Quinn Denniss: 'Hypocrisy is the word for people who say one thing, but do another', Public Speaking Competition - 2017

13 June 2017, Mayfield, New South Wales, Australia

This year I wanted to write a speech about the rampant hypocrisy that us kids, no I, am forced to endure on a daily basis.

In the classroom, on the field and even in my own home.

For the uninitiated, hyprocrisy is the word for people who say one thing, but do another.

You know:

-      Like when your Pop tells you to never smoke because it’s a filthy, dirty drug addiction, as he puts out his third cigarette for the morning

-      Or when people wear t-shirts or carry signs that say “ save the environment “ while they drink water out of plastic bottles and then they don’t even throw them in the recycling

-      Or best of all, when grown ups yell at you to STOP YELLING!!

My Mama says that her Nan was an honest hypocrite, because she used to tell the kids “ Do as I say, not as I do”

My Uncle says that he admires people who “Walk the talk “ – which just means they do what they say other people should do.

That got me thinking about what is my “TALK” and do it “WALK” it?

And I remembered a time when I didn’t.

My friend and I were throwing a ball against this wall and a bunch of ‘popular’ kids came over and this one kid started pushing my friend into the wall.

The other kids laughed, so this bully kept pushing and teasing and shoving and pulling until my friend started crying. Then they just ran off, laughing.

The whole time this was happening, I just stood there. I watched his face as it changed from happy, to surprised, to shock, to fear and then to embarrassment.

I stood, frozen, but my mind was racing.

-      what would happen to me if I stepped in?

-      could I get hurt if I pushed the bully away?

-      would the other kids step in and hurt me?

The whole time I was thinking about me! And worst of all, I was ashamed to realise that I was also worried about what those popular kids, what those bullies, would think of me if I stepped in.

After they had run off, I finally asked “ Are you okay. Should I get someone?” Tears in his eyes he just said “ Why didn’t you help me?” And walked off.

As much as the punching and shoving had hurt, what hurt him worse, what actually humiliated him, was me……… me, his friend, the outspoken defender of the underdog, the spotter of everyone else’s hypocrisy.

I didn’t walk my talk. I didn’t talk at all.

And not only did I lose his respect, I lost a friend.

It made me realise something else to.

That you don’t get friends or respect because of what you say.

You get it, or lose it, because of what you do.

So, like I said at the start. I wanted to do a speech about everyone else’s hypocrisy, but, what a hypocrite that would make me.