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Comment by mythrwy

5 days ago

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  • The world is full of nuance. Just like whataboutism and "both sides" can be convenient rhetorical devices for people lying to themselves or others, accusing someone of either can be a convenient figleaf for avoiding thinking about the flaws of one's own side.

    The fact that Trump won in 2016 obviously overshadowed many things about that election. I didn't vote for him but I can still remember acutely the disappointment I felt during the primaries when the presumptive frontrunners were another Clinton and another Bush. Like out of 300 million people, these will be the choices presented to me? Whataboutism is bad mkay, but two things can also be true at the same time. Nuance.

  • I didn't say "Both sides are the same". I said both candidates were morons.

    As far as terms, I don't like really like either side we have on the menu right now.

  • I mean, both sides do implement protectionist laws.

    Did we already forget about Biden raising tariffs on Chinese EVs to protect the auto industry & unions?

    I’m not sure you’re looking at things quite fairly.

    • The fact that you're likening a sparing few narrowly targeted tarrifs to capriciously applied illegal global tarrifs suggests you're not quite looking at things fairly.

      2 replies →

  • > "Both sides are the same" is the last bastion of denial.

    This is hyperpartisan bullshit that you obviously wouldn't say if someone were choosing between a red shirt and a blue shirt. If you support some political candidate, defend them on the merits of their positions and capabilities, not by repeating content-free jingles.

    Or even worse, based on unexplored counterfactuals: "X" did this, don't you wish you picked "Y"? As if the fact that the red shirt turned out to be flammable means that the blue shirt wouldn't have been. Then when somebody points out that the labels are the same, "whataboutism!"

    Even "the last bastion" is just a cynical flourish to associate this sentiment with a saying that has value to people on its own merits.

    > cope

    And this is twitter/online addiction. With an opposition like this, Trump will be president until the heart attack kills him. Addicted to self-regard.

    • >This is hyperpartisan bullshit that you obviously wouldn't say if someone were choosing between a red shirt and a blue shirt.

      I voted for Dean Phillips in the primary. I'm extremely angry at the DNC. I thought they treated Mitt Romney and John McCain like garbage for absolutely no reason. I would have happily voted for Romney over both Clinton and Trump in 2016. I'm not some partisan hack. That said, it wasn't a difficult choice last election.

      Donald Trump is an exceptionally corrupt, delusional, moronic President. He pretends that doing it out in the open makes it okay.

      He's literally flying around in a Qatari bribe. This level of corruption and self-dealing is exceptional.

  • I'd say if I have to chose between a moron and a corrupt moron, I'd say let the whole thing collapse. The "world burning" because one of the two parties can't get elected is a bunch of bs. The whole thing is a sham and trying to get people to vote because the other party is worse just shows how bad you are.