Here’s the problem with public figures in particular: they have an extrinsic motivation to make others believe they’ve changed. You can’t actually know if they’re doing it for the money or because they actually believe it.
The same issue goes for doing good too. Do people donate to charity because they want to or because they want people to see them? Is it still good if it’s the latter? Is there a difference functionally?
blah3166@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
100% agree, but this logic applies to everyone, not just public figures.
Replace public figures with people and its just as accurate. Nobody wants to be the bad guy, even demon-spawn incarnate, Stephen Miller tries to put everything in a positive light "detaining violent illegals" vs "breaking innocent families apart and sending them to concentration camps".
Judge people based on their actions, not their words.
Cethin@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
I agree, though it’s to a much lesser extent. Regular people can find a small group that support whatever views that have without any push back. Public figures make money (or get elected, or whatever else) off of public perseption, though this sometimes creates a situation where being bad is positive for them too.