Whataboutism
Whataboutism is a deflection tactic that shifts attention from a criticism to a (real or imagined) failing of the accuser or another party.
Why does it fool people?
It looks like Critical Thinking (raising another concern, demanding consistency) but actually dodges the original argument.
Functionally similar to Tu Quoque, but more about changing the subject than discrediting the speaker.
Why it fails
- Doesn’t address the original claim
- Even if the counter-example is true, it doesn’t make the original criticism false (Fallacy Fallacy in the other direction)
- Erodes the conversation by forcing the original speaker to defend an unrelated topic