The Toxicity of Inflicting Whataboutisms When Discussing Racism
Why using this strategy to deflect from Black trauma says more about you than you know
Standing up against racism is not for the faint of heart.
It requires extremely thick skin. It requires the ability to purge hateful rhetoric from your brain to function normally in your daily life with loved ones. And it requires you to become a master wordsmith to shut down the viciously racist commentary about your work or a master at using the “block” feature to preserve your energy quickly.
I’ve been a Medium member for less than a year, but I’ve penned articles and essays on racism for decades. One common thread between any platform I’ve ever submitted content to promote an equitable society has been those who storm the comment section with their “whataboutisms.”
A whataboutism is defined as the technique or practice of responding to an accusation or difficult question by making a counter accusation or raising a separate issue.
The minute any writer sees this, we immediately have a clear picture and understanding of the perpetrator. If racism is the topic, whataboutism takes the form of a wailing siren — the writer has just encountered a racist. There is no way to sugarcoat this or, as…
