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'''Whataboutism''', also called '''whataboutery''', is a rhetorical ploy believed to have originated in the [[Cold War]] era, often used by [[Soviet]] propagandists. It seeks to discredit another person's argument without actually or directly refuting it by using [[moral equivalence]] arguments to accuse the other person of doing either [[hypocrisy|the same thing]] or something that is allegedly equally bad. It is a form of the ''[[tu quoque]]'' [[logical fallacy|fallacy]] and is now frequently used by liberals/leftists and their allies to deflect from the atrocities committed by such ideologies as [[Communism]] and [[Islam]], as well as totalitarian regimes like the [[USSR]], Communist [[China]], [[North Korea]] and [[Iran]], while simultaneously attacking [[Christianity]] as well as the [[United States]] and its allies.
'''Whataboutism''', also called '''whataboutery''', is a rhetorical ploy believed to have originated in the [[Cold War]] era, often used by [[Soviet]] propagandists. It seeks to discredit another person's argument without actually or directly refuting it by using [[moral equivalence]] arguments to accuse the other person of doing either [[hypocrisy|the same thing]] or something that is allegedly equally bad. It is a form of the ''[[tu quoque]]'' [[logical fallacy|fallacy]] and is now frequently used by liberals/leftists and their allies to deflect from the atrocities committed by such ideologies as [[Communism]] and [[Islam]], as well as totalitarian regimes like the [[USSR]], Communist [[China]], [[North Korea]] and [[Iran]], while simultaneously attacking [[Christianity]] as well as the [[United States]] and its allies.
==Examples==
A common whataboutism occurs in the context of abortion. When arguing for the sanctity of human life leftists often respond with
:'''What about''' ''after'' the child is born? If you were really pro-life, then wouldn't you stand behind socialized government programs?
Of course, at no point following birth is it legal to terminate an innocent human life. Those who consider themselves pro-life argue a negative right to life. I.e., it is not the responsibility of others to provide you with life, but it is the responsibility of the state to protect the lives of all innocents. Socialism argues a positive right to material goods and services, to which it has historically demonstrated a failure to secure said goods and services, and also to protect the individual's right to life.
[[Category:Cold War]]
[[Category:Cold War]]