The Rise of Whataboutism

Have you noticed the proliferation of whataboutism in social media?

Whaqtaboutism isn't new. It's been around for quite a while, but it has undergone a resurgence recently. 

I know. Whataboutism isn't really a word, but it is a perfect descriptor of the all-too-common trend in social media of people commenting on a post about some controversial topic. Rather than posting a relevant comment, the poster replies with "What about" something else. These attempts to discredit an opponent's position or statement by charging the poster with hypocrisy, rather than by directly disproving or refuting their argument, are usually called out very quickly.

Here are a few examples:

• In a post about a charity that helps fund development of wells in Africa that help provide access to clean water to millions of people, someone posted "What about the people in Flint (Michigan)? They still don't have safe drinking water." Of course, the 'whatabout' comment was totally off topic.
• When someone posted a sweet story about a Chinese girl with Down syndrome being adopted by a family in Texas, "What about all the American kids waiting to be adopted?" was the response of one woman.
• Any story pointing out the corruption of the current administration will invariably be met with "But what about Hillary?" 
• In an online story about a horrific case of animal abuse, someone will invariably respond with "What about all the babies murdered in this country every year? Nobody cares about them."
• When in a previous career I was serving on a federal committee to oversee the use of non-human primates in research, I was contacted by a local animal advocate who asked "What about the millions of rats and mice used in research?"

Those who use whataboutism clearly have no rational statements or facts to state that will truly refute the original statement. Whataboutism adds nothing to a discussion. It does nothing to strengthen the user's position, nor does it do anything to weaken or expose the alleged hypocrisy of the opponent's position. 

In short, the use of whataboutism simply makes those who use it look clueless, uneducated, not very bright or incapable of refuting an opponent's position. Anybody who uses whataboutism to rebut an argument is desperate and lacking in the ability to make a rational argument.  

We need to restore our ability to rationally argue our cases without resorting to name calling and whataboutism. Neither practice advances the discussion. Whataboutism is a waste of time, and those who have no argument other than "what about" should be ignored.