International Peace Day

I must do a lot of virtue signalling, and I'm proud to do so.
I sign petitions to stop the war in Syria and Yemen. I sign petitions to ask the government to stop penalising the poor and to stop privatising the NHS.
I sign petitions to stop people being executed in the US or Iraq or Pakistan.
I then pass these on to my family, who put it on facebook. The message says durhamjen has signed this petition to .... Please will you.

That sounds very much like his definition of virtue signalling.

However, the reason I am proud to do so is because I know it helps. In various situations where our government can do something to help, they do not. However, the government in the country targeted quite often change their minds.

Like the virtuous person I am I shall choose to take no offense. You'll find me in the corner licking my wounds polishing my halo.

James Bartholomew claims to have invented the phrase 'virtue signalling' www.spectator.co.uk/2015/10/i-invented-virtue-signalling-now-its-taking-over-the-world/
"I coined the phrase in an article here in The Spectator (18 April) in which I described the way in which many people say or write things to indicate that they are virtuous. Sometimes it is quite subtle. By saying that they hate the Daily Mail or Ukip, they are really telling you that they are admirably non-racist, left-wing or open-minded. One of the crucial aspects of virtue signalling is that it does not require actually doing anything virtuous. It does not involve delivering lunches to elderly neighbours or staying together with a spouse for the sake of the children. It takes no effort or sacrifice at all."

Just thought I'd set the record straight

I'm pretty sure grannyactivist isn't someone who will be too bothered by a bit of gentle teasing.

The rest of you - enjoy.

Good point Penstemmon - is it only worth doing if it is done in secret (with only God knowing, if that is your belief system...). I don't see what is wrong with saying something like "We donate every month to the RNLI" (if it comes up in conversation) because it might inspire someone to think about their own charitable giving.
I think this rather unpleasant new term "virtue signalling" is a kind of nastiness that reminds me of school bullies saying "Oo-oo teacher's pet" and the like. I was under the impression that it arose when people were showing off about how healthy their diet was or something like that. But maybe I got that wrong.
I think also in certain strands of Christianity there is a "Keep it between yourself and God - you'll get your reward for good works in heaven" tradition.
However: In Matthew 15:15, Jesus said, “Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel but on a candlestick.” Which would seem to indicate that he approved of sharing good deeds and thoughts.

thatbags there is clearly a difference in people boasting about charitable good works undertaken purely for personal kudos rather than those who do so for more altruistic /private reasons. However if all good deeds are done in secret there is nothing to encourage others or to show how positive actions do make a difference. And that is important. What about people raising money for charity through sponsorship..does that countas Virtue Signalling, volunteers in charity shops, shaking collecting tins etc. are publicly showing their good deeds! Where do we draw the line??

I never got the impression from school RE lessons that Jesus spoke about his own charitable acts. I got the impression he talked about principles of charity and goodwill and acted accordingly but that it was other people who "spread the news" of his goodness.

This is some of the reason why it troubles me when people talk about the "good things they have done" and why I mentioned the Action Not Words motto.

I have never and will never object in the slightest to people talking about ways to achieve peace, to people telling others about organisations that work for peace, or to those who give examples (without blowing their own personal trumpet) of the sorts of things they think might make a difference.

I think most decent people (and most people are decent) do things/take action to improve society when they can.

This post will not be popular but my reason for posting is to state my genuine feelings and beliefs about what appears to me to be something that could be called painting in one's own halo. There is something akin to boasting, I would feel if I did it, in making sure others know how good one is because one lists one's charitable acts.

I have tried to express this in as impersonal a way as I can. I do not mean to attack any person, but to question a certain type of behaviour, behaviour that none of my most respected teachers (including my parents) would have encouraged. My school teachers and my parents did encourage social responsibility and helpfulness.

