Suppose that when the Harvey Weinstein story broke Bill Cosby made a statement condemning him. Some people would say, "Well that's true, but you're not the one to point that out." Others would say Cosby didn't actually care about Weinstein but was just trying to deflect attention from himself. Others would ask why we're still giving Cosby a platform.
These groups, who fundamentally agree with each other about the facts, would end up arguing with each other about tactics.
Two days later there would be more meta-discussion in the news about who gets to talk than there is about the actual issue. Which is good for both Cosby and Weinstein.
If this pattern is repeated every time someone questions motives - if the pundit class consistently focuses more on tactics and who gets a platform than on the underlying issues - eventually you have to wonder if that isn't the goal.
As they say towards the end of the podcast, when you (as a U.S. government official) criticize what Russia is doing in Crimea and someone compares it to what we're doing in Yemen, you've got a few ways to respond. You can call it "whataboutism" and refuse to engage on the issue. Or you can maybe stop supporting what we're doing in Yemen.
These groups, who fundamentally agree with each other about the facts, would end up arguing with each other about tactics.
Two days later there would be more meta-discussion in the news about who gets to talk than there is about the actual issue. Which is good for both Cosby and Weinstein.
If this pattern is repeated every time someone questions motives - if the pundit class consistently focuses more on tactics and who gets a platform than on the underlying issues - eventually you have to wonder if that isn't the goal.
As they say towards the end of the podcast, when you (as a U.S. government official) criticize what Russia is doing in Crimea and someone compares it to what we're doing in Yemen, you've got a few ways to respond. You can call it "whataboutism" and refuse to engage on the issue. Or you can maybe stop supporting what we're doing in Yemen.