Student Article
The Rise of "Virtue Bullies": How Self-Righteous Shaming Conquered the Internet
Mean (adjective): Unkind or cruel.
Virtue (noun): A good quality or behavior.
Bullying (noun): The act of being mean to someone repeatedly.
Respectful (adjective): Showing respect or consideration for others.
Have you ever seen people being mean online?
What is virtue bullying?
Sometimes, people use the internet to say mean things to others. They might think they are being good, but they are actually being mean. This is called "virtue bullying." Virtue bullies say they are good people, but they use this to be mean to others. For example, they might say, "I care about helping people, so you should listen to me." But then they say mean things to anyone who disagrees with them.
How our memories can fool us
There are many reasons why people do this. Our brains have ways of making us think we are good, even when we are not. For example, we might forget the bad things we did and only remember the good things. This makes us think we are better than we really are.
When being right hurts us
People also want to feel important and liked by others. Sometimes, they think being mean to others will make them look better. This is not true, but it can make them feel good for a short time.
The real test of goodness
It's important to remember that being kind and respectful to others is what really makes us good people. We should always try to treat others the way we want to be treated.
© Dean Burnett / Our Media
Mean (adjective): Unkind or cruel.
Virtue (noun): A good quality or behavior.
Bullying (noun): The act of being mean to someone repeatedly.
Respectful (adjective): Showing respect or consideration for others.