"The notion of virtue-signalling the act of performing progressive stances that don't cost you anything in order to burnish your own moral credentials has been around since at least the 00s. In a political sense, it meant always being the one who reminded others to say chairperson not chairman; always manning the barricades for signs of bigotry, always being on the right demo. If its values were sound all we're talking about, really, is trying to systematise courtesy to others"
"This is classic vice-signalling, breaking taboos in this case both general (against hate speech) and more specific (against falsely associating base or criminal traits with a race or ethnic group). He was signalling that he was prepared to go there say what the establishment would not allow, and therefore assert himself as a politician who is authentic and courageous, who cannot be muzzled."
Virtue-signalling involves public displays of progressive courtesy that cost little but signal moral credentials, often feeling performative and easy to lampoon. Vice-signalling is not a mirror of virtue-signalling; it instead involves deliberately breaking taboos and broadcasting transgressive statements to demonstrate authenticity and fearlessness. The strategy often requires prominent figures to activate its effect, as in Donald Trump’s 2015 remarks portraying Mexicans as criminals and rapists, which broke norms and signalled willingness to say what the establishment forbade. Such gestures normalize dehumanising tropes and escalate racist rhetoric, culminating in incidents like a video depicting the Obamas as apes.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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