# Virtue Signalling > Virtue signalling is a 2015 pejorative term popularized by journalist James Bartholomew in The Spectator, describing performative moral displays online intended to boost social reputation rather than express genuine conviction. "Virtue signalling" is a pejorative term used to accuse someone of making conspicuous public displays of moral goodness, not out of genuine conviction, but to boost their social reputation[1]. British journalist James Bartholomew popularized the expression in an April 2015 article for *The Spectator*, though the Oxford English Dictionary traces its earliest known use to 2013[3]. The term became a go-to weapon in online culture wars, deployed across Twitter, Reddit, and comment sections to dismiss everything from profile picture overlays to celebrity activism[2]. ## Origin The concept of performative morality is old. François de la Rochefoucauld wrote in the 17th century that "hypocrisy is a tribute that vice pays to virtue"[5]. But the specific phrase "virtue signalling" is a product of the 2010s. The Oxford English Dictionary records its earliest known appearance in a 2013 article in the *Vancouver Sun*[3]. Boston Globe columnist Mark Peters traced isolated uses back to at least 2004, though these early instances never gained traction[2]. The term's breakout came on April 18, 2015, when James Bartholomew published "Easy Virtue" in *The Spectator*[1]. Bartholomew described a pattern he saw everywhere: people publicly declaring approved opinions to establish moral credentials without doing anything that required effort or sacrifice. He pointed to Whole Foods posters proclaiming "values matter," to BBC presenters attacking UKIP to prove they weren't racist, and to people who announced "I hate the *Daily Mail*!" as shorthand for caring about the poor[1]. The core insight, as Bartholomew put it, was that "virtue signalling does not require actually doing anything virtuous"[6]. What made the phrase sticky was its precision. Bartholomew framed moral posturing as a "positional good" in economic terms, something you acquire to differentiate yourself from others[1]. When George Osborne proposed a £7 minimum wage, you had to demand £8 to maintain your position. If he went to £8, you upped it to £10. The bidding war for moral superiority could spiral away from any genuine concern for the people involved[1]. - **Platform:** *The Spectator* (popularization), Twitter / social media (viral adoption) - **Creator:** James Bartholomew (popularizer) - **Date:** 2015 ## Overview "Virtue signalling" describes the act of publicly expressing moral opinions or taking symbolic stances primarily to signal one's own goodness to others. The accusation implies that the person cares more about being *seen* as virtuous than actually *being* virtuous[1]. Common examples include changing a profile picture to show solidarity with a cause, posting outraged social media takes about issues without taking concrete action, or loudly proclaiming boycotts that never materialize[9]. The term draws loosely from signalling theory in evolutionary biology, where organisms display costly traits to honestly advertise their genetic fitness[12]. In this academic framework, "honest signals" are reliable because they carry real costs, like a peacock's tail that's genuinely burdensome to maintain. Virtue signalling, by contrast, suggests that modern moral displays are *cheap* signals, requiring no real sacrifice or behavioral change[1]. A person might declare "I hate 4x4s!" not because they've restructured their life around environmental principles, but because the statement earns social approval within their peer group[1]. ## How It Spread Within months of the *Spectator* piece, "virtue signalling" was everywhere in British and American political commentary. The phrase appeared across opinion columns, podcasts, and social media at a pace that caught linguists' attention[4]. The November 2015 Paris terror attacks accelerated adoption. When social media users changed their profile pictures to French tricolor overlays and posted expressions of solidarity, critics dismissed these gestures as textbook virtue signalling[4]. On November 3, 2015, the term received its first Urban Dictionary definition, with multiple entries following that ranged from clinical ("a conspicuous but essentially useless action ostensibly to support a good cause") to blunt and mocking[9]. By January 2016, *The Guardian*'s David Shariatmadari wrote that the phrase had already outlived its usefulness[2]. He called it a "lazy putdown" that had lost precision through overuse. Anyone making an argument that happened to cast them in a good light could now be dismissed: "Bill is saying something right-on / Virtue-signalling is when you say something right-on just to sound good / Therefore Bill is virtue signalling"[2]. But this critique did nothing to slow things down. Right-leaning media outlets weaponized the phrase extensively through 2016 and 2017. Publications like *PowerLine*, the *Washington Examiner*, *American Thinker*, and *Townhall* deployed it against targets ranging from gun control advocates to California's proposed paper receipt ban[5]. A 2019 survey of Google News and Bing News results showed the term appearing almost exclusively in attacks from the political right on positions associated with the left[5]. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 triggered a massive resurgence[4]. Mask-wearing, social distancing compliance, and Black Lives Matter solidarity posts all became battlegrounds for virtue signalling accusations[10]. One commentator captured the anxiety: "Will I be judged for posting a solid black screen to support BLM on my Insta? I can already hear it: 'Oh, looky here; Karen's proving her wokeness'"[10]. ## How to Use "Virtue signalling" typically functions as an accusation, not a self-description. Nobody opens with "I'm virtue signalling right now." The term gets deployed in a few common patterns: 1. **Direct dismissal:** "She's just virtue signalling" when someone makes a public moral statement you believe is insincere or performative 2. **Symbolic action callout:** Pointing out that changing a profile picture, posting a hashtag, or sharing an article does nothing practical to address the issue at hand[9] 3. **Hypocrisy attack:** Accusing someone of expressing values they don't live by, like celebrities preaching about carbon offsets before boarding private jets[10] 4. **Debate deflection:** Dismissing an opponent's moral position without engaging with its substance, effectively short-circuiting the argument[2] ## Cultural Impact The speed at which "virtue signalling" moved from a single opinion column to global political vocabulary was striking. The OED's addition of the term in 2021, with frequency data showing steady use across major varieties of English, confirmed