Word/Phrase to Describe Colin Kaepernick Pile-On

Question

I imagine the word I am looking for to be related to Social Sciences. I am looking for the word describing brownie points that one receives from her peers for expressing outrage at a socially frowned upon act or fact.

The word should express that the person casting aspersions does so without thought, experience, or consideration for the subject they rebuke. This word would identify the fuel for mob mentality and behavior.

Example Sentence:

Jane is simply ___________ in her repudiation Colin Kaepernick.

Answer 1

One could say

adulation,

but maybe that's not capturing the essence you're asking for. Judging by the question, it seems like you want the word to capture a sneering aspect.

I guess you could say they were all

Righteously Indignant.

Or in a word

self-righteous

I saw this answer on this site a while back:

they were all members of the Mutual Admiration Society

Answer 2

Filling in the blank in the OP's example:

Jane is simply engaging in reprehensible "group think" in her repudiation of Colin Kaepernick.

group think: a pattern of thought characterized by self-deception, forced manufacture of consent, and conformity to group values and ethics

[From Merriam-Webster]

Answer 3

Word describing brownie points that one receives from her peers for expressing outrage at a socially frowned upon act: affirmation

affirmation: something affirmed

affirm: to assert (as a judgment or decree) as valid or confirmed

[Both Merriam-Webster]

And the OP's example:

If I were the first person to communicate the unpleasant odor associated with a stinky turd hidden in a room full of people in a professional setting, I would win brownie points, i.e., the affirmation of the group, for both being "courageous" enough to voice my displeasure and for experiencing the displeasure along with the group.

Addendum: Affirmation focuses on what the speaker receives from the other members of the group in positive terms: the brownie points constitute affirmation. If the OP is instead trying to characterize the behavior of the speaker and the group in negative terms, as judged by an independent third party with opposed values, I would consider words such as the following:

reprehensible: very bad : deserving very strong criticism

disgusting: so bad, unfair, inappropriate, etc., that you feel annoyed and angry

objectionable: not good or right : causing people to be offended

condemnable: worthy of a statement or expression of very strong and definite criticism or disapproval

All Merriam-Webster]

And so, for example, the behavior of the speaker and group providing affirmation in the form of brownie points is reprehensible.

Answer 4

corrupt

adjective

1. having or showing a willingness to act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain.

(Oxford Dictionaries)

Answer 5

A tool.

Someone who is easily manipulated by others, because they substitute the judgment and/or approval of others for their own. The others can be admired friends, strangers or potential mates whose approval the tool seeks. Especially in interpersonal situations, the tool will seek approval from the other, but fail to exercise their own judgment about whether the other person is good or right for them. Alternately, the tool will allow public figures, advertising, or other mass media to replace or form their own opinions on any number of subjects -- most evident in fashion and music choices (often fads or heavily marketed products of suspect quality or style). Somewhat less obvious are tools whose opinions on current events are parroted from sources thought by the tool to be reliably correct -- if you don't follow current events, or didn't come across the original source, you might not realize they hadn't actually given their opinion much thought beyond memorizing the highlights. The recurring theme is that the tool avoids using their own judgment, sometimes even failing to acquire an ersatz opinion; instead just seeking approval. The tool is an open field for anyone who would like to use them for their own purposes. When they choose very poorly, it is obvious to most that the tool has been manipulated and was foolish to have allowed it. Usually singular in actual usage, but sometimes phrases like 'tool shed' or 'hardware store' are used to refer to groups seen as clearly lacking common sense.

Bold mine. From Urban Dictionary http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tool&defid=1687477

The point being that the tool is arbitrarily selected and exploited and receives no compensation from the group that benefits from the tool's action.

Answer 6

"Piling on" or piling it on is probably a very good fit (as Mitch suggested in the comments). It suggests that your person isn't reacting out of personal offense or outrage, but just because everyone else is doing so.

so, "Jane hasn't really thought about her repudiation of Kaepernick, she's just piling on because everyone else was talking about it"

The phrase seems to originate from football, where a player might be jumping on a pile of people simply because there must be a reason they're piled up like that (not because they can, yanno, actually see the cause). It has also gained the meaning "To add or increase (something, such as criticism) abundantly or excessively" - which does seem to fit the usage you're looking for.