General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhat is "whataboutism"?
DU poster since 2003 - never heard of this until today - and there are folks here driving this idea hard to the basket...
What the fuck are you talking about?
Sorry I don't appreciate the pushback...so help a brother out!
So...what about that!!!?
greyl
(22,990 posts)What is "whataboutism" and why is it suddenly such the cause of the day?
hexola
(4,835 posts)I don't give a crap what a "search engine" says!
I heard it here first - and have been accused - so lets just get it out there!!!
greyl
(22,990 posts)hexola
(4,835 posts)I can't get no...
greyl
(22,990 posts)I demand satisfaction, sir.
uppityperson
(115,674 posts)not being addressed that the whatabouter attacks as you not caring about or focusing on.
For example : "Trump broke the campaign finance law. What about Obama, he did too!" = what trump did isn't so bad.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/whataboutism-origin-meaning
hexola
(4,835 posts)Seems to be the tact of the day...
uppityperson
(115,674 posts)Another random example: on a thread about the the Covington High schoolers' actions, saying the Black Israelites were behaving badly. I
Deflecting from 1 action by saying someone else did it too, and thereby it's not so bad.
Response to uppityperson (Reply #14)
Post removed
handmade34
(22,755 posts)but what about you... nah, nah, nah... very middle school behavior
Salviati
(6,002 posts)It explains a lot of the connections to Soviet propaganda:
Whataboutism (also known as whataboutery) is a variant of the tu quoque logical fallacy that attempts to discredit an opponent's position by charging them with hypocrisy without directly refuting or disproving their argument,[1][2][3] which in the United States is particularly associated with Soviet and Russian propaganda.[4][5][6] When criticisms were leveled at the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the Soviet response would often be "What about..." followed by an event in the Western world.[7][8][9]
The term "whataboutery" has been used in Britain and Ireland since the period of the Troubles (conflict) in Northern Ireland.[10][11][12] Lexicographers date the first appearance of the variant whataboutism to the 1990s[1][10] or 1970s,[13] while other historians state that during the Cold War, Western officials referred to the Soviet propaganda strategy by that term.[7][14] The tactic saw a resurgence in post-Soviet Russia, relating to human rights violations committed by, and criticisms of, the Russian government.[7][15][16] The technique received new attention during Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and military intervention in Ukraine.[17][18] Usage of the tactic extended to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov.[19][20][21]
The Guardian deemed whataboutism, as used in Russia, "practically a national ideology".[22] Journalist Julia Ioffe wrote that "Anyone who has ever studied the Soviet Union" was aware of the technique, citing the Soviet rejoinder to criticism, And you are lynching Negroes, as a "classic" example of the tactic.[23] Writing for Bloomberg News, Leonid Bershidsky called whataboutism a "Russian tradition",[24] while The New Yorker described the technique as "a strategy of false moral equivalences".[25] Jill Dougherty called whataboutism a "sacred Russian tactic",[26][27] and compared it to the pot calling the kettle black.[28]
...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism
hexola
(4,835 posts)So - why are we exercising this concept on DU?
Salviati
(6,002 posts)Most of the times I've seen the term used on DU, it's people pointing out that someone else is trying to defect the discussion via whataboutism. Recognizing and calling out the tactic is a way to fight back against it and to keep the discussion on topic. Like calling out when a panelist is engaging in a Gish Gallop on TV.
hexola
(4,835 posts)And never heard of it at all otherwise...
So - using it on DU = "Exercising"