Hypocrisy

hy·poc·ri·sy
1. The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.
2. An act or instance of such falseness.

Most people I know dislike being called a hypocrite - one who practices hypocrisy. This is because when someone says, "You hypocrite!" they're essentially saying, "You liar!" with few exceptions. In fact, the only instance I can think of where someone accused of, or committing, hypocrisy is NOT a liar, is where they acknowledge their flaw. I have a friend who hates it when people block their caller ID. He says he has a right to know who is phoning him. Yet he stubbornly defends his right to his own privacy and that he should be able to block his own number when phoning someone else - but he openly admits he's a hypocrite on this topic - so I can see no dishonesty here.

A hypocrite is a person who does not practice what s/he preaches. Who says they believe a certain way - but then fail to act that way. Personally speaking, I find that the most difficult hypocrites to stomach are the ones that deny their own double-standards.

If someone professes to follow a belief system where "right speech" is correct behaviour, but then fails to live up to that, that's hypocrisy. Just as someone who preaches, "Judge not!" and then condemns a person to hell. People who pass judgement or badmouth others but don't profess to follow a moral code prohibiting these behaviours are just being judgemental and badmouthing. It's not necessarily nice. It's not even admirable. But it is truly nauseating when those who advertise their belief system fail to follow it - yet accuse others of EXACTLY the same undesirable actions.

The only conclusion I can reach in my mind, is that those who exhibit such an undesirable trait are lying to themselves to make them feel better - or they are deliberately trying to bring their professed belief system into disrepute. Neither is a particularly decent thing... but both tell a lot about a person's character - or lack thereof.