Whataboutery? That’s like a made-up word…eh? It’s ‘what‘ and ‘about‘ and then someone stuck ‘ery‘ on the end! According to the Oxford Dictionary, ‘whataboutery’ has gained an exponential rise in use since first acknowledged in the 1970s. The dictionary describes the meaning as:

‘”‘the practice of answering a criticism or difficult question by making a similar criticism or asking a different but related question, typically starting with the words “What about?”‘ – https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/whataboutery

So, initially the word was used as a means of diversion. Okay…But the exponential use in recent times has seen the meaning hi-jacked. Nowadays the word is used against ANY counter argument on the topic. For example:

We know that A&E waiting times in Scotland’s NHS could be better. (Better than what though?) However, according to Dr. Iain Kennedy (Chair of the BMA), NHS Scotland…”is crumbling “. This is an old example but the nonsense continues from BBC and mainstream media…

Crumbling? Whit? Compared to what? Perfection? Whenever anything is described using a word… the word used is always ‘comparative’, i.e., something described as the word blue, for example, is distinguished in comparison to something that isn’t blue. So, ‘crumbling’ compared to what?

I’m ‘crumbling’, compared to my 18yr old self, which is due to ageing. Our wee car is ‘crumbling’ compared to when it was new, due to mileage and use. Everything ‘crumbles’ because of entropy and the need for maintenance.

Isn’t that just comparisons? Isn’t that just what scientific process is? And aren’t comparisons just a part of normal human behave-ural-ness-ology? ( 🙂 Create a new word every day!)

Whataboutery is a word used by people who have had their thought process hi-jacked. It’s a political nonsense.

I have spoken! 🙂