its place in the modern lexicon[3]. The phrase changed how people argue online. Before "virtue signalling" existed, you had to actually engage with someone's moral claim. After it, you could dismiss any expression of concern with two words. Shariatmadari at *The Guardian* warned that this was dangerous: "Anyone who makes an argument that casts them in a good light can be accused of virtue-signalling. Anyone"[2]. The implication is that sincere moral expression and strategic social positioning can't coexist, when research suggests they almost always do[5]. The academic C.S. Lewis quote surfaced repeatedly in discussions of the concept. Lewis argued that we cannot competently evaluate the moral blameworthiness or praiseworthiness of others' actions because we don't know their internal framework[6]. This insight cuts both ways: we can't know if someone is "really" virtue signalling any more than we can know if they're truly virtuous. In political practice, the term took on partisan coloring. Though both sides use it, right-leaning outlets adopted it more systematically[5]. This created a perception that the accusation itself was a conservative rhetorical tool, which in turn made left-leaning users less likely to employ it against out-groups and more likely to deploy it against perceived in-group failures[8]. ## Fun Facts - Bartholomew described virtue signalling as a "positional good" in economic terms. If someone outbids you on moral concern, you have to raise your bid to keep your position. This creates an escalating auction that can detach from the actual issue entirely[1]. - The OED's earliest recorded use is from 2013, but the concept was described (without the specific phrase) by linguistic and political commentators going back to at least 2004[2][3]. - The term occurs roughly 0.5 times per million words in modern written English, making it about as common as words like "gentrification" or "mansplaining"[3]. - Comedian usage follows a specific pattern: making fun of approved targets (UKIP, bankers, the *Daily Mail*) lets audiences enjoy "a sense of community, let off some anger and have a laugh all at the same time," which Bartholomew identified as a particularly efficient form of collective virtue signalling[1]. - The Kaepernick kneeling controversy produced virtue signalling from both sides at once: protesters signalling commitment to racial justice, and counter-protesters signalling patriotic devotion, each accusing the other of insincerity[11]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is virtue signalling? Virtue signalling is a pejorative term for the conspicuous public expression of moral values, where the primary motivation is perceived to be enhancing one's social standing rather than genuine concern for the issue[1]. ### Where did virtue signalling come from? The phrase was popularized by British journalist James Bartholomew in an April 2015 article for *The Spectator*, though the OED traces its earliest use to a 2013 article in the *Vancouver Sun*[1][3]. ### What does virtue signalling mean? It means publicly taking a moral stance or expressing outrage primarily to show others that you're a good person, rather than because you genuinely care or plan to take action. As Bartholomew wrote, it "does not require actually doing anything virtuous"[6]. ### How do you use virtue signalling? The term is typically used as an accusation ("She's just virtue signalling") to dismiss someone's public moral expression as insincere or performative. It can target symbolic gestures like profile picture changes, hashtag activism, or loud boycott announcements[9]. ### Is virtue signalling still popular? Yes. The OED recorded steady frequency of about 0.5 uses per million words in modern written English as of its December 2024 update[3]. The term saw major usage spikes during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 BLM protests[4][10]. ### Who coined the term virtue signalling? James Bartholomew claims credit for popularizing the phrase in his April 2015 *Spectator* article, though he did not invent it. Mark Peters traced isolated uses back to at least 2004[2][1]. ### Is virtue signalling only a political term? No, though it's heavily used in political contexts. The accusation applies to any domain where moral posturing occurs: brand marketing, celebrity activism, social media behavior, and even interpersonal relationships[1][11]. ### Is the accusation of virtue signalling itself a form of signalling? Many commentators have made this argument. *The Guardian* called it a way of "signalling your initiation into a more sophisticated level of discourse"[2]. Critics have coined counter-terms like "apathy-signalling" and "cynicism-signalling" to describe this dynamic[13]. ### Is virtue signalling always insincere? Research by psychologists Jillian Jordan and David Rand suggests not. Their work showed that genuine moral outrage is naturally interwoven with subconscious reputation concerns, meaning most moral expression involves both authentic feeling and strategic awareness[5]. ### Do both liberals and conservatives virtue signal? Yes, but in different patterns. Conservatives tend to aim the accusation at out-groups, while liberals are more likely to turn it on members of their own community for perceived failures to uphold shared values[8]. ### When did virtue signalling enter the dictionary? The Oxford English Dictionary first published its entry for "virtue signalling" in March 2021 and last modified it in December 2024[3]. ### What's the difference between virtue signalling and slacktivism? Slacktivism refers specifically to low-effort online activism (signing petitions, sharing posts). Virtue signalling is broader, covering any moral expression perceived as primarily reputation-driven rather than action-oriented[4]. ## References 1. [Language Log » The term "virtue signaling" as virtue signaling]() 2. [virtue signaling | Jack Fisher's Official Publishing Blog]() 3. [Virtue Signaling – Meaning, Origin, Usage]() 4. [Performative male]() 5. [Virtue Signalling - Urban Dictionary]() 6. [Signalling theory - Wikipedia]() 7. [Woke Virtue-Signaling - Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter]() 8. [The Virtue of Signalling - Ordinary Times]() 9. [virtue signalling | virtue signaling, n. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary]() 10. [Celia Rivenbark: Beware Of Virtue Signaling – Working Woman Report]() 11. [Virtue Signaling Left and Right - Franklin Veaux's JournalFranklin Veaux's Journal]() 12. [H.I. #57: Podcasters React — Hello Internet]() 13. [Easy virtue]() 14. ['Virtue-signalling' – the putdown that has passed its sell-by date | David Shariatmadari | The Guardian]() 15. [virtue signalling]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/virtue-signalling Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library