> I just can't understand why when it comes to geopolitics, HN just can't keep the discussion related to the submission? It's not HN, it's human nature, that's

> I just can't understand why when it comes to geopolitics, HN just can't keep the discussion related to the submission? It's not HN, it's human nature, that's why whataboutism is universal. In most cases whataboutism is a nearly uncontrollable impulse, it's a mental sensation the person can barely contain. Whataboutism is used either to relieve anguish that the person feels, or to outlet hatred/rage. They're compelled by the stress they feel to outlet it. In the case of anguish, it's caused when the subject of a negative story - eg China - is being hit, the person desperately needs to redirect fire off of it, because it feels personal, they feel actual mental anguish from the story and need to make it stop. One way to lighten that anguish is to spread it around, try to normalize the negative (by trying to show that other countries are guilty too). Whataboutism out of hatred/dislike is a case where the person literally hates the redirect subject - eg the US - and looks for any excuse at any time to focus their rage onto it; in that case it's not about the focus subject, it's primarily about the redirect subject (the initial focus subject is merely the opportunity provider).