, Columnist
In Defense of (Some) Whataboutism
U.S. commentators often appear to misunderstand an old Soviet propaganda technique.
Change the subject.
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Whataboutism, a supposedly Soviet propaganda tactic, comes up increasingly often in the U.S. political conversation. It's a magic word: Mentioning it tends to kill off an unfolding discussion as effectively as a Nazi analogy used to do.
Perhaps because I'm Russian, I feel whataboutism is unfairly maligned. "What about..." is an important question that should be asked.