Debate Blind Spot

The failure to realize when you are no longer engaging in a good-faith debate to explore an issue, but are instead performing for an audience, protecting your status, or simply trying to exhaust your opponent. You believe you're having a noble battle of ideas, but you're blind to your own tactics of derailing, goalpost-moving, and rhetorical point-scoring that have destroyed any chance of mutual understanding.

Example: "The online thread was a cesspool because of debate blind spot. Both sides thought they were valiantly debating science. In reality, they were just dumping pre-written talking points, hunting for 'owns,' and playing to their respective follower bases. The blind spot was their shared belief this was a debate, when it was really two separate, angry monologues being broadcast at each other."

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Self-Serving Debate

The act of entering or structuring a debate with the primary goal of enhancing your own reputation, humiliating an opponent, or rallying your base, rather than testing ideas or seeking truth. You choose topics you know you can "win" on style points, you debate less-skilled opponents, and you use every procedural trick to control the frame. The debate is a tool for self-aggrandizement, not a vehicle for discovery.

Example: "The influencer's 'public debate' was pure self-serving debate. They picked a fringe opponent with poor speaking skills, controlled the moderators, and used slick graphics to mock rather than engage. It wasn't designed to enlighten viewers; it was a staged victory designed to generate clips for their followers and sell merchandise that said 'I Debated Logic and Won.'"

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Bending Debate

Manipulating the format, rules, or flow of a debate to guarantee a tactical advantage or predetermined outcome. This includes filibustering, demanding impossible standards of proof from one side only, controlling the microphone time, or constantly redefining the topic. It's not debating to find truth; it's debating to win a performance, where the stage itself is sloped in your favor.

Example: "The moderator was accused of bending the debate by only following up on the challenger's points with aggressive fact-checks, while letting the incumbent's vague platitudes slide. The debate wasn't a fair exchange; it was a controlled demolition of one candidate's platform." Bending Debate

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Debate Forging

Staging a fake debate where one or both participants are arguing in bad faith, the outcome is predetermined, or the entire event is a performance designed to create content, not clash of ideas. This includes scripted "destroying" videos, panels where shills pretend to be opponents, or online "debates" where one party is just a troll trying to generate clips.

Example: "The podcast 'debate' was completely forged. The host's 'opponent' was a paid actor reading the dumbest possible version of the counter-argument from cue cards. The host 'demolished' him, the audience cheered, and they all sold t-shirts after. No ideas were tested; a straw man was erected and set on fire for profit." Debate Forging

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Debate Crafting

Orchestrating the conditions, rules, format, and participants of a debate to ensure a specific outcome or perception, long before the first word is spoken. This involves picking a weak opponent, controlling the moderator, choosing restrictive topics, or designing the speaking order to favor one side. It's engineering the battlefield to guarantee victory, then claiming it was a fair fight.

Example: "The political campaign crafted the upcoming debate brilliantly. They negotiated a format with no live fact-checking, picked a moderator known for soft questions, and insisted on topics their candidate had rehearsed relentlessly. The actual exchange was just the ceremonial unveiling of a victory they had crafted in the back rooms weeks prior." Debate Crafting

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026