Feeling a little uncomfortable about all this virtue signalling

Your last sentence Nfk sums it up for me.

Thanks to annsixty. Life should be about sharing, caring in real time.
Am thankful to GN for insight and sharing,but hope that we are all, in the end, looking to help others.

I had a teacher once who told us that much of the virtue of a good deed consisted in doing it anonymously, partly to spare the embarrassment of the recipient and partly to ensure you were not doing it to indulge your own spiritual pride. Virtue signalling is explained then by this acute observation which puts the emphasis on the ‘signalling’ rather than the ‘virtue’.

Additionally, it seems to me that many so-called charitable acts are problematic and, examined closely case by case, might prove to be more mischievous than helpful. I heard a radio piece once after much public money was devoted to taking people off the street. A case worker was arguing that giving money to rough sleepers was very harmful as it was almost always spent on drugs or alcohol which harmed the recipient.

I am not arguing against charitable acts per se but they need to be done in an informed and genuinely useful way.

GillT57 could not agree with you more.

Excellent post, lilyflower.

Anyone remember a chap who was on the news a year or two back as he was attempting to do an act of random kindness every day for a year? Some of the things he said he was doing was stuff I would do without considering it to be other than good manners. I found it rather sad.

The greatest pleasure I know is to do a good action by stealth and have it found out by accident. thus said the 19th century writer Charles Lamb and it is still true.A thought that virtue signallers might like contemplate and act on.

Had a posting on our local Facebook page from someone who had found an elderly woman wandering around who did not know where she was meant to be and was somewhat disassociated! The poster wanted to know if anyone knew who she was. Eventually, she contacted the Police!

And these people breed!

I'm surprised she didn't give her a makeover, cook her dinner, then post a photo to prove it.

I tried to help an elderly lady across a very busy road. Promptly told to Eff-Off. She said " you do gooders get on my Effin nerves! ?

I remember that NfkD, yes, it was things that most people would take for granted as being good manners or kind.

It takes all kinds!

On the whole I enjoy FB.
A few years ago I was disgusted to learn of a good friends death on there though.... It made my blood boil ?. It wasn't even a member of her family that had posted it!!
Stealth boasting is distasteful in any form. I have unfriended people who think posting about how fabulous they are donating a pack of tampons to a food bank or how many Xmas presents each child received and how much it all cost is 'normal and acceptable '.
Life is sad sometimes.

MissAdventure. I loved your last post! However I am posting to defend Facebook. It is whatever we choose it to be, good or bad or somewhere in between, like people. I use it a lot to publicise my charity, but I also find it gives me the opportunity to judge others. It's hilarious at times. Is this vice-signalling I wonder?

Well, they do say ‘no good deed goes unpunished’