Please keep the tedious cliché that 'whataboutism' has turned into off HN. I don't know how it started but it's now nothing but a flamewar trope.
We detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18061698 and marked it off-topic.
We detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18061698 and marked it off-topic.
The comment that set this all off was short and made a single point that can be accurately described by a cliche. There was nothing else to it. I an understand not wanting people to dismiss real arguments with cliches, but I don’t think that’s what happened here. When someone brags about using a straw man to deflect reasonable criticism, it merits a response.
Maybe, but that response shouldn't just classify the argument as an instance of the cliche, since that would be low-effort shitposting, as you point out. HN already has the downvote arrow to express that kind of disagreement.