Scientific Picking

The deliberate or institutionalized practice within scientific research of selecting only hypotheses, experimental designs, data, or analyses that are likely to yield a preferred, publishable, or fundable result. This includes p-hacking, HARKing (Hypothesizing After Results are Known), and the file drawer problem (not publishing null results). It corrupts the scientific process by making the literature a curated museum of "successes," not an accurate map of reality.

Scientific Picking *Example: A pharmaceutical company runs 20 trials on a new drug. The two that show a mild positive effect (likely by chance) are published. The 18 showing no effect or harm are filed away. This Scientific Picking creates a public, peer-reviewed "fact" of the drug's efficacy that is a complete statistical mirage.*

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 4, 2026

Democratic Picking

The selective, self-serving invocation of democratic principles only when they benefit one's side, while ignoring or suppressing those same principles when they would lead to an undesirable outcome. It's a rhetorical strategy that treats democracy as a buffet, not a consistent commitment. "The people have decided!" is shouted in victory, but "The people are misinformed!" or "The system is rigged!" is the cry in defeat.

Example: A political faction fiercely supports a state's right to set its own laws (a democratic principle of localism) when it comes to restricting abortion, but then supports a sweeping federal ban (overriding local democracy) when a different state votes to protect abortion access. This is Democratic Picking—using the banner of democracy to defend power, not principle.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 4, 2026

Majoritarian Picking

The hypocritical practice of appealing to majority rule to legitimize one's own preferred policies, while crying foul and appealing to minority or individual rights when the majority opposes something one holds dear. It's the tactical, unprincipled use of the "majority" as a shield and a sword, depending entirely on which way the wind is blowing.

Example: A group argues that prayer in public schools should be allowed because "the majority in this community are Christian." Yet, the same group opposes community consensus when the majority supports a tax for LGBTQ+ youth services, arguing instead for "individual religious freedom." This is Majoritarian Picking.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 4, 2026

Majority Picking

A manipulative communication tactic where a speaker claims their position is the "majority view" without robust evidence, or by cherry-picking a single favorable poll, to create a bandwagon effect and pressure dissenters into silence. It's the manufacturing of a false consensus to win an argument through social pressure, not persuasion.

Majority Picking Example: During a company debate about returning to the office, a manager says, "I've talked to a lot of people, and the majority really want to be back full-time." They have no survey data—they've just "picked" the opinions of a few like-minded senior staff to present as the majority will, quashing the concerns of silent younger employees.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 4, 2026

Electoral Picking

The post-hoc rationalization where the loser of an election selectively highlights certain aspects of the electoral process (e.g., turnout in friendly districts, specific voting machine issues) to delegitimize the overall result, while accepting the same process's validity in races they won. It's a form of sore-loserism that treats the electoral system as sacred when it anoints you, and corrupt when it doesn't.

Example: A candidate wins the governor's race but loses the presidential race in the same state on the same ballots. They celebrate the governor's win as a "clean, fair victory" but declare the presidential loss "fraudulent due to irregularities in Metro County." This Electoral Picking accepts or rejects the system's legitimacy based solely on personal outcome.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 4, 2026

Political Picking

The cynical, real-world practice in governance where politicians and bureaucrats selectively enforce laws, award contracts, or direct resources not by objective criteria, but to reward allies, punish opponents, and secure future political advantage. It's the application of bias as a tool of state power, turning public policy into a mechanism for maintaining private political capital.

Example: A city government fast-tracks building permits for developers who are major campaign donors, while "losing" the permits of developers who support the opposition. This Political Picking uses the neutral machinery of administration to perform partisan favoritism, creating a shadow system of rewards and punishments.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 4, 2026

Reality Picking

The act of constructing a persuasive but deeply partial version of "reality" by selectively focusing on a subset of facts, experiences, and data points that support a desired narrative, while ignoring a larger, more complex, and often contradictory whole. It is the curation of a believable simulacrum of the world to win an argument, sell a product, or justify a policy.

Reality Picking Example: A news channel builds a nightly broadcast showing only stories of violent crime and urban decay, creating a picked reality of a nation in chaotic, existential collapse. This narrative, built from real but non-representative events, drives ratings and political agendas, while the statistically safer, more mundane reality for most viewers goes unreported.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 4, 2026