Are the people who shout loudest about the rules the ones who break them the most?

[BoKatan]

I have a family member who has made a Facebook group purely to complain about people using support bubbles to break the rules. She invited everyone she knew on Facebook to it, including those already in support bubbles.

Anyway, this family member had overnight guests on Christmas Day when it was not permitted and throughout the summer she went on various trips and posted pictures of her clearly not social distancing with the people she was meeting.

I've noticed that a lot of people who are quite vocal about "The Rules" seem to be quite willing to break them when it suits. Is it just me that is surrounded by hypocrites or is this something others have observed?

It's like anything in life. You can work hard at your job, always be on time, always leave on time and never early, and yet that 1 person who always slacks will point out the one time you're late when your boss is there to see it. They'll get away with murder while you're made to look bad.

In fact, a common tactic to move blame away from yourself is to shift it to others.

Is your relative living on my street because Jesus Christ I was floored to open Facebook and find someone whining about people not sticking to bubbles and prolonging this for everyone when she is by far the absolute worst offender for any kind of lockdown breaking. Kids are having non stop houseparties while she’s out at her fancy mans, elderly parents are in and out of the house while she moans about how annoyed she’s getting with them being reluctant and nervous, sorry... ‘paranoid’.

I’ve seen other break the rules but none quite like this house has. Right from the start she has taken the absolute piss and now I’m wondering if she is short of some brain cells and genuinely believes she’s been sticking to it.

I’m so floored by the facebook ranting that I honestly had to close to app to stop myself saying anything.

I feel like people I know like to compete as to who can bend the rules the most or just break as many as possible. Then complain when they are in hospital or when they notice other people breaking rules

I had a neighbour in the first lockdown (she has since moved) who would regularly have video chats in her garden with friends about how people weren't obeying the rules. Then at the weekend she would have massive garden parties where everyone would get drunk and could be heard singing loudly till 2am. I just don't understand the thought processes here.

Some people do this (not just during COVID) to deflect from their own behavior. People who complain about other people speeding along a particular road are probably prone to speeding themselves.

But what this situation has done is taken away a lot of control from people’s lives so some of them respond by trying to take back control in other ways. “Reporting” people, naming and shaming on social media (be it over breaking the rooolz or not clapping for the NHS, or anything else they can think of) satisfies the need on them for something that they can have control over.

Interesting - have never considered this before but there might be something in it

BritWifeinUSA

That's an interesting way of looking at that I had never considered. It makes a lot of sense. I've certainly felt like I've lost a lot of control over my life in the last year.