Word of the Day - Whataboutery

[Jace]

Word of the Day-Whataboutery - noun
(Wat-a-bowt-er-ee)
Def:the practice of responding by making a counter-point
(what about..?)relevant or irrelevant.

People who use whataboutery are uncomfortable
with the subject and try to shift the subject.

(Dictionary - Cambridge.org.)

 

[Paco Dennis]

I keep getting whatabouteries when I post about the climate crisis.

 

[VintageBetter]

The wealthy use whataboutery when pundits start to talk about increasing taxes on the wealthy to pay for vital social services, like better access to health care and subsidized housing for the poor.

Usually the whataboutery starts with something like,
“They need to get a job” (even if you are 78.)
"They need to get two jobs."
"They need to get a better job."
“They need to get married."
"They need to move out of this community to a cheaper community."
"They need to go get job training to work in tech" (even if they have no interest in tech at all).
"They need to get to know Jesus."
"They need to stop using drugs" (except alcohol, coffee, weed, and cigarettes, because those are legal).
"They need to get a good union job!"

There is never any discussion that maybe, just maybe, our economic system has been built bass ackwards.

 

[againstthegrain]

Whataboutism is a common tactic used to deflect arguments and bring debate to a standstill in the attempt to avoid admitting one's position is in fact untenable.