HL Mencken was early in his career when Bernays pulled off his first really big gig for US banks by convincing Americans to hate the Kaiser.
Mencken was a literary guy and he was always running up against censors (the Hayes code) for publishing "smut and immorality", but he was absolutely furious about government manipulation re: WWI.
I was reading him in the 90s and had not yet lived through such a time. When he talked about the truth being the first casualty of war, I chalked it up to his affinity for everything German. Since 9/11, my eyes have been open, and it's way worse now.
As to the idea that "whataboutism" is a check mate argument, I see it less as hypocrisy or blame and more about explaining the context, what the rule of the game are.
Think of it ike a contract. If two companies agree to both do X, but then every day for years they both do Y, and it works well and nobody complains, one company can't all of a sudden claim breach.
The general rule is big countries get to force little countries to do what they want them to. Reasonableness is the only question, and there's a lot of latitude.
Aside, maybe Zelensky's strategy of calling NATO a bunch of pussies will turn out to be not so great a motivator, and will lead to the quickest settlement.
HL Mencken was early in his career when Bernays pulled off his first really big gig for US banks by convincing Americans to hate the Kaiser.
Mencken was a literary guy and he was always running up against censors (the Hayes code) for publishing "smut and immorality", but he was absolutely furious about government manipulation re: WWI.
I was reading him in the 90s and had not yet lived through such a time. When he talked about the truth being the first casualty of war, I chalked it up to his affinity for everything German. Since 9/11, my eyes have been open, and it's way worse now.
As to the idea that "whataboutism" is a check mate argument, I see it less as hypocrisy or blame and more about explaining the context, what the rule of the game are.
Think of it ike a contract. If two companies agree to both do X, but then every day for years they both do Y, and it works well and nobody complains, one company can't all of a sudden claim breach.
The general rule is big countries get to force little countries to do what they want them to. Reasonableness is the only question, and there's a lot of latitude.
Aside, maybe Zelensky's strategy of calling NATO a bunch of pussies will turn out to be not so great a motivator, and will lead to the quickest settlement.