whataboutism
noun

- the act or practice of responding to an accusation of wrongdoing by claiming that another's offense is similar or worse, often to deflect or avoid addressing the original issue. It’s considered a rhetorical strategy or logical fallacy, sometimes called "whataboutery" (especially in the UK), where criticisms are deflected by raising unrelated criticisms of the opposing side. This approach often takes the form of rhetorical questions like “But what about…?” and is used to undermine the seriousness or relevance of the initial accusation, typically distracting from the topic at hand rather than resolving it.

Merriam-Webster

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WORD ORIGIN

The term "whataboutism" emerged during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. In January 1974, history teacher Sean O'Conaill wrote a letter to The Irish Times complaining about "the Whatabouts" — people who defended the IRA by pointing to wrongdoings of their opponents, asking "What about Bloody Sunday, internment, torture?"

Three days later, journalist John Healy coined the variant "whataboutery" in his column, writing that "we have a bellyful of Whataboutery in these killing days, and the one clear fact to emerge is that people, Orange and Green, are dying as a result of it."

The term gained wider use in 1978 when journalist Lionel Bloch used "whataboutism" in a letter to The Guardian, calling it a "Soviet import" used to defend communism. During the Cold War, Soviet officials routinely deflected criticism about human rights violations by responding "And you are lynching Negroes" — pointing to racism in America.

British journalist Edward Lucas brought the term into common modern usage with his 2007 blog post about Russia and his 2008 book "The New Cold War," describing whataboutism as "the favourite weapon of Soviet propagandists." The word exploded in popularity after 2016, particularly in discussions about Russian interference in Western politics.

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ENDING THE WHATABOUT-LOOP

The easiest way to avoid fixing one’s own mess is to loudly point at another's. This common move in arguments, known as “whataboutism”, isn't about finding solutions. Instead, it's a quick way to change the subject or avoid taking responsibility. When an issue comes up, and the response highlights a different, unrelated problem, that's whataboutism.

It often sounds like, "What about when you did something similar?" or "But what about their actions?" The goal isn't to deny the original issue, but to make it seem less important by bringing up another, sometimes worse, situation. This happens in politics and everyday talks. Imagine a parent asking about unfinished chores, and the child counters with, "But what about my sister's messy room?

This tactic shifts the focus away from the immediate problem. It stops honest conversation. Instead of dealing with the matter at hand, the discussion gets stuck comparing wrongs. It creates a stalemate where nobody takes ownership, and nothing gets resolved.

Unfortunately, the internet has made whataboutism more common than ever. Social media platforms reward quick comebacks and punchy deflections. When someone posts about problem A, dozens of replies immediately bring up problem B, C, and D. The original concern gets buried under layers of "what about..." and nothing actually gets resolved.

How to manage a “whatabout counterpart”? Just pause the discussion and bring it gently back to where it started. Acknowledge the new point without letting it replace the first one. You might say, “That’s worth talking about too — but let’s finish this one first.” It's helpful to break eye-contact here and make a visible point of writing the point in a notebook whilst pausing,… and even saying it softly whilst writing.

Helga & Paul Smith.

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SYNONYMS

deflection, diversion, diversionary tactic, dodging the question, evasion, false equivalence, finger-pointing, hypocrisy defense, look who's talking, misdirection, moral relativism, passing the buck, pointing fingers, pot calling the kettle black, red herring, redirection, rhetoric of denial, shifting blame, turning the tables, two wrongs defense, WHATABOUTISM, whataboutery, you too fallacy

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SMUGGLE
 OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“Over the internet and in social-media channels, you’ll hear more and more examples of WHATABOUTISM."

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P L E A S E   S U P P O R T   O W A D