From Wikipedia:
Whataboutism, also known as whataboutery, is a variant of the tu quoque logical fallacy that attempts to discredit an opponent's position by charging them with hypocrisy without directly refuting or disproving their argument.[1][2][3]
Whataboutism is particularly associated with Soviet and Russian propaganda.[4][5][6] When criticisms were leveled at the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the Soviet response would often be "What about..." followed by an event in the Western world.[7][8][9] As Garry Kasparov noted, it is a word that was coined to describe the frequent use of a rhetorical diversion by Soviet apologists and dictators, who would counter charges of their oppression, "massacres, gulags, and forced deportations" by invoking American slavery, racism, lynchings, etc.[10] It has been adopted by other politicians and countries. In the recent years it has become a signature of the Trump administration.[11][12][13] . . .
Use by American politicians
Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump has used whataboutism in response to criticism leveled at him, his policies, or his support of controversial world leaders.[4][82][83] National Public Radio (NPR) reported, "President Trump has developed a consistent tactic when he's criticized: say that someone else is worse."[4] NPR noted Trump chose to criticize the Affordable Care Act when he himself faced criticism over the proposed American Health Care Act of 2017, "Instead of giving a reasoned defense, he went for blunt offense, which is a hallmark of whataboutism."[4] NPR noted similarities in use of the tactic by Putin and Trump, "it's no less striking that while Putin's Russia is causing the Trump administration so much trouble, Trump nevertheless often sounds an awful lot like Putin".[4]
When criticized or asked to defend his behavior, Trump has frequently changed the subject by criticizing Hillary Clinton, the Obama Administration,[83] and the Affordable Care Act.[4] When asked about Russian human rights violations, Trump has shifted focus to the US itself,[82][69] employing whataboutism tactics similar to those used by Russian President Vladimir Putin.[4][84]
Update: In response to Mark's comment, when I look at the Georgia curve it's basically flat since "reopening," with maybe an uptick starting to show. But it's early yet.
6 comments:
Sure, Trump is a liar and evades all personal responsibility. But what about John Barron, John Miller, and David Dennison?
The Dimension of Time - April 30
Once that line starts up, which we'll likely see in two or three weeks, after the hospitals start filling up, Mr. Kemp is going to have a problem. It's called reality.
Fast forward to today
https://komonews.com/news/coronavirus/its-been-3-weeks-since-georgia-texas-reopened-heres-where-they-stand
Gov. Brian Kemp allowed barber shops, hair and nail salons, tattoo parlors, gyms and bowling alleys to reopen their doors under new guidelines. A few days later, dine-in restaurants were allowed to serve patrons.
Statewide testing has reportedly increased. The average number of new COVID-19 cases has declined more than 20% since the reopening date, according to the Georgia Department of Health.
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The nature of science is it's always a 'best guess' based upon what we think we know, not what we actually know. Predicting the future is always a dicey business.
This is a teachable moment. Drink it in.
In response to this I refer you to Nicholas Kristof's column. There is an element of luck to the pattern of disease transmission. Just because someone gets away with a risky move doesn't mean it was wise. However, the reality in Georgia is that the rate of new infections stopped going down, and has been basically steady ever since. That could change at any time. It's still early. In Texas, BTW, the rate of infection has been slowly but steadily increasing, and in Wisconsin, it has jumped. Again, it's early. People are always stuck in the present when they view the situation but the present doesn't tell us much.
Daily numbers of Covid-189 cases, at least in Georgia, are virtually meaningless. The data show a very clear seven-day period. There is obviously a problem with reporting or something in the daily numbers. The seven-day running average does a reasonable job of smoothing the curve. The curve shows a downward trend over the last couple of weeks, but the state Department of Public Health site also says the latest 14 day numbers "may not be accounted for due to illnesses yet to be reported or test results may still be pending." When you look at cumulative cases, that curve may be reaching its peak, but it surely indicates a hell of a lot more cases before the pandemic is "over". I think it's safe to say that the effect on infections from reopening won't be know for a while yet. But hey, America! F**k yeah!
It seems a characteristic of "conservative" thinkers--along with an as-yet-to-be-explained deficiency of irony and humor--that they like to gloat when they think they're "right."
I'll include a link to an article below. A characteristic of modern-day Republicans is that they are con men, like Gov. Kemp of Georgia, who controlled the vote for his own election by purging voting rolls of African-Americans, who would not vote for him because they knew he was a lying scumbag (I'm not trying to be offensive here, just stating fact). There is no reason for such a man to allow accurate reporting of COVID-19 infections and deaths; this type of information censoring is occurring now in other states, notably those with Republican governors or meatpacking plants. Everything for the modern-day governmental Republican is about the mindless pursuit and expanse of power. It's Thanatos-driven. (Read Freud for explanation, but suffice it to say that every "policy" of American Republicans is intended to destroy: life, liberty, health, environment, economy, Homo sapiens. It's hard to understand why anyone at all would "gloat" over the barren fruit of such "policies," until one realizes that it's all a form of denial. My guess is they think subconsciously that if they're all-powerful, they'll cheat death.)
There is never a good reason to gloat, but even less so when one is just plain wrong. Math governs the running of the universe, and part of math is probability. If Mr. P. will wait a little while, he will see COVID-19 cases and mortality rising in Georgia, despite any concomitant efforts by Kemp to censor the outflow of information. (The "magical thinking" of the Republicans under Shitler is just that, no more.)
Ignorance is ignorance, even when it's willful ignorance on the part of politicians or their feckless followers.
See link: https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/20/us/florida-georgia-covid-19-test-data/index.html
We've heard about a number of techniques used to manipulate Covid 19 death totals. I think the only reliable information you can get from this number is that at least that many people died from Covid 19 in that region for the stated time period.
It seems that the total number of death certificates issued in that region during that period would be much harder to manipulate due to the laws surrounding their issuing. If you took the number issued during corresponding time periods for, say, the last ten years you'd be able calculate the number expected this year, adjusting for trends naturally.
The difference between expected and actual death certificates issued this year ought to provide a pretty reliable estimate of just how deadly Covid 19 really is. It wouldn't be precise of course, but it should be accurate to within a calculable range of uncertainty. This would be especially useful since it would include folks who didn't die from the virus itself, but from side effects; like depression and suicide resulting from the disruption and isolation imposed by the presence of the virus. It would even reflect lifestyle improvements in areas where bans are lifted. That would make it two edged sword measuring both the up- and down-sides of policies like lifting bans.
Is there some reason why this statistic couldn't be included when we try to evaluate the true affect this pandemic is having on us?
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