Whataboutism
Deflecting a criticism by raising a different criticism of the critic or their side.
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In plain terms
Whataboutism answers a critique with a countercharge. Someone raises a problem. Instead of engaging with it, the response points at someone else's problem. "What about them?"
It has Cold War roots as a rhetorical export, but it lives everywhere now: comment threads, press conferences, family dinners.
Why it's fallacious
Two wrongs don't cancel. If someone points out a flaw in your position, the existence of a flaw somewhere else doesn't erase yours. The original critique still needs a response.
The move works by switching the subject. By the time the other side is defending the new accusation, the first one has been forgotten. That's the point.
Canonical example
A: "The mayor's administration missed its housing deadline by two years."
B: "What about the previous mayor? They promised to fix the potholes and never did."
B's claim might be true. It's also about a different person, on a different topic, from a different term. It doesn't address the housing deadline at all. If A's critique is valid, it stays valid whether or not the previous mayor filled the potholes.
Counter-example (not a fallacy)
A: "Country X's human rights record disqualifies them from hosting the summit."
B: "By that standard, three of the last five host countries should also have been disqualified. So either the standard is selectively applied, or we need to rethink what 'disqualifying' means."
This isn't whataboutism. B is testing A's principle for consistency: if the standard is real, apply it uniformly. That's a legitimate challenge to the rule, not a dodge. The giveaway is that B is still talking about the original topic.
The line: whataboutism changes the subject. A consistency challenge keeps the subject and pressures the principle.
How to respond when you see it
Acknowledge and redirect. "That might be worth discussing separately. Right now we're talking about X. Does X still stand?" If it does, the whataboutism was a stall. If it doesn't, you've learned something. Either way, don't chase the pivot.