Scheinheiligkeit

Another Leftist Manipulation Tactic Exposed

Learn German with me.

Scheinheiligkeit = noun

scheinheilig = adjective

Literal translation: pretending to be holy

Scheinheiligkeit is a German word that describes something in the middle of sanctimony and hypocrisy. It is a very commonly used method in German primarily online discussions or in debates. Also people on the left use it excessively. Another tactic that allows to manipulate the opponent and I will explain how.

Nothing is more surprising to me than how American events and politics enter the German discourse both online and in other public media forums. When George Floyd died because of a drug overdose while being detained by officer Derek Chauvin, Germans picked up the most leftist narrative existing on the topic: “He was an innocent black man killed by a racist police officer.” Germans learned through news on the TV how racist the police is, they openly supported the defunding of the police, and they sided with George Floyd. Poor victim.

Long story short, in Berlin in Germany, there are now a sports field and a subway station named after George Floyd. I mean “Haltung zeigen” (show attitude) is so important for Germans. So important that common sense or questioning of narratives is frowned upon.

It is less surprising now that you know the George Floyd context that Charlie Kirk and Jimmy Kimmel carry equal importance in the German media. You can guess on which side the German media stands. They are against Charlie Kirk and fully supportive of Jimmy Kimmel. A female German journalist, Dunya Hayali, is now openly playing victim and has withdrawn herself from online presence, because she was heavily criticized after she qualified Charlie’s murder as the the murder of someone who was sexist, racist, and an “enemy of humans” (Menschenfeind). Jimmy Kimmel in contrast to Charlie Kirk is being described as a victim of the violation of freedom of speech.

So far… nothing you would not expect when talking to people on the left spectrum.

But..

Here is where it gets frustrating. Germans love to show that they somehow are on the right side of history. And in order to do so, they need to engage in very typical Cluster B tactics to demonstrate that the other person, the opponent, is morally inferior. They manipulate the discussion.

I tried on X to explain to someone that Jimmy Kimmel lost his job likely because of ratings and that he as a public figure in a licensed broadcasting organization should be neutral and not telling untruths by ignoring facts that have been officially published just two days prior. To which I was confronted with ignoring what I said and instead twisting my words. “So, you are saying that no-one should broadcast anything Trump says, because it is all lies.”

“No, sorry, dummy, that would be censorship.”

I called him dummy, but I do fully believe he is using the manipulation tactic by pretending to not understand what I was saying. A purposeful misinterpretation. To appear holy and like the superior person.

The same tactic I heard for the first time in 2015 when I said: “I want rapists to be deported.” To which a self declared feminist answered: “So, you want a person of color to be raped instead. You are such a racist.”

No, you evil witch, I just do not want to import problems from other countries. I did not say that then. I would have if I heard the same argument, yesterday.

This is the word Scheinheiligkeit in action. You pretend that you do not fully understand what the other person is saying, and instead assign a very evil and malicious interpretation to their words. It is an instant manipulation tactic to put the other person on the defensive and to other them.

It is a form of dehumanization. You basically bypass the facts and argument the other person is giving and twist anything they say into what you pretended that person is all along.

This can take other forms.

“Female narcissism seems to have taken over our political discourse.” “So, you are saying women should not be in political or leadership positions?”

It is also manifested in bizarre actions many Germans engage in. For example, every single time there is an attack from someone left or islamic in Germany, there seems to be an instant explosion of protests against the far and extremist right. The reason: “We do not want the far right to exploit the incident.” It feels like reflexive, but I would no longer be surprised if these protests are wildly prepared and organized to keep control of the narrative. What it does, though, is that it gives the impression that right wing extremism is a much, much bigger problem as it is. Because you basically fight right wing radicalism for any crime being done, so the public only sees the protest against far right. But nothing against immigration or the terrorist attacks.

It reminds me of all the statistics that seem to have sprouted on X explaining how political violence is foremost a right wing problem and not coming from the left. Despite all other evidence people have seen in recent years.

How does the saying go? Do not trust a statistic you did not falsify yourself.

When you define what a crime is and you bin it yourself, it is quite easy to manipulate any statistic. This is also a form of being scheinheilig.

A trick you can apply easily to your kids’ halloween candy. “The snickers are mine. The peanut stuff is mine too. And then you have to pay tax. And the rest we store where you cannot get it.” Sounds like the government. Somehow.

“So, you are saying that sick and differently abled people do not deserve to live in dignity?”

Yes, apparently, this is exactly what I am saying.

Or on my last post: “You are expecting too much from big box companies.” Am I really expecting too much by wanting employees to understand the basics of their job? Really? I did not ask for repair advice, just a question on where to find a part.

I am not expecting too much of people when I expect them to argue with facts and counter arguments I bring forward. I do mind the twisting of words to manipulate what I have been saying into what they want me to have said. I hate being manipulated like that. We will never be able to have a common grounds argument when you refuse to listen to anything I am saying. When you declare all my facts to be the opposite, from bad sources, or given in bad spirit. You are blocking all conversations that way.

And yes, I do not think it is reading comprehension. I do not believe it is done out of stupidity.

I think it is malicious. A tactic to gain the upper hand.

The more we expose the use of these tactics, the more we are able to teach others how to spot and avoid those that argue in bad faith.

The same with people acting sanctimonious. Let’s expose them for what they are hypocrites and people with double standards.