'Whataboutism is a debating technique that changes the subject and stifles debate. Wikipedia has a long entry about this kind of argument! John Oliver devoted a show to it in 2017, while Trump, a master of whataboutism was in office. His show serves as a useful primer on whataboutism! "In America , today, "there is a lively debate about whether Russia is to blame for its actions or whether it was provoked by NATO and the U.S., and whether anyone in the U.S. has the right to criticize Putin because the U.S. has dirty hands...etc" T hose who say Putin is not to blame for launching a war have been accused of whataboutism. Many o fun remember long ago debates where any criticism of Stalin was met with “but what about the treatment of Blacks in the South?” The response was intended to defuse the criticism. Dont miss John Oliver's wonderful show.
At dianeravitch.net
