When people try to prove they’re on the right side of history, they sometimes end up creating a mess. The phrase “10 times virtue” captures those moments when well‑meaning gestures spiraled into fiascos. Below is a fun yet factual countdown of ten such blunders, each packed with dates, details and the inevitable fallout.
10 Rough Justice
In January 2019, the Spice Girls resurfaced with a sold‑out tour and teamed up with Comic Relief for a “Gender Justice” campaign. They released a limited‑edition T‑shirt emblazoned with “IWannaBeASpiceGirl” on the front and “Gender Justice” on the back, priced at £19.40 (about US $25). Of that, £11.40 (≈US $14.65) was earmarked for the charity, which pledged to champion women’s equality.
The Guardian traced the shirt’s origin and uncovered a starkly different story. The garment was produced in a Bangladesh factory where predominantly female workers endured 16‑hour shifts in sweltering heat, earned below living‑wage standards, and faced abuse and threats if they missed quotas. Managers even disparaged them as “daughters of prostitutes.” Many suffered neck and back injuries from prolonged sewing.
A Spice Girls spokesperson called the revelations “heart‑breaking” and said they had assumed the retailer was ethical. The group offered full refunds to anyone who bought the shirt.
9 Out of Order
April 2018 saw two Black men waiting at a Philadelphia Starbucks request the restroom. An employee told them it was for paying customers only. After a heated exchange, the manager called police, and the men were handcuffed and arrested for trespass, though they were later released without charge. A viral video sparked protests outside the shop.
Starbucks responded by shutting all 8,000 stores for half a day to conduct racial‑bias training. Chairman Howard Schultz announced that the toilets would be open to anyone, regardless of purchase. However, staff soon found alcohol, drugs, used needles, blood and condoms in the stalls, and some had to take antiviral medication after handling contaminated needles.
Although the policy remains, many locations now keep the restrooms locked, barred, or marked “Under Maintenance” as baristas reclaim control.
8 They Suck
In a bid to go greener, McDonald’s UK phased out single‑use plastic straws in 2019, replacing them with sustainably sourced paper straws. About 1.8 million paper straws a day were issued, but customers complained they dissolved in drinks. McDonald’s claimed the straws were designed to hold liquid for an hour.
An online petition to restore plastic straws gathered 50,000 signatures. Some enterprising patrons even began selling the old plastic straws online, while others used plastic cup lids as makeshift shake scoops.
It later emerged the new paper straws were too thick to be recycled, prompting staff to discard them with regular trash, whereas the previous plastic straws were fully recyclable.
7 Turned Off
British TV presenter Stacey Dooley traveled to Uganda in 2019 for a Comic Relief documentary. She was filmed hugging a young boy, a photo later shared online. British MP David Lammy tweeted, “The world does not need any more white saviours,” arguing the image perpetuated tired stereotypes.
Dooley called Lammy’s remarks “far‑cical,” sparking a media debate on race and charity. In response, Comic Relief announced it would cease celebrity trips to third‑world nations after an aid charity labeled such visits “poverty tourism.”
The campaign still raised £63 million, but that was £8 million less than the 2017 effort—the lowest in over a decade.
6 Painful Protest
In Petaluma, California, Direct Action Everywhere targeted the Reichardt Duck Farm, alleging cruelty. Protesters arrived at dawn, freeing hundreds of ducks. Activist Thomas Chiang escalated the protest by chaining himself by the neck to a slaughter‑line conveyor belt, mimicking the ducks’ fate.
While Chiang was attached, the belt unexpectedly started moving. He was dragged forward, repeatedly slammed into a metal pole, and the lock tightened around his neck. He teetered on the brink of unconsciousness until someone stopped the machine, allowing him to escape. Chiang survived and recovered in hospital.
Reichardt Farm told police it was an accident, claiming the operator was unaware anyone was chained to the belt.
5 Green Party
Google’s annual climate‑focused conference, the 7th Google Camp, convened in Palermo, Sicily, 2019. The luxury Verdura Resort hosted the event under strict NDAs, with social media banned. The tiny Palermo airport prepared for 114 private jets ferrying VIPs worldwide.
