I remember reading about the word whataboutism, and how it originated from the way the Soviet diplomats responded to accusatory remarks about the Soviet Union. I also remember suddenly realizing, after having watched debates in the British parliament for some time, that the default rhetorical device employed by the arguing politicians is this very whataboutism; that it has become (or perhaps has been for a very long time) as recognizably British, as it is recognizably Russian. Perhaps it’s universal.
