this post was submitted on 15 Dec 2025
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When someone repeats an argument that has been proven false /badly argued many times before, but keeps repeating it in hopes of drowning out opposition or derailing a thread. Yet not disruptive enough to get banned on forums, as it wraps itself in non-hostile, nicely written sentences.

How exactly do moderators deal with this kind of behaviour?

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[–] Rhoeri@lemmy.world 4 points 8 hours ago

I’ve always referred to it as cognitive dissonance.

[–] MightyThistle@lemmy.world 5 points 11 hours ago

Gish galloping I think? If they're repeatedly asking you to prove the argument false that falls under sealioning too. It's also a very common tactic for some trolls to pretend to be civil in order to bypass suspicion.

[–] essell@lemmy.world 17 points 20 hours ago

In politics it's been called "flooding the zone"

Could also qualify as "sandbagging" or simply "bad faith"

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 63 points 1 day ago (1 children)

it's called arguing in bad faith, or more specifically argument ad nauseum

[–] TalkingFlower@lemmy.world 25 points 1 day ago (1 children)

ad nauseum

Thanks, this is an exact description.

[–] mrunicornman@lemmy.world 11 points 18 hours ago

Small nitpick: It is spelled ad nauseam.

[–] JayleneSlide@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Repeatedly using a blatantly false assertion is called the Big Lie (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_lie). The derailing/zone flooding aspect, as @NOT_RICK@lemmy.world stated, is a Gish Gallop (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gish_gallop). There might be a term for using these together, but I am not aware of of what it might be.

[–] fizzle@quokk.au 9 points 1 day ago

Neither of these really apply?

The big lie refers to a very big lie, but OP is talking about something subtle.

A gish gallop refers to many lies, such that an opponent cant refute all of them, but OP is talking about one lie.

[–] fizzle@quokk.au 12 points 1 day ago

I think this is just a form of propaganda. If you really want a name then maybe Ad Nauseum.

Tricky to moderate. You need to identify, and have objective evidence of, a pattern of behaviour from a user. It needs to be enough that an independent ambivalent third party would agree that the intent is propaganda. I think this is kinda impossible honestly.

If its a small ~~fiefdom~~ community, just ban them.

[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] TalkingFlower@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Unfortunately, it is a split issue, so both sides get some support.

[–] AmidFuror@fedia.io 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I don't know what you're describing is called, but since the world is measured flat and I, for one, didn't evolve from monkeys, your point is moot. Respectfully.

[–] 5ibelius9insterberg@feddit.org 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Well… it might surprise you, considering the context of your comment but you are partly correct: Humans did in fact not evolve from Monkeys.

Tap for spoilermonkeys and humans share a common ancestor.

[–] AmidFuror@fedia.io 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I thank you for your polite, informative comment. However, I still didn't evolve from any monkey. Maybe you and your Glober friends did, but not me. Good luck in your endeavors!

[–] killingspark@feddit.org 7 points 1 day ago

I can feel a hint of the confused anger I would have felt if this was real. Good job.

[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Sounds like maybe a Gish gallop?

[–] TalkingFlower@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago

It would be a Gish gallop if they do some brigading; that's how they usually scare off OP. Since he did not know he was making a controversial statement, and did not pre-emptively stop the Gish Gallop.

[–] TheReanuKeeves@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Being a shithead. Master this "skill" and you can lead nations.

[–] A_A@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (2 children)
[–] steeznson@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This one I've always been wary of. I studied philosophy so I know a bit about arguments and sealioning is unusual because it can only really take place over the internet where someone is asking questions in bad faith and you can't 100% call them out because you don't know their identity for sure. Firstly I don't like the idea that questions can be bad faith - especially seemingly trivial or obvious ones - since that goes against the Socratic method of questioning all your beliefs/shibboleths. Secondly, it is so context dependent that I think it is hard to universalise it like you can do with other fallacies like false dilemma (everyone is either a tequila or a whisky person, etc.)

[–] steeznson@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Actually it's quite funny, if you take a broad interpretation of sealioning that does not involve the internet, Ancient Athens sentenced Socrates to death for "sealioning" in 400BC lol.

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 1 points 18 hours ago

Well, sealions do go barefoot, even in winter.

[–] starlinguk@lemmy.world 3 points 22 hours ago

Sea lioning is pretending to be interested in a reasonable discussion when you're really looking to wind someone up until they lose their temper.