Word For The Day: WHAT-ABOUT-ISM

 

F LoBuono

When Donald J. Trump's cadre of malcontents and misanthropes try defending their outrageous and illegal actions at the Capitol, they get a serious case of what-about-ism, i.e. they deflect and deceive by trying to find the moral equivalence with other events they think justify their abhorrent actions. We've been hearing them since the very beginning of the Trump travesty.

When questions were raised about Trump's private conversations with Vladimir Putin we got "what about Hillary's emails?" Or, "what about Benghazi?" When his phone call to the President of Ukraine to find dirt on Joe Biden was tagged for potential illegality and caused his first Impeachment, it was "what about Hunter Biden and Burisma?" 

And, in a desperate attempt at some type of moral equivalence, they are using it to maximum effect in their defense not only for the attack on the Capitol building, but on the very Democracy we hold so dear.

"What about George Floyd in Minneapolis?"

"What about BLM in Portland and D.C.?"

"What about Chicago?"

"What about New York?"

And, blah, blah, blah - anything to avoid responsibility for their atrocious deeds!

WHAT-ABOUT-ISM

Let me make this abundantly clear: there is NO moral equivalence between the actions of mostly peaceful demonstrators in their fight for social justice and the mob that defecated in the Halls of Congress, waived the flag of treason in The Rotunda, threatened duly elected officials, trashed the Capitol building, and attacked and killed policemen.

Look, I support the 1st Amendment in its totality. The People have the right to peacefully assemble and address grievances. The key word here is peaceful. I condemn violence wherever it is found and no matter who commits it - be it Portland, Chicago, New York, or Washington, D.C.

And, in particular, I condemn the actions of THE Many who took part in the attempted sedition on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. The more video that comes in of the event, the more we see a ruthless, classless mob lacking ANY moral code, bent solely on creating mayhem and destruction.

Furthermore, they were driven by the lies spewed to them by one man and reinforced by his immoral flunkies. And, that man is Donald J. Trump.

Illustration by Kaya Mar

So, Trumpers, "what about your treason?" 

What about THAT?"