”What do we call those selfish people who use the word selfish as a pejorative?”

Hypocrites?

Next question!

I never hear that word. Never. I’m serious.

But it seems like you do, and you have something you’re hinting at (“The people who use the word are often the needy, or their sponsors in the government or the political church.”) Maybe you could be more direct here. I’m not following you.

@tom_g
I never hear that word. Never. I’m serious.
Well then, you really can’t contribute. Don’t worry about it .

Sorry, @josie – I just saw that other post. Oops. I have yet to respond to it, but I was unable to take the quiz. It bored me to tears.

I wouldn’t call the word “selfish” a compliment so I’m not sure why you find its use as a perjorative so strange. Nor do I understand why there must exist a separate term for those who use selfish as a perjorative.

I myself recently used the word selfish to describe the guy who not only fled the scene when the Colorado shooter began his spree, but stayed away until his gf (whom he had abandoned along with their two young children) called him.

I termed him a selfish parent and I can’t think of a better word to describe him.

So, is it necessary to conjure up a special term to describe me because I chose to use the word selfish as a perjorative? I think I used it quite appropriately and I used it multiple times to describe all parents who consistently place their own whims and desires above that of their children.

And I see nothing wrong with that use of the word.

So, you may call me an English Major in college, a teacher by profession, and a lifelong verbivore if you must: anything else would be superfluous.

Instead of beating around the bush, why don’t you posit your gripe directly against the people whom you’re railing against rather than distracting it with the side issue about the word selfish ?

You might actually have a valid point to make if you would be more direct.

I call them “competent users of the English language.”

Selfishness ≠ self-interest. Self-interest—which is a concern with one’s own well-being—is natural, necessary, and valuable. Selfishness—which is self-interested behavior that shows no concern for the well-being of others—might be natural for some, but it is neither necessary nor valuable. It is therefore correct to use the word “selfish” in a pejorative way.

That is not to say, however, that the word “selfish” cannot be misapplied. Actual selfishness is deserving of disapproval, but the word “selfish” is is sometimes used to describe behaviors that do not actually qualify as selfish. So while it is correct to use the word pejoratively, it is not always correct to use the word. But that is a slightly different issue.

The above is an answer to the question in the title, which is different from the question at the end of the details. Selfish people who use the word selfish pejoratively are still correct in their usage, but would also seem to be experiencing some sort of cognitive dissonance. I leave it an open question whether or not @josie has correctly analyzed his chosen examples as that is tangential from the linguistic question that is ostensibly the topic of this thread.

What do we call them? . . . . . . Not every often.

As I understand it, the implication of selfishness tends to be something of a lack of self-control – an ability act even in rationally self-interested manner.