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I'm looking for a word to call a person who uses a social cause as an excuse to publicly do something exceptional he loves, and who disguises its self-serving motivation behind this fake altruistic goal.

"I've painted this work of art / I'm traveling around the world on foot [I have a lot of fun doing that / I gain status / money] to sensitize against poverty / weather warming..."

Side note: you could also propose a words or expression that is used very locally (it's forbidden to ask for a new word on this forum, since according to @chappo "there can be no objective and authoritative solution" for it).

The word should specifically target actions that :

  • are exceptional (even a little)

  • attract the gaze of the public

  • are presented as something altruistic

So this question isn't a duplicate of these which target very broad (or other) concepts:

These don't fit (too broad or only describe a part of it):

  • virtue signaling

  • slacktivism (doesn't fit, but it's the kind of creative word I'm looking for: it's fun, and you don't need to know it to understand what it means)

JinSnow
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  • How about ulterior? https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ulterior, https://www.thefreedictionary.com/ulterior – Justin Sep 22 '19 at 08:08
  • @Justin thanks, but it's too broad. It doesn't draw the picture of this specific target (for instance the fun word slacktivist draw a pretty clear picture of the behavior it targets, you don't need to know the word to understand what it means) – JinSnow Sep 22 '19 at 08:12
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    Closely related: A word for someone who does something for personal gain or financial reward? and What do you call a person that goes to extreme ends to accomplish a goal? – Mari-Lou A Sep 22 '19 at 08:37
  • @Mari-LouA thanks! (I updated my question) – JinSnow Sep 22 '19 at 09:36
  • I see nothing at all specific in this question. The habit is universal. It describes the leaders of governments, religions, corporations, NGOs etc. Deception is an integral part of nearly all human action. Many people won't bother doing something unless there is an opportunity to incorporate deception into it. This is what attracts magicians, priests, grifters and magnates the world over. Consider graft means to work hard and also to swindle. We really have a hard time separating these two ideas and seldom need to. – Phil Sweet Sep 22 '19 at 09:49
  • @PhilSweet I agree, The habit is universal... Deception is an integral part of nearly all human action. But that does not mean we can't fin words to describe some specific manifestation of this trait. Many words already describe some part of it (slacktivism is one of them by the way). – JinSnow Sep 22 '19 at 10:16
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    Humblebrag is another. – Phil Sweet Sep 22 '19 at 10:33
  • Ah that's an interesting one! (Off topic, though) – JinSnow Sep 22 '19 at 10:51
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    "The term I'm looking for doesn't seem to exist. So I'm counting on your creativity to propose a new word." Sorry, but that's not how our site works. Since every answer under such a framework must necessarily be the personal opinion of the poster, there can be no objective and authoritative solution. I'm voting to close as "primarily opinion-based". @JinSnow, you might find this guidance useful. :-) – Chappo Hasn't Forgotten Sep 23 '19 at 06:55
  • It is still not clear for me why "self-serving altruism" or "self-serving activism" as proposed in one of the potential duplicates is not an option. In the end, the ulterior motive is self-serving publicity. – Juliana Karasawa Souza Sep 24 '19 at 08:59
  • @JulianaKarasawaSouza I'm looking for a word to specifically talk about those exceptional self-centered achievements disguised as altruism. That said, "sensational self-serving activism" would work, but there is probably much better/fun options. – JinSnow Sep 24 '19 at 10:36
  • The question disturbed Chappo so he closed it. Was it because of the highly subjective "'opinion-based" argument (that could be applied to most question) or because it threaten virtue signaling? Looking at his profile description (the modern version of the "I'm a true Christian" "Left-libertarian. Co-parent. Environmentalist. etc."), I wonder. – JinSnow Sep 26 '19 at 05:42

2 Answers2

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Performative, Sanctimonious or Bad-Faith activism might convey the meaning intended

Jawi
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  • Thanks! +1 for Sanctimonious! It only miss a point : it must specifically target exceptional actions. Sensational sanctimonious activism does work though (I'm not fan of bad-faith since it implies an awareness of the problem. And performative is hard to understand) – JinSnow Sep 25 '19 at 04:54
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This might fit:

sensational self-serving activism (in short sensa-self'activism ― which isn't really short)

(It's just an idea, better proposition are welcomed)

Other ideas:

  • sensational slacktivism

  • extreme slacktivism

JinSnow
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