Why shouldn't people do good things for the publicity?
Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:53 pm
There's this idea in society that if you do good things, you're not expected to brag about it, or even worse - do it for the good publicity. It seems increasingly common that when celebrities donate to a charity, people tend to view it as an empty gesture because they appear to be doing it primarily to keep up their the public image. What is so wrong with that? What harm or difference comes from doing something for the benefit of your public image? At the end of the day, they're still doing something positive for society. Strictly viewing this in a utilitarian way, that would be what matters most.
The assessment I've come to is that people tend to dislike this because they don't see these people as truly good individuals because they're really doing it for a selfish endeavor, and it's more about questioning their character. But isn't selfishness what drives all of our actions, anyway? When we do a good deed, we're doing it for our own self-interest of wanting to feel good from helping that person. We can never do something that simultaneously goes against our will, and everything we actively do turns out to be selfish, regardless. Or at least at our own self-interest.
When we consider this, doesn't the difference begin to seem blurry? Celebrities who want to publicly make large contributions to a charitable cause are selfish, and if they don't make it so public they're still selfish because they just want their empathetic feel-goods. Why is one incentive significantly worse than the other?
The assessment I've come to is that people tend to dislike this because they don't see these people as truly good individuals because they're really doing it for a selfish endeavor, and it's more about questioning their character. But isn't selfishness what drives all of our actions, anyway? When we do a good deed, we're doing it for our own self-interest of wanting to feel good from helping that person. We can never do something that simultaneously goes against our will, and everything we actively do turns out to be selfish, regardless. Or at least at our own self-interest.
When we consider this, doesn't the difference begin to seem blurry? Celebrities who want to publicly make large contributions to a charitable cause are selfish, and if they don't make it so public they're still selfish because they just want their empathetic feel-goods. Why is one incentive significantly worse than the other?