Whataboutism
Also known as: whataboutery
Deflecting a criticism by raising a different wrongdoing — "but what about X?" — instead of answering the point at hand.
Examples
A manager raises a scheduling issue in a one-on-one.
Priya: “The client deliverable was three days late again this month.” Sam: “What about the reports your team sent me late in March? You never mentioned those.”
Sam’s March complaint might be completely fair. But it doesn’t change whether this month’s deadline was missed, and it doesn’t answer Priya’s point.
The same pattern shows up in online arguments about organizations.
Comment: “This airline has had three baggage-handling failures this year.” Reply: “What about Airline X? Their delays were way worse last summer.”
Airline X’s problems might be real too. That still doesn’t tell you anything about the baggage handling being discussed.
Why the reasoning fails
Whataboutism treats “someone else also did something wrong” as if it were a rebuttal to “you did something wrong.” It isn’t. Two separate claims can both be true — the deadline was missed, and the earlier reports were also late — but establishing one doesn’t refute the other. The tactic works by shifting the conversation to a comparison of wrongs instead of resolving the one on the table, so the original issue quietly goes unanswered.
It’s a close cousin of tu quoque (“you too”), but broader: tu quoque specifically targets the hypocrisy of the person raising the issue, while whataboutism can point at any other wrongdoing, by anyone, to change the subject.
How to respond
- Separate the two issues explicitly: “That’s a fair point and worth discussing separately. Can we finish talking about this month’s deadline first?”
- Acknowledge before redirecting: “You’re right that March needs addressing too — I’ll follow up on that. Right now I need an answer on this one.”
- Ask directly: “Does that answer what I raised, or are we changing topics?”
- Recognize when it’s a real grievance, not just deflection — sometimes the other issue does deserve attention, just not as a substitute for this one.