Whataboutism: Are there times when you can use it?
Whataboutism denotes in a pejorative sense a procedure in which a critical question or argument is not answered or discussed, but retorted with a critical counter-question which expresses a counter-accusation.
If you criticize an Israeli about his government's treatment of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and he replies, "What about Myanmar or the Uyghurs in China" he might be silenced with the accusation "[i]Whataboutism![/i]" In fact, whataboutism is a perfectly acceptable response to counter a double standard or scapegoating. An essential feature of anti-Semitism (or any scapegoating strategy, such as racism) is the double standard. Blacks are often held to a higher standard than whites. Often, the only way to point out a double standard is a "whatabout." What does that tell you about the whataboutism fanatics--those who keep crying out[i] Whataboutism![/i]? Is the accusation of whataboutism a favorite of people who like to scapegoat others? One wonders.
Here's a permissible what about:
A pro-Israel Facebooker posted this in reference to the double standard that Israel is held to. Atrocities, unfortunately, occur throughout the world. Yet, the critical finger seems to point with special insistence to Israel's war crimes, as if that (majority-Jewish) country were a repository of evil in the world.
The issue here is the double standard and its cousin, scapegoating.
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So ok, those other countries have war crimes, does that fact mean Israel does not even have to answer for it's war crimes?
Whataboutism does not absolve anyone of having to answer to the initial charge or ignore it.
So what if these other countries have war crimes? They have also been called to task as in Syria, as in Ukraine, as in Yemen. Uighur treatment in China is well known and remarked on.
Sanction were placed on Myanmar. The regional blocks have tried to bring a more binding resolution and have rebuked the Myanmar government.
Israel, shouldn't by nature of being a majority Jewish nation be allowed to get away with anything any other country is held accountable for. It is NOT special in anyway shape or form. Especially not by international law.
Do they really want to be mentioned in the same basket as all those other countries who commit horrible acts?
@Longpatrol Yes, Israel has to answer to its war crimes. My issue is why attention is always focused on Israel and not other countries. Why the double standard?
@flipper1966 there is no double standard, what you're seeing here is finally people applying the [b]same[/b] standard to a country that has been thus far exempt from rebuke
@flipper1966 ah wondered when someone would pull the anti-semite card.
1) Shall we cast our memories back 20 years with the horrible decision to invade Iraq? A country made scapegoat for 9/11?
2) who has not criticised Iran? Pakistan? North Korea?
3) I'll admit I don't know what this point is referring to, I personally don't know too much about women's rights issues in Israel, I assumed they were more or less the same as modern democracies
4) That's because the settler programme is ILLEGAL under international law and Israelis have bulldozed homes and done enforced population removal. 5) Refer above 6) I am not an anti-semite but I am against the idea that they have a god given right to the land, they were given land 75 years ago that did not belong to them by the Brits, about a homeland that was talked about in a religious tome. And they have kept expanding.
They're there now, ok. But the government has to stop encroaching on Palestinian land.
@flipper1966 I'm never going to be an anti-semite for any reason. The Jewish community have done much for Singapore, on of our first political leaders was Jewish during our fight for independence, David Marshall, a man very widely respected here in Singapore. He was the Chief Minister, a sort of Proto Prime Minister.
@Longpatrol I'll take a look. Have you ever heard the Chinese referred to as "The Jews of the East" because of their prosperous communities all over Southeast Asia? I understand these prosperous Chinese are despised in the countries they live.
