The power of “Virtue Signaling” inside jails or prisons
Social media and the mainstream
media has created a very superficial means to address grievances, incidents of
concern, fear, shock and even hatred by creating an emotional outburst or
display of some value of morality or ethical grounds. What is really a lazy and
easy way of creating a message to provoke empathy by others is a dangerous tool
to be aware of inside prisons.in society, it is often abused to an extent that
it causes conflict on the streets through protesters clashing with each other.
Prisoners are known to be master manipulators and giving
them another tool to play against staff is very concerning. Look at what we are
dealing with here. What we supervise, manage or control are great pretenders.
People who learn quickly of the lessons learned by others and because they are
a variety of educated, uneducated and immature individuals, they learn quickly
how to use the tools of social media to apply them to their own reasons to
protest, find things to be offensive or sometimes downright resist law and
institutional order. In other words, its designed to change the mindset of
others around them.
What has the term come to mean? A common term or purpose of
this kind of behavior is to gain approval of something that they think has a
“moral value.” However, the reality is that they are more of a hypocrite with
their message because, inside themselves,
it is not a reality. They don’t believe it, participate in it or just don’t
bother to actually get involved in it. In other words, they are gestures, just
mere gestures. Gestures without any commitment. Sounds familiar doesn’t it as
you can put a name to the person who does this on your cellblock or unit. Of
course, there are always exceptions to the rule and find those individuals who
are staunch and strong headed believers.
Don’t get me wrong – there are some who are sincere but few
at the best. They may act in the name of religion, traditional charity causes,
anti-violence towards women or even speak up for LGBT people. It may be in the
name of charity to raise money for cancer or gun control or standing against
domestic violence and now, it has grown into a deeper political arena of
immigration, saving the Earth and many more. In other words, they pretend to be
social warriors but inside our prisons the may become warriors of a different
kind. It may benefit them to do this in front of others to make a social
statement or position for power or influence but in reality, they are fake.
Virtue signaling is about getting people to come to your
side for your own purpose. This is not new, but we never applied a politically
correct term to the behaviors. We must recognize that its just another buzzword
we need to consider meaningless but in a prison setting, it may not be
harmless. It can cause tempers to flare, emotions to create chaos, and most of
all unite former enemies together for a common cause. In no certain stretch of
the imagination, should you consider it harmless?
It has caused riots in the past with what started as a food
strike or protest, unfair discipline or many other grievances that were
eventually found baseless in nature. In a matter of minutes, hours, or even
days or weeks, a ‘social warrior’ stirred into an emotional stage can turn into
a real warrior that wants to fight, destroy property, hold hostages or just run
amuck tearing things up and assaulting staff. By no means, this is not just
meaningless cliché but if taken lightly, a potentially menacing
situation. Virtue signaling is more than making something or someone looks
foolish – it has a significant reason to exist and although it may be
hypocritical in nature, people who do this outwardly signal their intentions or
purposes to incite other people into a
cause.
All it does in most social circles is provoke some stares,
even glares, which is what prisoners want to claim or accuse staff of
disrespect. They want to stand out as the kind of person who defends truth and
righteousness in a social climate that allegedly tries to suppress it. Can you
see the relevance inside the joint yet? In all reality, it is a great
recruitment tool for gangs, religious extremism or just unification of the
environment – us versus them.
A good manipulator can project a feeling that they are right
and show that others join his or her cause to let the administration or
custodial staff they are formed as a group now and that they are “one of them.”
In comparing these acts to so-called “virtue-signaling” gestures, it's like
changing one’s avatar considering a hate-motivated tragedy, you can see more
similarities than differences.
They’re outward displays of one’s [group or gang] moral or
ethical values that obviously don’t lead to any substantial change. Their real
function is to express that one belongs to the brave underdogs who speak up for
what’s right. For some it is “what’s right” and entails care and empathy; in
the eyes of others, it’s tradition and truth. They’re all virtues nonetheless
and connected to the environment. It can upset the tranquility of a safe and
secure prison if ignored. This message was written to build an awareness of its existence.
Young prisoners are rife with “vice signaling.” They have a game going on that is based on the
morality of right and wrong. Consider this a tug of war between law and order
as well as the institutional rules applied to them. The problem is that their
right and wrong can differ immensely with those of others. Vice signaling is
more than pranks – its sinful acts inclined to be filled with violence and
total disregard to life and being exposed to these vices inside prisons, you
can only imagine to what extent this problem exists.
“Virtue signaling” can be a positive
tool but in the prisons, the mindset is survival and power and surrounded by
the morality of strong versus the weak and cruelty and selfishness. The staff
has a responsibility to recognize their simple words and deeds of righteousness
and be able to determine whether they can truly be inspiring or destructive in
nature - after all, words and deeds of wickedness
sure can be.
So, in these times, it is most beneficial to examine motive
and behaviors instead of calling someone a mere virtue signaler. As staff
responsible for a safe and secure environment we ought to step back and examine
what’s really going on. Are they trying to inspire others or motivate
destructive or violent behaviors? Are they looking to comply or resist and are
they trying to become socially accepted within a group that shares a strong
belief or are they just sharing a social viewpoint that others agree with? Keep
in mind the opportunity of extremism and radicalization as the root of such
practices.
In any of these cases, beware of others taking advantage of
new democratized platforms to share values – it has become a strong team building
tool for various groups or causes. While token expressions might not directly
change anything in this world, they can have an indelible impact on the minds
of other prisoners and cause dissent or chaos – a designed process created by
provocation and hate. If just one person is inspired, a threat could be
building if the resolution is destructive or assaultive behaviors.