Guests included Prince Harry, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bradley Cooper and Katy Perry. Super‑yachts, such as David Geffen’s $400 million vessel Rising Sun, arrived, and Coldplay performed a lavish light show at the Valley of Temples in Agrigento, a historic Greek site costing $100 k to hire.
Attendees shuttled around by Maserati and SUVs. Prince Harry delivered an impassioned speech on global warming, pacing barefoot on stage. Analysts later calculated the environmental toll: each of the 114 first‑class flights from LA to Palermo emitted 12.3 tonnes of CO₂ per passenger; a private jet from London added 1.3 tonnes. Trees For The Future estimated 190 trees needed to offset Prince Harry’s journey alone. The three‑day event’s price tag topped $20 million.
4 Hot Air
Extinction Rebellion set up a camp near Oxford Street, London, in April 2019, halting traffic for over 11 days. Protesters practiced yoga and danced in the streets until actress Emma Thompson arrived aboard a pink boat labeled “Tell the Truth.” She addressed crowds, saying she “absolutely wanted to be arrested on my 60th birthday.”
Criticism erupted when a photo surfaced showing Thompson at Heathrow the day before, having flown from Los Angeles to attend the protest. A single 5,456‑mile flight generates roughly three tonnes of CO₂. This contrasted sharply with her Greenpeace‑aligned activism, including prior efforts to purchase land near Heathrow to block a third runway.
Extinction Rebellion defended the apparent contradiction, claiming the short‑term inconsistency served a larger strategic picture.
3 Car Crash
In October 2019, Extinction Rebellion occupied Trafalgar Square, featuring a hearse with a coffin inscribed “Our Future.” Actor Benedict Cumberbatch visited the activists, spending about two hours in dialogue.
Afterward, it emerged Cumberbatch serves as the brand ambassador for MG cars in India, fronting the Hector SUV campaign. The commercial, filmed in Trafalgar Square, showcased him cruising in an MG GS with a 1.5‑liter turbo‑charged petrol engine.
India faces severe air‑pollution challenges, with over one million deaths recorded in 2017, highlighting the irony of a climate‑focused protest featuring a spokesperson for a petrol‑powered vehicle.
2 In Plane Sight
During a Heathrow‑to‑Istanbul flight, a handcuffed man was escorted aboard by four security guards. Passengers gathered, filmed, and chanted “Take him off the plane!” as the man claimed he was being ripped from his family. Under pressure, the guards reluctantly led the prisoner off the aircraft, prompting cheers.
Later, it emerged the man, Yaqub Ahmed, was a convicted rapist being deported to Somalia by government officials. He had been jailed in 2007, released, and ordered for immediate deportation. After the onboard protest, he was taken to an immigration centre, released on bail, and subsequently re‑detained for a chartered deportation flight.
1 Do Not Disturb
North Sentinel Island, tucked in the Bay of Bengal, is home to one of the world’s last uncontacted tribes, living in isolation for roughly 30,000 years. The Sentinelese fiercely guard their territory, often responding with lethal force to outsiders.
American missionary John Allen Chau, 27, felt called to reach the island despite Indian law prohibiting any travel there. Survival International warned that contact could introduce deadly pathogens, potentially wiping out the 50‑100‑person community.
Undeterred, Chau hired local fishermen to ferry him at night, agreeing to stay at a safe distance. In 2006, islanders had killed nearby fishermen, leaving bodies on bamboo stakes. Chau paddled to the shore at dawn, shouting, “My name is John, I love you and Jesus loves you.” He sang worship songs until an arrow struck his Bible, prompting a hasty retreat.
The following day he returned, only to be dragged ashore, dragged along the beach, and buried in sand by the tribe. Indian authorities declined to retrieve his body, and a local anthropologist affirmed, “We have decided not to disturb the Sentinelese.”
These ten tales illustrate how virtue signalling, when not rooted in genuine understanding, can backfire spectacularly. Whether it’s celebrities, corporations, or activists, the lesson remains: good intentions need rigorous research and humility.