286
votes
Why is it considered racist to say "White Lives Matter"?
The best statement I've seen of the argument for saying "Black Lives Matter" is in a letter to The Columbus Dispatch from Stanley D. Krider, posted July 25, 2020:
I say “Black Lives Matter” ...
- 1,544
250
votes
Why is it considered racist to say "White Lives Matter"?
Compare for example how you'd feel if people campaigning that ‘The Homeless need shelter’ were met with the counterclaim that ‘Home-owners need shelter’.
While that second claim isn't false in itself, ...
- 977
162
votes
Accepted
How can I respond to Whataboutism?
Note: this is a pretty long answer; and the specific points regarding whataboutism are at the last section, so you may want to skip there first if that's all you care about.
How can a level-headed ...
- 88.7k
156
votes
Why is it considered racist to say "White Lives Matter"?
"White lives matter" is considered white supremacist because it was created and is promoted by white supremacists in direct opposition to black lives matter.
It is meant as a contradiction ...
- 32.2k
122
votes
Accepted
Why do populists and dictators sometimes lie so ridiculously that it's obvious it's untrue?
This is what is called the 'Big Lie' strategy in politics, coined by Adolf Hitler himself. It is defined as: 'A gross distortion or misrepresentation of the facts, especially when used as a propaganda ...
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84
votes
Why is "Whataboutism" often criticized?
It's a logical fallacy. It notably doesn't argue that the act was justified, at most it only argues that you and I are both in the same boat - so if you are wrong, I am wrong too.
Concretely:
The USA ...
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73
votes
Accepted
What do those Iranians who say "Death to America!" mean by it?
"Death to <whatever>" is to some extent one of those ritualised phrases whose actual meaning is separate from the literal meaning of the phrase. It is a statement of disapproval that ...
- 7,386
66
votes
Accepted
Why do primaries contestants (usually) announce that they are "suspending" their campaign when they exit it?
There are a couple of reasons why candidates do this. Firstly, because the Federal Election Commission only considers a campaign as "closed down" for good after a winding down process is complete; ...
CDJB♦
- 80k
66
votes
Why is "Whataboutism" often criticized?
Whataboutism isn’t a reply, Whataboutism is a deflection of an accusation.
It is not an attempt to address a concern, but instead an attempt to change the subject.
As politics is getting people to ...
- 2,836
62
votes
Why is it considered racist to say "White Lives Matter"?
Context is important, and the context of these two claims makes a significant difference.
When people say 'Black Lives Matter', the context is a well-documented perception of systematic biases against ...
- 53k
59
votes
Why do populists and dictators sometimes lie so ridiculously that it's obvious it's untrue?
Lies that seem obvious to you will be believed by significant numbers of people. The other party likes killing babies. A secret conspiracy of celebrities are drinking children's blood. The earth is ...
- 1,588
54
votes
What is the significance of Sec. Pompeo's labeling of China's treatment of the Uighurs as "genocide"?
The USA has signed (in 1948) and ratified (in 1988) the UN Convention on Genocide - one of the founding declarations of the UN in 1948.
The convention commits its signatories to the following ...
- 7,386
53
votes
Accepted
Is this expression displayed by protestors antisemitic?
It's a taunt, based on the chant "Jews will not replace us" famous for being used by far right groups at Charlottesville. The intent is almost certainly to incite a reaction, not to make an ...
- 12.8k
50
votes
Accepted
Why do politicians often say that they cannot comment on individual cases?
There is usually no legal reason why a politician can't comment, but there are a number of very logical reasons why it is going to be a bad idea:
The politician may not have been briefed on the ...
- 18.1k
46
votes
Accepted
What does "2 fingers to Scotland" mean in Peter Grant's statement about Johnson not listening to the SNP's Westminster leader speeches?
In the UK, two fingers is an insult much like the middle finger in the USA. Done in a palm-out orientation it is the victory sign, as done by Winston Churchill. The other way around, palm inwards (...
- 7,386
40
votes
Why is it considered racist to say "White Lives Matter"?
Black Lives Matter is a prescriptive statement. It's saying that black lives should matter, and shouldn't be treated the way it currently is American society.
White Lives Matter is a descriptive ...
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38
votes
How can I respond to Whataboutism?
If Donald Trump's racism is brought up
and
How can a level-headed political discussion be had
are fundamentally incompatible. Whether Donald Trump is a racist is irrelevant to anything that ...
- 87.9k
35
votes
What is a "major country" as named in Bernie Sanders' Healthcare debate answers?
Bernie Sanders tweeted the graphic below in April of 2019, it was accompanied by the following text (emphasis mine):
Every other major country has made health care a right for all. Anyone who says ...
JJJ♦
- 36.8k
32
votes
How can I respond to Whataboutism?
To make this less emotional, let's fictionalize the situation.
There is an election in your country where Bob Bobson and Alice Alison run for president.
You don't like Alice Alison, because she ...
- 66.7k
32
votes
Does the motto “Don’t tread on me” have a specific political color?
It currently is. From 1 July:
Many held posters or wore T-shirts that said, "Back the blue." ... Two
people held up a banner that said, "TRUMP-- KEEP AMERICA GREAT 2020,"
and ...
30
votes
What is Trump's position on the whistle blower allegations? What does he mean by "witch hunt"?
I think the only sensible answer is "yes": he both denies that he did those actions and denies that they are illegal. At least from my reading of the news, he seems to be doing both at different ...
- 12.2k
29
votes
Why is "Whataboutism" often criticized?
To put it simply, just because someone else does something bad doesn't mean you(or someone else) can do something bad.
If you break the rules it doesn't matter that someone else in the past has broken ...
- 8,782
28
votes
Accepted
What is a "major country" as named in Bernie Sanders' Healthcare debate answers?
You can expect truth in campaign speeches, but not scientific definitions. For an approximation of major countries, try the G7.
Of course the G7 misses China, India, Russia, Brazil, which are quite ...
- 77.9k
28
votes
Does the motto “Don’t tread on me” have a specific political color?
The Gadsden flag is not always a political statement, but it almost always is. It wasn't until the ~2010s that it became associated with the Tea Party movement. As wiki notes
Starting in the 1970s, ...
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26
votes
Why is it considered racist to say "White Lives Matter"?
I learnt this lesson at about 8 years old, from my grandmother.
It was Mother's Day and she gave me some money to buy a gift for my mother. I asked
Why don't we have a children's day?
She responded
...
- 409
26
votes
What do those Iranians who say "Death to America!" mean by it?
What they mean by "death to" is basically "screw you" or "screw that."
When the Matt Damon character in Good Will Hunting explains why he chose what seemed to be the most ...
- 20.5k
24
votes
What does "2 fingers to Scotland" mean in Peter Grant's statement about Johnson not listening to the SNP's Westminster leader speeches?
In the UK, Australia and New Zealand, the two fingers (sometimes also two-fingered salute) is a sign whose meaning can approximately equated to the middle finger which is used in North America, Europe ...
- 12.2k
24
votes
Why do populists and dictators sometimes lie so ridiculously that it's obvious it's untrue?
One interesting theory I read a while ago was that a lot of these obvious lies don't bother the liars supporters at all and in fact delight them because they are an insult to their opponents.
For ...
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Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible