Tedious Whataboutery can rain on any parade

THERE’S really no occasion the boring ‘whatabouters’ can’t inject themselves into, writes Sarrah Le Marquand. Spare me.

YOU might call them the whatabouters.

That certain breed who, armed with a misplaced sense of self-righteous indignation, attempt to demean any worthy deed or good intention.

Say a well-meaning citizen makes a donation to assist flood victims interstate. “What about helping the homeless right here in your own city?” the whatabouter will unhelpfully whine. (Note: the person making this snide remark will invariably have done nothing themselves to help either far-flung flood victims or the homeless right outside their door).

Or perhaps a political leader tired of bureaucratic red tape and petty pointscoring against their parliamentary rivals attempts to kickstart a national debate about a big-picture issue.

“What about fixing the economy?” the whatabouter will thunder, as though one rules out the other.

Then there are those who gleefully head to the comments section at the end of a column such as this to demand: “What about writing about the oppression of women in the Middle East? What about the chronic undersupply of childcare in this country? What about the fact that many elderly Australians can’t afford to turn on their airconditioning this summer?”

(All very deserving ideas, by the way, and indeed topics I have written about in the past and no doubt will again in future.) But today I am writing about the mean-spirited backlash against this week’s Golden Globes.

Oprah inspired millions of girls and women with her speech but apparently that’s irrelevant because of that time she met Harvey Weinstein. (Pic: Paul Drinkwater/Getty)

After years of copping criticism for being nothing more than an annual celebration of all things vapid, the 75th Golden Globes made history as some of the most well-known and influential women in the world united in a powerful show of solidarity with victims of sexual abuse and harassment.

Seemingly unsettled by the spirited defiance on display at a ceremony traditionally reserved for red-carpet twirls and winners offering gushing thanks to their agent, the whatabouters have since been out in force.

The women made a statement by wearing only black? But what about all the years they dared to wear skimpy gowns in — gasp — other colours!

Oprah Winfrey inspired millions and brought young girls watching from home to tears with her rousing speech? But what about the time she was once seen talking to Harvey Weinstein!

Of course an awards ceremony won’t ever achieve what the United Nations Security Council has been unable to do in brokering world peace. Of course Oprah should not be the next President of the United States. And of course many in the industry are just as guilty of hypocrisy and insincerity as they have always been.

But it is both churlish and inaccurate to pretend that what unfolded at the Golden Globes was insignificant. Surely the naysayers can overcome their bitterness long enough to acknowledge that.

What about it?

Sarrah Le Marquand is the editor-in-chief of Stellar magazine and the founding editor of RendezView.