#ThoughtTerminatingCliches
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mathiastck.bsky.social
I think a way discourse gets thrown off track is when it starts ignoring the counter arguments, which can happen a lot of ways. Sheer propaganda can provide #ThoughtTerminatingCliches

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought...

"especially repeated phrases, to ward off forbidden thoughts"
Thought-terminating cliché - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
September 20, 2026 at 3:15 PM
artistrose.bsky.social
#AxeTheTax, #BuildTheHomes, #FixTheBudget are not just con slogans. They are also #ThoughtTerminatingCliches. They are meant to stop us from asking questions, requiring real solutions or even giving critical thought to how we vote.
November 30, 2024 at 4:50 PM
mathiastck.bsky.social
I see people often demand simple explanations of complex problems, that they then pass on. From there it's not that big a step to just asking to be lied to.

It seems like some people have a hunger for #ThoughtTerminatingCliches
April 8, 2025 at 8:04 PM
cvillegrrrl.bsky.social
#thoughtterminatingcliches
August 29, 2025 at 12:53 AM
imagespending.bsky.social
She may be a lousy reporter and writer, but she's a good propagandist.

Those Qs are basically #ThoughtTerminatingCliches that stop critique & examination.
ketanjoshi.co Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · Oct 13
It's a little understated that Bari Weiss is really a flat-out 'just-asking-questions' style climate change denier.

Eg, here she is saying the science is up for public debate rather than settled, publishing the work of a big-name denier influencer (Koonin), and boosting a fake controversy
Bari Weiss @bariweiss "Is Donald Trump a “dictator”? Did the events of January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., constitute an “insurgency”? Is Joe Biden “sharp as a tack”? Is the science of climate change “settled”? Are Javier Milei of Argentina, Marine Le Pen of France, and the AfD party in Germany “far right”? Is the Wuhan lab leak hypothesis a “conspiracy theory”? Was the persistence of the virus a “pandemic of the unvaccinated”? Does Anthony Fauci “represent science”? Does Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, “promote hatred”? Do “fact-checkers” check facts? Let’s ask a question about these questions: Why on Earth were we placed in a position of having to answer them? In an open society, perspectives on reality confront one another in forceful competition. Each may contain some particle of truth—or at least some useful information. So even the flat-earthers are allowed their say. Even the Bigfoot-seekers appear on the Discovery Channel. Somewhere among the nonsense, there may be something worth hearing. Because we don’t precisely know where or when, the conversation is never over. A vast diversity of perspectives should be promoted within an open society. It’s the intellectual equivalent of hybrid vigor. If we all think alike, a single fatal error, being shared by all, could destroy the world. These precepts are not original. They have long been part of the American DNA. The default, for us, has always been debate. When certain subjects, like slavery, were made taboo and removed from the possibility of discussion, towering figures arose and terrible conflicts were fought to restore the balance. However, the past four years have seen a sustained effort to overturn the principles of the open society. The just-departed administration, of which Biden was the decrepit figurehead, tried to impose, by threat or mandate, a version of reality that brooked no discussion. Supported by its allies in the media, the academy, and the bureaucracy, the administrati… Bari Weiss @bariweiss Climate change did not cause the LA fires says Steve Koonin in an essential conversation with our @EmilyYoffe : https://thefp.com/p/climate-change-did-not-cause-the-la-fires-steve-koonin Bari Weiss @bariweiss · Sep 6, 2023 Gratified at the outpouring of responses to this important and courageous piece by @PatrickTBrown31 . https://thefp.com/p/i-overhyped-climate-change-to-get-published From thefp.com Bari Weiss @bariweiss · Sep 5, 2023 "Savvy researchers tailor their studies to maximize the likelihood that their work is accepted. I know this because I am one of them. Here’s how it works." @PatrickTBrown31 with a must-read piece: https://thefp.com/p/i-overhyped-climate-change-to-get-published
October 13, 2025 at 7:40 AM
mathiastck.bsky.social
Spot on. A difficult multi level problem. It gets to discussion about what is evidence, how should and can we persuade each other, and then effect policy.
A lot of people seem to seek and collect #ThoughtTerminatingCliches.

Phrases that cause people to ignore argument, evidence,cited sources etc.
September 4, 2025 at 3:34 PM
mathiastck.bsky.social
I just saw it expressed as:

"They use #ThoughtTerminatingCliches on themselves."

reddit.com/comments/1js...
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April 6, 2025 at 8:42 PM