Institutional damage control escalates rather than reduces moral disengagement

Evidence

In its early attempts at damage control, the Vatican employed even more of the mechanisms of moral disengagement than did the bishops. Neutralization by advantageous comparison was the favorite exonerative means. Speaking at a Good Friday service, a senior Vatican priest likened the criticism of the Catholic Church to the persecution of the Jews (Wakin & Donadio, 2010). This self-commiserating equivalency made the church the victim of outside critics. The director of the Anti-Defamation League called the exoneration a “hideous comparison.” — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 531

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Targets of abuse encounter moderation whether or not they seek it — Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet: Platforms,…, 674