Virtue signalling got a bad name during the woke years. It is associated with behaviour designed to make you look morally superior and, as such, it is synonymous with insincerity or naivety.

Think of tech companies flying rainbow flags outside their offices as they dismantled legal and democratic institutions for economic gain. Or think of universities deplatforming controversial speakers while proclaiming to uphold freedom of inquiry.

But not all virtue signalling is hypocritical. Committing publicly to a moral standpoint can encourage someone to act on their stated position. Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez provides an example. He broke ranks with EU leaders by publicly criticising the US-Israeli war on Iran and has backed up his words with a decision to withdraw Spain’s ambassador to Israel. Whether or not you agree with the decision, one can see how signposting virtue increases the likelihood of concrete action.

Within the Trump administration, the definition of virtue is quite different. Secretary of war Pete Hegseth demonstrates his virtue by posting workout videos and images of him doing push ups and lifting weights. At the same time, he fantasises about bombing enemies with an intensity beyond “politically correct wars of the past”. It seems like the more he shows off his muscles, the more bloodthirsty he becomes.

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Unifil says........

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