[some_random]

Not even getting into the more dubious part of this claim, just because the British or Americans did it doesn't mean it's right or acceptable. If you disagree with that, you're implicitly pro slavery, pro penal expeditions, etc.

[pishpash]

There is this thing called implicit acceptability. If you really find it unacceptable you might want to start close to your circle of concern. Otherwise, pretty sure you find it acceptable by action.

Many, even most people are pro-slavery and pro-whatever as we speak, even paying to see it happen. They only mouth some useless moralizing words.

[stego-tech]

Oh, no, it's incredibly reprehensible what China's doing.

Just like it was reprehensible that America propped up the Iranian shah to ensure western oil interests were served. And reprehensible that the British Empire got the Chinese addicted to Opium to force more favorable trade agreements. Also reprehensible is the Cuban blockade imposed by America, which has prohibited the country from thriving or failing on its own merits and forced suffering onto its people.

It's all reprehensible, and it should all be held up lest folks get this notion that America is this infallible savior who can do no wrong. It's bad, and it should never happen, but it does and it will so long as people keep buying into Nationalist narratives like these.

[some_random]

You find it reprehensible but can't _just_ say that, you have to justify it with "and also the Americans and British did it". Yeah right.

[owebmaster]

Why does that bother you tho? Not having the moral ground changes the argument?

[BobbyJo]

It just makes it weird. When the US does something bad and people go "but CHINA!" it's also weird.

[some_random]

Because it's very obvious whataboutism.

[owebmaster]

Sure and what's the problem with that?

If you can't explain why country A doing X is bad but country B doing similar thing isn't it probably means you don't have a good argument.

[bdhe]

There's a whole wikipedia article discussing how it is both a logical fallacy and how it is often used as a tool of propaganda.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism

Please don't engage in whataboutism. One should be able to criticize China's actions without calling into discussion actions of other nations.

Do you go about threads criticizing US govt actions drawing parallels to similar actions in other regimes like China or Russia?