AI Says...
There is a posture as old as time, but one that our era exposes with cruel irony: that of the despised who in turn become the despisers. We see it in nations, regimes, corporations, and individuals who, having long been stigmatized, marginalized, or criticized, eventually find themselves in a position of moral or political dominance… and waste no time in wielding a disdain often more vicious than what they once suffered.
Authoritarian Regimes and Inverted Morality
Let’s consider some contemporary examples among states. Vladimir Putin’s Russia, marginalized by the West since the collapse of the USSR, has built its narrative on exposing Western hypocrisy: defending “traditional values,” rejecting “wokeness,” scorning LGBTQ+ rights. And yet this posture claims a moral high ground while relying on oppression, propaganda, and bloody repression—both in Ukraine and within its own borders.
Likewise, Xi Jinping’s regime, in a China once humiliated by colonial powers, positions itself as a guardian of sovereignty, cultural respect, and social harmony—while orchestrating mass surveillance, the repression of Uyghurs, and the silencing of dissenting voices.
Israel under Netanyahu, founded partly as a refuge from persecution, now justifies a regime of occupation and apartheid against Palestinians in the name of security. A state born from one of the greatest crimes in history adopts in turn authoritarian methods, claiming a monopoly over historical morality.
Algeria, after a painful and defining war of independence, presents itself as the voice of the oppressed peoples—but ruthlessly represses its own, openly scorns press freedom, opposition, and even the democratic hope expressed during the Hirak movement.
Iran, a postcolonial revolutionary state, uses anti-imperialist rhetoric to justify a violent, sexist, and freedom-crushing theocracy.
In all these cases, the moral disdain these regimes display toward the West, democracy, or human rights is in total contradiction with their internal practices—deeply repressive, cynical, and authoritarian. They condemn what they practice. They despise values they never sincerely attempted to embody.
When Individuals Do the Same: Trump, Musk, and Others
This logic of the despicable becoming the despisers also plays out on an individual level. Donald Trump, for instance, has always presented himself as an outsider, scorned by political elites, the media, “the system.” But once in power, he places himself in a permanent position of moral superiority: he insults, demeans, diminishes. He judges. He scorns minorities, journalists, scientists, women—while holding himself up as a model citizen, a patriot, a builder.
Elon Musk sees himself as a misunderstood genius, attacked by regulators, journalists, and academics. Yet he treats employees with condescension, displays open contempt for democratic institutions, bends financial rules, and feels entitled to pronounce moral verdicts on others—whether they be political leaders, activists, or journalists—while embodying a model of egotistical, deregulated narcissism.
These two figures illustrate a simple dynamic: positioning oneself as a victim becomes a springboard to becoming the judge. They shift from being “the insulted man” to the moral censor—without ever questioning their own ethics. It’s a strategy of self-elevation: past humiliation (real or inflated) becomes capital for looking down on others.
The Reverse Posture: Praising Others to Place Oneself Above
Another, more insidious phenomenon lies in seemingly flattering judgments, often delivered with quiet arrogance:
“He’s a good guy.”
“She’s respectable.”
“This man deserves to be heard.”
At first glance, these phrases seem harmless. But they are acts of social positioning. To say that someone is “good” implies believing oneself fit to define what is good. In doing so, one assumes a superior role—that of the moral arbiter, the wise one, the enlightened.
It’s a subtle way of staging oneself. Behind the compliment lies the implicit status of the one who judges, who bestows praise. It gives the speaker an illusion of moral elevation. Once again, Donald Trump excels in this: calling allies “great people” or “fantastic patriots,” he reinforces his own power to bestow moral legitimacy.
Rising Above So As Not to Look Within
In both of these postures—violent scorn or condescending praise—the same mechanism is at work: the refusal of introspection. Rather than look in the mirror, one turns toward others, to judge or belittle them, thus escaping one’s own contradictions or mediocrity.
This projective moral stance is a survival strategy in a world of constant evaluation, where everyone seeks to exist from above rather than to be rooted in sincerity. Those who were once despised had the opportunity to show empathy, humility, or restraint. But too often, they choose symbolic revenge: becoming, in turn, the despisers.
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