Whataboutism
Deflecting criticism by pointing to someone else's wrongdoing instead of addressing the original point.
Also known as: Tu quoque, Appeal to hypocrisy, What about...
What it means
Whataboutism is the rhetorical tactic of responding to a criticism or accusation by redirecting attention to a different issue, typically the behaviour of someone else. Rather than addressing the point, the person says “but what about…” and shifts the conversation elsewhere.
Technically a form of the tu quoque fallacy (appeal to hypocrisy), whataboutism has a long history as a political tool. It was a signature tactic of Soviet propaganda during the Cold War - any criticism of the USSR would be met with “and what about racism in America?” The criticism of America might be entirely valid, but it doesn’t address the original point. That’s the trick.
Whataboutism is effective because it has the shape of a legitimate argument. Pointing out hypocrisy feels like holding someone to a standard. But it’s not engaging with the substance - it’s changing the subject while appearing to stay on topic. The original criticism goes unaddressed, and the conversation spirals into a competition of who’s worse.
In the real world
In political debate, whataboutism is constant. “This government is corrupt.” “What about what the last government did?” The corruption isn’t denied - it’s just placed next to other corruption, as if that resolves it. The actual question - is this government corrupt? - never gets answered.
On social media, whataboutism thrives in comment sections. Any criticism of any public figure or institution is immediately met with a counter-example from the other side. The effect is to neutralise all criticism by implying that everyone is equally bad - which, conveniently, means nobody needs to be held accountable.
How to spot it
If someone responds to a criticism with 'but what about when they did X,' the original point has just been dodged. The existence of other wrongdoing doesn't address the wrongdoing being discussed. Notice the redirect and bring it back.
The thought to hold onto
Two wrongs don't make a right - and pointing to the second wrong is a way of avoiding accountability for the first.