Sept. 17 Letters Part 2: Our Readers’ Opinions

Playing whataboutism

As the World Series of Whataboutism whips up and into conversations, it’s clearly the new favorite pastime. Rules are easy: deflect everything.

For me, it quickly becomes a suffocating game played in a hermetically sealed dome. The oxygen quickly exhausts. Lots of strikes and outs. No home runs.

Whataboutism was popularized through Soviet-era propaganda, but true to American style, we took it as our own. TV personalities and influencers coach it by demonstration 24/7.

The truth is that whataboutism is a hypocrite’s tool. Soviets pointed to the U.S.’s historical bad treatment of marginalized people to counter whatever superiority we held forth as democracy’s advantage over communism.

Whataboutism is also the narcissist’s favorite defense. Except it’s not. The U.S. judicial system is evidence-based. It’s hard to hear, but lack of sufficient evidence could be why someone’s favorite criminal hasn’t seen the inside of the courtroom or jail cell.

Whataboutism kills the ability to discuss anything rationally. It’s a variant of the tu quoque logical fallacy, though it often stinks of red herring to me. It demonstrates the inability to think through issues and leaves no one more informed. It limits our ability to understand anything, thus making us less knowledgeable.

What to do about whataboutism? I try to remember that my consideration of one idea does not necessarily negate another. It takes time to think critically about issues and employ a deep commitment to seeking the truth. There’s a big difference between propaganda and meaningful conversations brought by thoughtful discourse.

Janet Marugg

Clarkston