I disagree connotationally with the “good deed” part.
Imagine two planets A and B. On planet A, green and blue people are equally skilled in doing X; but there are many people who for irrational reasons say that greens are better. On planet B, green people are better in doing X, but it is taboo to say so, and this taboo causes laws that blue people must also be employed to do X, which results in economical losses and dead babies.
On both planets saying that green people are better for X than blue people comes with a social cost. I would expect that on both planets people would signal their social skills; and when feeling that they have already signalled enough to be socially safe, they could express their actual preference for a green person getting the job. But only on planet A the social signalling is morally good (as in: harm-minimizing); on planet B it is morally evil.
The mere fact that people feel social pressure to do or say something, and after they did it, the pressure is much weaker, so they can do something else… does not mean that they did something good.
Interesting. So doing your good deed for the day with respect to non-prejudice.
I disagree connotationally with the “good deed” part.
Imagine two planets A and B. On planet A, green and blue people are equally skilled in doing X; but there are many people who for irrational reasons say that greens are better. On planet B, green people are better in doing X, but it is taboo to say so, and this taboo causes laws that blue people must also be employed to do X, which results in economical losses and dead babies.
On both planets saying that green people are better for X than blue people comes with a social cost. I would expect that on both planets people would signal their social skills; and when feeling that they have already signalled enough to be socially safe, they could express their actual preference for a green person getting the job. But only on planet A the social signalling is morally good (as in: harm-minimizing); on planet B it is morally evil.
The mere fact that people feel social pressure to do or say something, and after they did it, the pressure is much weaker, so they can do something else… does not mean that they did something good.
But there may be the same psychological explanation regardless of whether the justifying action was justified.