As I grew into my mid-late 20s I was confronted with what was then a shocking realisation that the people in my life who were the most vocal and activated on matters of "compassion" and "empathy" towards minorities and the less well off, were very often the ones who could be the most cruel towards/about others in our social group, including people who were ideologically aligned with them. (I guess part of what was shocking was I realised it applied to me, as well as others I was close to).

So these days when I come across someone who makes a lot of noise about those kinds of topics, I pay close attention to how they treat people or why they say about people they know. It's often very revealing.

Related to this, I often find it interesting to note what certain people on HN say about particular causes, and then observe how they behave towards DoreenMichele.

To be clear, I don't in any way believe that everyone who cares for the needy is actually likely to be an asshole deep down; plenty of people sincerely care about these issues, demonstrate this sincerity through their actions, and are great in their treatment of other people.

But it's often those who are the most vocal and self-aggrandising whose private actions are very different to what they seek to signal with their words.

In matters of "being good vs. bad," those who seek to swing exceptionally one way, are most times fighting an inner war against accepting the other in themselves.

Call it overcompensation; perhaps even a convenient indulgence, to wash away one's real face.