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It's not "whataboutism" to point out that this level of incarceration is not unusual. It is being portrayed as unusual in the article, when, in global-historica
by ppod 7y ago
It's not "whataboutism" to point out that this level of incarceration is not unusual. It is being portrayed as unusual in the article, when, in global-historical terms it is statistically perfectly normal. The small number of western democracies that do not practice violent state suppression of dissent and exploitation of the poor are the anomalies. The comparisons to Nazi Germany are also misleading. Nazi Germany was unusual in the degree to which it industrialized and systematized its racial slaughter, but the propaganda, state suppression, and state police brutality doesn't seem to me like an outlier among 20th century governments.
- humanrebar 7y agoIt's exactly whataboutism to say "What about U.S. incarceration?" when defending China. It's 100% analogous to what would come up in discussions of the USSR. "The USSR is bad for its people." "What about Jim Crow?" It's also worth noting that there is a bipartisan criminal justice reform movement in the U.S. that is critical of the U.S. government at various levels, so, no, it's not apples to apples.