4 ms·
> you can flush a toilet by pouring water into the bowl. They've never heard of this, don't want to consider it, and so they begin insisting that everything els
by jstarfish 3y ago
> you can flush a toilet by pouring water into the bowl. They've never heard of this, don't want to consider it, and so they begin insisting that everything else I've said in the conversation must be false, too.
You call it "psychopathic reasoning," but everybody has seen this before as "lawyer logic."
This is the very thought process attorneys exploit to convince jurors that a witness is not credible-- they try to rattle you into stating/admitting some inconsistency, which discredit your entire testimony.
- AnimalMuppet 3y ago"Lawyer logic" is a perfect term for it, for at least two reasons. No matter how valid the testimony or reasoning, the opposing lawyer is never going to say "good point" or "I'm going to have to think about that". No, the response will always be denial of the validity of what you said. And they will always respond with an argument. Also, the lawyer isn't talking to you. They're talking to the jury; you're just an unwilling participant in their attempt to persuade someone else.
- jstarfish 3y agoThose are some interesting extensions I hadn't thought about. They really can't afford to say things like "good point" and give you credibility when their goal is to discredit you. There's a second layer to this in that society are an arena of showmanship and dominance. Confusion, emotion and submission signal weakness and uncertainty. So the toilet thing...in my experience, they wouldn't be interested in seeing it for themselves even if both of you were sharing a stall with a 5-gallon jug of water. Calling you an idiot and walking away denies you the opportunity to prove yourself better at using a toilet.
- h2odragon 3y agoRings bells with the concept of "face" in social hierarchies.