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By Scott Tibbs, July 17, 2018
Guys, we are either committed to civility or we are not. If we are committed to civility, then we will not justify uncivil behavior even to the uncivil.
(Note: It is not uncivil to call out bad behavior, tell the truth and condemn evil.)
Here's one example. Tomi Lahren is a caustic personality. That is a large part of her appeal to her fan base, but it also brings forth far more caustic reactions that go far beyond anything Lahren says. Any time she tweets, there is a flood of hate poured out by Leftists. The replies are just filled with obscenity and vulgarity – including extreme misogyny and explicit sexually degrading comments from the very same people who preach tolerance and rail against sexism. Lahren's haters reveal who and what they are with their replies to her.
Lahren has been uncivil too, Leftists scolded me. I refused to even dignify that response on Twitter. (It is also useless to have that kind of "discussion" in 280 character bursts.) If your response to someone decrying hateful behavior is to childishly whine "she did it toooooooooooooooooooo!!" then I cannot take you seriously. Whataboutism is totally morally bankrupt. It is a world where moral relativism rules, and anything can be justified if you point to something far less severe said by the target of your deranged ranting.
That said, let me address this whataboutism where format permits. Yes, Lahren did post a childish insult against a Democratic Congressman. She also apologized for it, but as a media personality she should know better than to act that way in the first place. If she wants to be taken seriously as an insightful political pundit, she should discipline that kind of immediate reaction. Of course, this is the danger for any public figure, because a dumb rant can go viral in a hurry even if quickly deleted.
But does that justify endless misogynistic rants and sexually degrading attacks on a young woman? If a conservative crowd said the same thing about a liberal woman every time she tweeted, we would never hear the end of it.
Let's be truthful for once: Lahren's haters would post these obscene things even if Lahren had never said anything like what she said about that Congressman. Lahren's haters spew hate because that is who they are: People consumed with hatred, rage and misogyny. The childish whataboutism is simply a way to justify their own hate, or to distract from it when called out. None of these haters are principled people debating policy or ideology. They are trolls who want to bully a young woman off the internet – sometimes by violently physically attacking her. (Yes, that has happened.) It is shameful.
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