[wnkrshm]

If I recall correctly, DARPA regularly hosts challenges where university teams try to solve problems that clearly have military applications.

I know this can be seen as whataboutism but I feel the Western world might have gotten desensitized to its own activities in the sector, while looking warily at possible geopolitical competitors.

[goldfeld]

Bingo. Young people thinking war is a boy's toy game, east or west. Generations who haven't seen a real massacre barely need desensitization, their family culture can be inhumane and insensitive enough from home. The comments on this thread show perfectly how suspicion, lack of morals and humane thinking do all the work. The US isn't very different from China in those threats brooding within civil society.

[starbeast]

Whataboutism only really applies to state actors bickering when both are being hypocritical.

After all, it was created as a US propaganda term for saying that it is hypocritical for the USSR to propagandise the hypocrisy of the USA, when both governments are hypocrites.

Outside of that, it is called making comparisons and it is a completely valid thing to be doing.

[elefanten]

It refers to the practice of changing the conversation (often towards accusation of hypocrisy) rather than answering a claim. Especially when the comparison is different in kind or scope, or just plain irrelevant.

Making comparisons is valid, but it doesn't make you incapable of responding to the original arguments.

[starbeast]

Often it is used to shut down a line of argument when the comparison is entirely valid though.

[Mofleaker]

I feel that whataboutism is a term that gets abused a lot in threads about China.

Pointing out that the US does the very same doesn't necessarily discredit or diminish the problem with China's actions. If anything it shows we should be worried about these things on a global scale.

[izacus]

> Pointing out that the US does the very same doesn't necessarily discredit or diminish the problem with China's actions. If anything it shows we should be worried about these things on a global scale.

I think the main issue is that those actions aren't written about or criticised when done by the western powers. Hence why these article seems so hypocritical - they try to paint actions accepted and normal in western world as somehow evil when done by the eastern part. It doesn't mean they're not bad - but it does seem like the articles are just propaganda and not an objective look.

[true_religion]

Sure, one can technically use technology against your own people, but no one likes to think about betrayal of that kind.

So, the default assumption is that killbots controlled by your country are safe to you, but killbots made by a foreign power are dangerous.

[deadbunny]

China is the new big red threat, has been for a while now. No whataboutism about it, the US does the same shit but the fear of the other is still just as strong as ever.