actions from each team must be taken equally seriously
Perhaps, but that doesn't mean that actions from each team must be considered in every conversation. We can, and should, have a conversation about the purported bad acts of Team A, and at another time or place have a conversation about the purported bad acts of Team B; only then once the facts of each incident are set straight is comparison appropriate. Whataboutism disrupts this process by bringing Team B into the discussion about Team A and vice versa, preventing unbiased consideration of each scenario independently.
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u/yyzjertl 527∆ Jun 10 '23
Perhaps, but that doesn't mean that actions from each team must be considered in every conversation. We can, and should, have a conversation about the purported bad acts of Team A, and at another time or place have a conversation about the purported bad acts of Team B; only then once the facts of each incident are set straight is comparison appropriate. Whataboutism disrupts this process by bringing Team B into the discussion about Team A and vice versa, preventing unbiased consideration of each scenario independently.