Spot it
Whataboutism
Also called tu quoque, you too
Answering a criticism with 'but what about you/them?' so the original point never gets discussed.
Whataboutism swaps the topic. Instead of answering 'did X do this?', it asks 'what about when Y did that?'. The second point may be fair, even important, but it doesn't answer the first. Logicians call the personal version tu quoque ('you too'): pointing out someone's hypocrisy doesn't show their claim is false. Brands, councils and families all use it, and it's especially common online because it feels like winning while ending the discussion.
What the research says
Reference, not a study
- Dowden (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy). 'Fallacies', Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, entry 'Tu Quoque'Logic reference, not an experiment. We found no verified experimental study measuring whataboutism itself.
Where you'll see it
- Two councillors, no party: 'what about them?'
- Family arguments: 'you did it too'
- Company responses to scandals
- Sport: 'their fans are worse'
Your defence
Separate the threads: 'Fair point, let's come back to that. First, is the original claim true?'