Dean Poling

Whataboutism is defined by Oxford Languages as “the technique or practice of responding to an accusation or difficult question by making a counteraccusation or raising a different issue.”

Whataboutism is a regular practice on Facebook and other social media, usually in political posts.

You probably have friends on both sides of the political aisle who practice it. As much as we might hate to admit it, you and I have likely been guilty of whataboutism every now and again, too.

For examples, political whataboutism stretches back more than a few years.

“Obama was an awful president.” … “What about Bush?”

“Trump was an awful president.” … “What about Obama?”

“Biden is an awful president.” … “What about Trump?”

“Trump should be indicted for the files found in Mar-a-Lago.” … “What about Hillary’s emails?” Or “What about Hunter Biden’s laptop?”

“Businesses need help with finances in the face of the pandemic.” … “What about student loans?”

“People deserve help with student loans from college.” … “What about my truck payments … house payments … tech school debt, etc.?”

From there the conversations usually devolve into name calling: “You’re an idiot.” … “What about you? You’re a moron.” … “Oh, really, well, what about you? You’re a complete idiot.” … “Well, what about you? You’re a complete moron.” … Such is the stuff that often passes as the enlightened conclusion of political dialogue on Facebook posts.

It’s not whether or not the whataboutism has valid points – one person may indeed be an idiot and the other may be a moron – but rather whataboutisms change the subject at hand.

Sort of like if a person is called out for letting his dog go number two in a neighbor’s yard and the person replies by saying squirrels do their business in people’s yards everyday, all the time. … “What about squirrels?” … That’s true but it doesn’t excuse the person’s responsibility as a pet owner to clean up after his dog. At least, it shouldn’t excuse it.

Often, people who seem to regularly practice whataboutism are the same folks who regularly call out others for committing whataboutisms. … “What about that?” … “Oh, really, well what about this?” … “Whataboutism!! You’re a whataboutist!”

Or would that be a whataboutanista?

I digress … which some may argue is the main point of whataboutisms – digressing.

In a society where harboring grievances is almost a religion, whataboutism has become an article of the grievance faith.

Whataboutism digs deeper, to a more self-centered core.

“What about me?”

“What about mine?”

Whataboutism seems to be that primal urge that me and mine get ours. Or if it’s punishment that they get what’s coming to them.

Like a kid who’s too late for the ice cream truck while his friends are eating their ice cream sandwiches and Fudgesicles. “What about me?”

Or the really spoiled kid who wonders why he isn’t getting presents on someone else’s birthday. “What about me?”

Or the kid who’s caught cheating in school and is punished while other classmates doing the same thing go uncaught and unpunished. “What about them?” Or its synonymous phrase: “Why me?”

Whataboutism is nothing new. It’s as old and as universal as an angry 3-year-old with hurt feelings. We’re supposed to grow out of it and we should.

“Yeah,” some might say, “but what about the other people doing it?”

Oh, yeah, what about it?

Dean Poling is editor of The Tifton Gazette and an editor with The Valdosta Daily Times.