Things That Are Bad When Other People Do Them…

There are faults which people tend to recognise as such only when they are manifested in people they dislike. Here are a few examples…

• Bias – To say that someone has biases is like saying that they have arms and legs.
• Censorship – Everyone dislikes being censored but few people can claim that they would not advocate censorship themselves.
• Conformism – People sneer at those who conform to ideas they disagree with but rarely chastise conformism in their own ranks.
• Extremism – Where that which is and is not extreme is measured solely by its distance from one’s views.
• Privilege – An accusation generally fired between members of the middle classes.
• Supporting the Status Quo – Bad right up until point where you are the status quo.

There are defensible forms of these accusations. Bias is bad, for example, when it influences bad ideas. Supporting the status is quo is bad when it’s a bad one. My point is that all of them require elaboration, though, unless you’re just trying to smear an opponent at all costs.