it.
We are all guilty of it, but we seem unable to acknowledge it. Our society loves to narrow in on people and call them out for doing what they said they would never do. Once that finger is turned and pointed at us, we panic.
Pointing out hypocrisy is a mob mentality. For example, when I called out hashtaggers across America I had simultaneously pole vaulted on the bandwagon with my friends, not only because they were all in disgust, but for the sake of comedy. Hashtaggers have been hated on nationwide so much that it became second nature for me to be subconsciously excessively bothered by the idea of them as well, even though I am one.
Another great contributor to our society's hypocrisy is media. Yeah, I know what you are thinking — "great, another person blaming their derpiness on media." But hear me out. Everyday we are exposed to so much media — celebrity nonsense, political shenanigans and corporate hoopla. Celebrities are often seen posing nude for PETA then caught wearing coats made of baby animal fur and tears.
Politicians are called out for flip flopping positions and sending out inappropriate photos right after a rally for family values. Corporate America is seen filing for bankruptcy immediately after buying their CEOs their own private jets.
We are constantly surrounded by hypocrisy whether we realize it or not. The ones that do go noticed are addressed in that mob mentality. It is easier to point the finger at someone in a group. It is easier to hide behind all these other people, even if the thing being called out is something we do, just so we are not the one on the spot.
But to return to my original point: #freeweezy. To return to my secondary point, hypocrisy is more common than we realize. If we so choose, we can slowly break up our witch hunt of hypocrites if we could just admit the first time around, "I do that. I enjoy that." Instead of spending time hating the player, we can spend the time doing what we really like.
— McDonough is a freshman from Glen Ellyn, Ill., majoring in communications. opinion@thedepauw.com