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ck4829

(34,976 posts)
Fri Dec 2, 2016, 08:52 PM Dec 2016

It's time to start challenging the thought terminating cliches

"We're gonna drain the swamp"
(When it's clear the swamp will not be drained and the cabinet will be filled with politically connected billionaires, some of whom are part of the very establishment Trump railed against) "Well, they know how to make money"
"Hashtag he's your president"

These things all have a name, they are thought terminating cliches, they are generic statements that sound true and are meant to discourage critical thinking, cognitive dissonance, and other 'bad thoughts'. These are just some examples of these soundbites we've seen with the whole Trump campaign and is what we will see under a Trump administration from the future president down to people who support him on the street.

We may not convince a lot of the people who spout these cliches, but we might get the support of bystanders and others, so we all need to...
Call them out as thought terminating cliches
Don't let the media use them
Demand more information, these cliches rely on being vague and generic. Who, what, where, when, why, how?

Do not let a thought terminating cliche be the end of the discussion.

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