I’ m wondering about this as it becomes more prevalent. I call it the “but what about?” syndrome.

The syndrome kicks in when someone is accused of anything, from a serious crime to hurling a simple verbal insult. No sooner is the perpetrator called for the infraction, whatever it is, that he or she responds with a “but what about” and names some other person who allegedly committed the same or similar infractions in the past to excuse their behavior.

This is not a political post, although politics contains much of the “but what about” syndrome. It is a simple statement that I’m hearing this more and more. Is anyone else noticing this phenomenon? It reminds me of my days in Catholic elementary school. When I was caught doing something wrong, something that I knew other kids had done and somehow escaped discovery and punishment, my reaction to the nun would be to revert to the “but what about” excuse. “But what about Johnny, Sister? He did the same thing last week.” It is not hard to guess what the answer was. “We’re talking about the here and now and you, Buster. Not Johnny.”

Think about it the next time you hear the phrase “but what about . . . ”

Have a good day!

Duke