President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia would be prepared to talk to Ukraine, the United States and Europe about the future of Ukraine if they wanted to, but that Moscow would defend its…
It’s actually from Northern Ireland! Everybody thinks the phrase came from the US during the cold war but it didn’t.
According to lexicographer Ben Zimmer,[13] the term originated in Northern Ireland in the 1970s. Zimmer cites a 1974 letter by history teacher Sean O’Conaill which was published in The Irish Times where he complained about “the Whatabouts”, people who defended the IRA by pointing out supposed wrongdoings of their enemy:
Their enemy in this case is the Black and Tans and the British Army and their supposed wrongdoings are the reprisal killings they committed against Irish civilians.
thanks, I’ll ammend my jokes accordingly. Also nice to know that it was always a thought terminating cliche to defend state approved violence over the violence of the oppressed
It’s actually from Northern Ireland! Everybody thinks the phrase came from the US during the cold war but it didn’t.
Their enemy in this case is the Black and Tans and the British Army and their supposed wrongdoings are the reprisal killings they committed against Irish civilians.