The difference between the two is getting narrower and narrower. Dystopian surveillance and murderous authorities? Check. Imperialist foreign policy built on multiple genocides? Check. Pogroms and oppression of minorities? Not only check, but the US is arguably worse than China or the USSR. Though I admit that may be due to the US having an extra century to do dirt. And don’t forget America’s the world leader in Gulags.
The idea that America is benevolent is stupid. The idea that she’s benevolent by comparison is running mighty thin.
Uhh, yeah, we don’t disagree that America often sucks. Pointing that out in response to criticism pointed at other authoritarian regimes doesn’t make them good. For example, talking about gulags is guaranteed to trigger someone to bring up America’s incarceration rate. Does that magically make gulags good? No, it’s whataboutism and deflection.
When people want to pretend that communism is worse than capitalism because of gulags, that’s not whataboutism.
Because when capitalism is imprisoning as many people as communism, and also leaving millions to live on the streets, starve, etc. then it’s very relevant since you’re comparing them.
When you criticize only one system for things done by both, pointing that out isn’t deflection - it’s simply showing the hypocrisy. When that’s your only argument in the comparison, that’s very relevant.
talking about gulags is guaranteed to trigger someone to bring up America’s incarceration rate.
I didn’t mean to imply the connection between America’s gulags and the Soviets. I meant to state it explicitly. And I also want to point out the meme itself is a whataboutism.
The difference between the two is getting narrower and narrower. Dystopian surveillance and murderous authorities? Check. Imperialist foreign policy built on multiple genocides? Check. Pogroms and oppression of minorities? Not only check, but the US is arguably worse than China or the USSR. Though I admit that may be due to the US having an extra century to do dirt. And don’t forget America’s the world leader in Gulags.
The idea that America is benevolent is stupid. The idea that she’s benevolent by comparison is running mighty thin.
Uhh, yeah, we don’t disagree that America often sucks. Pointing that out in response to criticism pointed at other authoritarian regimes doesn’t make them good. For example, talking about gulags is guaranteed to trigger someone to bring up America’s incarceration rate. Does that magically make gulags good? No, it’s whataboutism and deflection.
When people want to pretend that communism is worse than capitalism because of gulags, that’s not whataboutism.
Because when capitalism is imprisoning as many people as communism, and also leaving millions to live on the streets, starve, etc. then it’s very relevant since you’re comparing them.
When you criticize only one system for things done by both, pointing that out isn’t deflection - it’s simply showing the hypocrisy. When that’s your only argument in the comparison, that’s very relevant.
I didn’t mean to imply the connection between America’s gulags and the Soviets. I meant to state it explicitly. And I also want to point out the meme itself is a whataboutism.
“I literally cannot tell the difference between Louis XVI and Robespierre” is a thing you can say from a very great historical distance.