By David
If you’ve got a minute, have a read of this definition. It’s copied from Wikipedia.
“Hypocrisy is the claim of holding beliefs, feelings, standards, qualities, opinions, behaviors, virtues, motivations, or other characteristics that one does not in actual fact hold. It is the practice of engaging in the same behavior or activity for which one criticizes another. It is the failure to follow one’s own expressed moral rules and principles.
Robert Wright wrote that “Human beings are a species splendid in their array of moral equipment, tragic in their propensity to misuse it, and pathetic in their constitutional ignorance of the misuse.” Humans are very good at challenging the beliefs of other people, but when it comes to their own beliefs, they tend to protect them, not challenge them. Humans tend to judge others by their behavior, but think they have special information about themselves – that they know what they are “really like” inside – and thus effortlessly find ways to explain away selfish acts, and maintain the illusion that they are better than others.
Psychologists like Jonathan Haidt and Steven Pinker maintain that most if not all the major atrocities in human history were carried out by ordinary people who believed that they were good – that they had God on their side – and that their enemies were pure evil. Hypocrisy is one of the most difficult human conditions to correct – mainly because those with the problem are not aware of it. “We are so skilled at putting on a show of virtue that we fool even ourselves.”
Far be it from me to call Swimming New Zealand a bunch of hypocrites. Far be it from me to accuse Christian Renford of gross hypocrisy. Instead it would be better for you to decide. Consider the following two Christian Renford messages. You can then choose the type of behavior they represent. First, consider a communication posted on the SwimVortex website this week.
“Swimming New Zealand has joined Australia’s criticism of an NBC proposal to have swimming finals at the 2016 Rio Olympics held after 9pm and even between 10 pm and midnight to suit US prime time broadcast times.
The New Zealand federation issued the following statement in response: “While the schedule for the Rio Olympics has not been finalized, it has been mooted that the evening sessions for swimming will start at 10pm, a suggestion that has been criticized by the Australian Olympic Committee and leading swimmers”
“Swimming New Zealand has joined the Australian criticism suggesting the idea, whether real or considered, would not be in the best interests of swimmers and would place an unreasonable demand on them. While we appreciate the importance of commercial considerations in the successful staging of an Olympics, that should not impinge on the welfare of the athletes which must remain paramount. If the report is factual, a 10pm start time would mean some swimmers may not get back to the village until 1am or 2am which is completely unreasonable. We will certainly make our feelings known to FINA and hope good sense would prevail if this report is to be believed.”
That seems pretty clear doesn’t it? Christian Renford is pissed off that the IOC may be considering asking swimmers to compete late at night. A decision like that, he says “should not impinge on the welfare of the athletes which must remain paramount.” Clearly Renford believes that swimming through the night is not good for Lauren Boyle or anyone else. Certainly, in this case, he has sprung, fitfully, to defend the welfare of the athletes. Remember – “which must remain paramount.”
Sceptics may accuse Renford of simply trying to buddy-up to the Australians. Perhaps, though, the welfare of New Zealand swimmers is his real concern. Who knows?
But consider the second Christian Renford message from a few months ago. Remember when he was perfectly relaxed about approving a swim meet swum from the shallow end of the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre. So relaxed, that he signed a World Record Application form swearing on a stack of bibles that the pool complied with all FINA rules. Apparently Christian Renford and Swimming New Zealand were so relaxed that they didn’t give a damn that the pool was dangerously shallow and was certainly below the minimum depth specified in FINA rules.
Where was Renford or Swimming New Zealand’s “the welfare of the athletes which must remain paramount” on that occasion? Not if there is a world record at stake it seems. It appears that in the SNZ world the “welfare of the athletes” does not extend to their own back yard or their own behavior.
Are we really to believe the message that SNZ appears to be sending? Is Renford saying that swimmers losing teeth on the bottom of the Kilbirnie pool or potentially breaking a skull or spine is fine but, for the SNZ Millennium pampered few, losing a few hours’ sleep in Rio is an “unreasonable demand”.
I happen to agree that swimming through the night is a crazy idea. There is no way midnight swim meets should ever happen. But asking Lauren Boyle, or anyone else, to start races at the shallow, and non-complying, end of the Kilbirnie Pool and then signing a form saying the pool satisfies all FINA’s athlete’s welfare standards – is a million times worse.
So there it is. What do you think? Wikipedia says hypocrisy is “the practice of engaging in the same behavior or activity for which one criticizes another. It is the failure to follow one’s own expressed moral rules and principles.” SNZ tells us late night swim meets must be banned because “the welfare of the athletes which must remain paramount”. And on the other hand SNZ approves the use of a dangerous pool in Wellington and tells the world that the pool meets all of FINA’s safety standards. Does that seem to you like criticizing the behavior of others but failing to follow the same principles oneself? If it does? Well I guess, if the cap fits, SNZ will just have to wear it.
But sadly, remember the final Wikipedia note of caution.
“Hypocrisy is one of the most difficult human conditions to correct – mainly because those with the problem are not aware of it. “We are so skilled at putting on a show of virtue that we fool even ourselves,”
And that sums up 17 Antares Place just about perfectly.
PS Two sources have told me this week that Villanueva and Lyles are not seeing eye to eye on several issues; for example, I am told, the selection of swimmers for the December Queensland Championships. Perhaps cracks are beginning to appear in the Millennium façade.
