They say they value truth and honesty, yet they lie when the truth becomes inconvenient. They pride themselves on being accepting and understanding of those who are different, yet they’re the first to label and generalize anyone whose values don’t perfectly align with theirs. They see all the nuance and complexity in their own personality but reduce others to simplistic judgments based on the smallest bits of information. They expect understanding for their own mistakes and shortcomings but are quick to criticize and condemn when someone else slips up. They claim to hate drama and negativity, yet they actively seek it out. They demand to be heard but want to silence those whose opinions they oppose. They call themselves independent thinkers who don’t just follow the crowd, yet they fiercely defend beliefs they’ve never truly questioned.

I heard someone once say that “It’s not a principle if it’s not costing you any money” and I think there’s a lot truth to that. People aren’t holding themselves up to the same standards as they do others.