whataboutery
/wɒtəˈbaʊtəɹi/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.40 in modern English
23
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
1
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Protesting at hypocrisy; responding to criticism by accusing one's opponent of similar or worse faults.
Countable; Derogatory; Informal; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Criticism is stereotyped as 'civil servant bashing' or the weapon of whataboutery is unsheathed: official statements accelerate about inefficient private sector management."
- "As the noble Lord, Lord Tebbit, will know, we have in Northern Ireland what we have referred to over the years as "whataboutery". When one talks about the atrocities of the IRA, someone from the other side will say, "Ah, but what about?" I have lived with that for 30 years in Northern Ireland. There is a lot of "whataboutery"."
- "The danger is that remembrance is used for self-righteousness, self-justification, point-scoring and what-about-ery."
- "In terms of dealing with the past, whataboutery is premised on the denial of the truths of the 'other' as a way to highlight the innocence and moral integrity of one's own experiences. Previous commentaries on prospects for truth recovery in Northern Ireland have noted the concern that a formal truth process could become a forum for the institutionalisation of whataboutery (McEvoy 2006)."
- "We know a lot of people around us who would resort to whataboutery or hypocrisy when it is upon them to take a stand."
- "They are skilled in whataboutery: the art of avoiding the issue."
Etymology
From 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.
Word Breakdown
- Suffix: what about