Whataboutism

Overview

Whataboutism is a way of arguing where, when a problem is pointed out, you bring up a different problem with "What about X?" to change the subject. It is said to come from the technique the Soviet Union used during the Cold War, answering Western criticism with "But America does X too." It is also used on social media as a comeback to criticism.

Whataboutism in a question box

In a question box, whataboutism shows up in 2 forms. The first is when a sender uses whataboutism. When the owner shares an answer stating a particular opinion, a question arrives that confronts them with a related but different problem, like "But what do you think about X?" Each time they answer, another problem gets brought up, and it can go on endlessly.

The second is when the owner uses whataboutism themselves. An answer that turns the tables on the sender with "But what about you?" in response to a critical question is one example of whataboutism. Pushing back at an anonymous sender doesn't necessarily lead to a constructive discussion, and followers tend to see it as "not answering the question."

Dealing with deflection

When a whataboutism question arrives, the basic way to deal with it is to "bring it back to the original point." Recognize that the point has been switched, and answer the original question head-on, like "I'll leave X for another time. My thoughts on this question are..."

Alternatively, you can choose to skip the whataboutism question itself. If you keep going along with questions that change the subject, you end up spending time and energy on them that should have gone to the questions you actually want to answer. The owner of a question box has the right to choose which questions to answer.

Not using whataboutism yourself

When you get a critical question, it's natural to feel like firing back with "But what about you?" However, this reaction may be taken as running away from the heart of the problem. If the criticism is fair, admit it honestly, and if it isn't, push back calmly. Either way, there's no need to bring up a different topic.

Your followers are watching your answers in your question box. An answer that deflects criticism leads to the impression that "This person runs away from inconvenient questions." An answer that faces the question head-on, even if it isn't perfect, can earn your followers' trust.