"Whataboutism" - Here's how you can counter it

The term may be new, but there is something old and familiar behind it. "Whataboutism" is an age-old rhetorical trick that is supposed to help win discussions with arguments that are not really arguments at all, since they have nothing to do with the matter at hand. What "whataboutists" intend to do with it and how you deal with it is what we want to address today.

The term originates from the English language and describes the following strategy: an argument is made, immediately an objection is raised "And what about...?" - in English "What about...?". Maybe this sounds as familiar to you as it does to us. Because of our commitment to nature and the environment, we too sometimes get caught up in such discussion patterns at NIKIN . Two examples:

"I live vegan to keep my environmental footprint small."

"And what about the car you drive every day?"

or

"I support a forestry project in Uganda because the world needs more trees."

"And what about all those airline miles in your account?"

Escape forward

Comparable discussions are familiar from environmental policy debates - because such killer counters work particularly well with climate issues. We all know by now that there is always something we could optimize when it comes to the environment. At times, this also causes some anxiety and one asks oneself the question: Can I make a positive difference at all?

Those who are still made aware of their own inadequacies in view of this often choose the flight forward: discredit the other side in order to distract from the fact that one could perhaps also think about one's own actions. In the worst case, this not only thwarts an exciting conversation, but ecological progress itself. Whataboutism, on the other hand, can also be very mortifying. Especially when you are constantly confronted with it despite good intentions.

Whataboutism fair counter

There's only one thing that helps: stay calm and pause for a moment before answering. If you realize that your interlocutor's counter-argument has nothing to do with the topic of the conversation, you should deflect your answer back - even if the "what about" argument is not fundamentally wrong. Observe the behavior of trained moderators during public conversations, such as talk shows. Especially in cases of whataboutism, they intervene and make sure that the conversation doesn't go around in circles.

Helpful answers include:

"You're right, but let's get back to our topic first."

or

"We can debate this afterwards if we come to a conclusion on this point."  

or simply directly: 

"Your argument is valid but whataboutism."

Calmly and firmly deflecting the conversation often takes the wind (and the aggression) out of the other person's sails and gives you a grace period in which you can possibly familiarize yourself with the facts behind the deflection. In this way, you don't let the lead be taken out of your hands and remain sovereign.

What about you - have you experienced such situations in conversation? Do you have any input on how to deal with it without getting angry? There's room for your tips in the comments column! #sharingiscaring

(Image: Aaron Blanco)