whataboutery

Meaning

Noun

• Protesting at hypocrisy; responding to criticism by accusing one's opponent of similar or worse faults.
• Protesting at inconsistency; refusing to act in one instance unless similar action is taken in other similar instances.

Related

Similar words

• ad hominem, tu quoque, recrimination

Origin

• what about + -ery
• Originally used in describing political discourse during the Northern Ireland troubles, it has also found use in discussions of the origins of other prolonged sectarian conflicts, such as the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.