“Whataboutism” is a rhetorical device to deflect attention to an unpleasant issue. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as: The technique or practice of responding to an accusation or difficult question by making a counter-accusation or raising a different issue.
The method is very popular in the pro-Kremlin disinformation ecosystem
- “Russian military shot down a passenger plane? Well, what about all the aircraft the US has shot down?”
- “Eastern Ukraine? Well, what about all the countries in whose affairs the US has interfered?”
- “Demonstrators detained in Russia? Well, what about the police violence in Europe and the gilets jaunes? What about the persecution of the participants in the peaceful protests in Washington, January 6
Classical rhetoric describes this technique as a version of the tu quoque fallacy . In Russian “сам дурак” – “you too are an idiot!” This approach has deep roots in Soviet rhetorical traditions, and the Kremlin disinformation ecosystem retorts to the method frequently. EUvsDisinfo has described the method in several articles – here, here, and here, for instance.
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