Why is the most common defense here always in the form of: yeah but what about _______? At best this line of reasoning exposes bias in OP but never actually engages in the thread topic. It's so damn tedious, I wish the mods would delete such posts on the spot. </rant>
Its usually a consistancy test to see if folks will discredit themselves by displaying hipocracy. While often the test is misapplied, just as often those who fail dont care because emotion based analysis doesn't require consistancy.
But what difference does it make? The most inconsistent person in the world can be making a valid point.
Yes, but when you're trying to convince others to adopt your position, being a demonstrable hipocrite makes it difficult. Additionally, much of what goes on in this setting is virtue signalling- garnering support based on an emotional position instead of logic. Given that most political debates involve promoting or opposing legislation, and legislation can only be equitably and effectively applied when its consistant and objective, arguments demonstrative of hipocracy lose validity.
Because the majority of people on this forum are extreme partisans, on the fringe of radicalism, who are not interested in logical and thoughtful debate. Rather they prefer to shove their opinions down peoples throats.
Trust me, I call it out every chance I get. I find it fun to put a brick wall in front of someone who thinks they are on a role.
Which would make some since if it weren't for the fact that the people who typically engage in whataboutism are typically engaging in that hypocrisy. They people applying the test are trying to distract from the fact that they fail the same test.
Whataboutism is an attempt to change the subject by those who can't address the actual topic and who are guilty of the same hypocrisy they are trying to supposedly reveal. Trumpists use it to try to haphazardly somehow defend their hypocrisy by trying desperately to shine the spotlight elsewhere.
You bring up a good point and one thing that bugs me is to think through the reasoning on a subject, post my well thought out thoughts, and then have someone post after me and change the entire subject. I want to tell them to start their own post. Back to your OP -- I think hypocrisy in an OP should be pointed out. Your daddy cheats on his taxes and then you tell me my dad cheated -- I'm going to call you out. Fair is fair.
That’s like the first line of defense of Russian trolls and their apologists - make any point and they will bring up American wars of the past.