It is clear on this thread to see why world peace is so difficult to achieve. It seems to me that some thoughtless /unkind responses to a genuine post, aiming to undermine and demoralise, are exactly the way conflicts are maintained to serve individual/national/factional interests. The Peace Pledge Union have been around for years & support debate and action on ways to promote peace/avoid conflict. We need that today as much as ever!
I think the populist & now politically used phrase "virtue signalling" is like a comfort blanket to some people who choose not to do anything but moan & a gift to those who would prefer the efforts of those involved in "good works" to stop. There are hundreds & thousands of the population who say they want peaceful solutions to conflicts. How clear a message would that be to politicians etc. if all those had worn a symbol as a show of unity on one day. It will never have instant impact but it does gradually begin to influence thinking and behaviour if we see others taking action. I listened to refugees from Syria speaking, on Saturday, about how it does help to know that there are people in the world who want to help them and who will speak out on their behalf. I am not a pacifist as I do think sometimes the last resort has to be military but I would argue that nations jump in with weaponry too quickly and the 'jawjaw' stage is overlooked.

www.stopwar.org.uk/index.php/news-comment/2189-journalists-are-too-scared-to-come-refugees-on-the-forgotten-war-in-yemen

You think they really asked for this? Cluster bombs - which are illegal now, by the way - dropped from the best planes sold to Saudi by the British killing 87% of the children?
There are nine countries in a coalition to attack Yemen, but it's only Saudi that is doing that, bombing hospitals and schools.

Last year when South Yemen (Aden) was being bombed by rebels they were praying for intervention from Saudi Arabia.

That's why there are more groups than the PPU, Lucky.
Campaign against the arms trade are asking people to contact their MPs and get them to support the stopping of selling arms to Saudi so they cannot use them to kill in Yemen.

Oh dear - what a tangle.

I do not think that the wearing of a white poppy has no value; but simply that the current world situation is so overwhelmingly dreadful that it feels such a small thing.

But I also agree that awful behaviour is part of the human condition - when I look back and think about the news that has flashed past my eyes during my lifetime, Biafra, the IRA, the Bade-Meinhoff gang and so much more, it seems that terrorism and war have always (and likely always will be) with us.

I wish that wearing a white poppy would change that in some way. Let us hope that the Peace Pledge Union can do some good work - I wish them well, but in my heart I think they are no match for the vested business interests that fuel the arms trade with the collusion of the politicians.

Well, I'm not on my own, jingl.

Flip me! Any more coming out of the woodwork?

Yes. Infinitely more worthwhile. (Although I don't remember the "weeping and wailing")

Don't worry about not understanding why I put the grin.

Thank you stansgran you have put it in a nutshell.
Not beneath my contempt jingl for the belittling of ga's efforts to make a WORLD OF DIFFERENCE to her young people and your dismissal of efforts for peace. Not "crass" or " virtue signalling" . However, enjoy your s and expletives, you are welcome to them.

Jinglebellfrocks I don't understand why you had to put a grin after over the years. If you were being unpleasant about granny activist or my comment they please say so. You weep and wail over children drowning or wounded children in the bombing of Aleppo on Gransnet but mock others trying maybe ineffectually who wear a white poppy . Perhaps if I said weeping and wailing on the internet was trying to make people think what a caring person you are but then surely actions speak louder than words and fostering children from the war zone is infinitely more worthwhile than saying how upset you are about children in Aleppo.

"Why not go,the whole hog and just have a good old laugh about Aleppo while you are at it."

Beneath contempt.

Because lobbing gratuitous insults (Saint Tegan )or heavy sarcasm about granny activist simply shows a poverty of spirit.
Joking about peace or someone whose DD lost her husband, who has responded to violence with real charity? Why not go,the whole hog and just have a good old laugh about Aleppo while you are at it.

I haven't noticed any cheap laughs on this thread.

(" and this is not it.")

Why not?

So why do you have to knock it jingl? There are some types of person who take delight in mocking and belittling the efforts and achievements of others.
Is it so very hard to admit that someone has made their own personal contribution to the bastard situation of the conflicts iin Syria or Afghanistan?
Ga can't solve the whole war but she has made an enormous difference for two people.
There is a time and a place for cheap laughs and this is not it.

Sharing what we do for our causes, whatever they are, can encourage others to do the same. Posting insensitive comments about an inoffensive OP can also encourage others to do the same. The first is infinitely preferable.