8 ms·
I might be able to satisfy your curiosity. People indulge in whataboutism for the fairly straightforward reason that they dislike hypocrisy and have a sense of
by msravi 9y ago
I might be able to satisfy your curiosity. People indulge in whataboutism for the fairly straightforward reason that they dislike hypocrisy and have a sense of fairness and would like everyone to be held to the same standards.
- musage 9y agoNot when they're using imaginary others as an excuse to not hold it to that standard themselves. When A is criticized, it's "what about B?", and the other way around. The real question is, what about them? A is criticized, for reasons X, and instead of having a position on that, they talk about some imaginary other monolith that doesn't criticize B when B wasn't even mentioned until they brought it up. So to say that has somehow to do with a heightened intellectual honesty, is like saying they're shitting on the floor to make it cleaner. Maybe in their mind that's what they think they're doing.