Bias of Arbitrary Objectivity

A bias where an individual declares their own perspective to be objective while dismissing all others as biased—without any justification for why their perspective deserves the "objective" label. The bias is arbitrary because the criteria for objectivity shift to always favor the biased party: what's "objective" is whatever they believe, whatever their side says, whatever serves their interests. This bias is the foundation of punditry, of editorializing, of the confident assertion that "I'm not political, I just believe in common sense" (where common sense means my opinions). The Bias of Arbitrary Objectivity allows its holder to feel rational while being utterly unreflective, to claim neutrality while being deeply partisan. It's the bias that denies it's a bias, which is what makes it so effective and so dangerous.

Example: "He introduced himself as 'just giving the facts, no bias.' Then he spent an hour presenting one side of every issue, dismissing opposing views as 'ideological.' The Bias of Arbitrary Objectivity meant he never had to examine his own assumptions—they weren't assumptions, they were just 'reality.' When challenged, he didn't defend his views; he defended his right to be the arbiter of what counts as objective. The bias was invisible to him, which is how it worked."

by Dumu The Void February 20, 2026

Pathology Trivialization Bias

A form of bias and meta-bias where one dismisses another person's views, disagreements, or different perspectives by casually labeling them as mentally ill, unstable, schizophrenic, delusional, or otherwise pathological. The bias trivializes genuine mental health conditions while weaponizing them against anyone who disagrees. It's the logic of "you must be crazy to believe that" applied to every difference of opinion. Pathology Trivialization Bias allows its user to dismiss any challenge without engagement, to pathologize dissent rather than address it. It's especially common in online arguments, where "touch grass," "seek help," and "you're clearly mentally ill" serve as conversation-enders that require no thought, only dismissal.

Pathology Trivialization Bias Example: "She presented a well-reasoned argument for electoral reform. He responded with Pathology Trivialization Bias: 'You're clearly delusional. Have you tried medication?' Her arguments went unaddressed, her reasoning unchallenged—just dismissed as symptom. The bias had done its work: turning disagreement into disease, dissent into diagnosis. She wasn't wrong; she was just 'crazy'—which meant nothing she said mattered."

by Dumu The Void February 20, 2026

Trivial Pathologization Bias

A variation of pathology trivialization bias where the pathologizing is explicitly trivial—casual, offhand, dismissive. "You're so OCD about that." "Are you schizo?" "That's literally insane." The bias treats serious mental health conditions as casual insults, as throwaway dismissals, as ways of saying "I don't agree with you" without having to think. Trivial Pathologization Bias is epidemic in online discourse, where clinical terms have been stripped of meaning and repurposed as weapons. It harms both those who suffer from actual mental illness (by trivializing their conditions) and those who are simply trying to have a conversation (by having their views dismissed as pathology). The bias is so common that most users don't even notice they're doing it—which is what makes it so insidious.

Example: "He called her analysis 'literally schizo' because he disagreed with one point. Trivial Pathologization Bias had done its work: dismissing her argument without engaging it, trivializing schizophrenia in the process. He didn't mean it literally; he meant it as an insult. That was the problem—mental illness as shorthand for 'I don't like what you're saying.' The bias was invisible to him, which is how it worked."

by Dumu The Void February 20, 2026

Evidence Objectivity Bias

A variation of objectivity bias where something only counts as evidence if the person making the judgment says it's evidence. "That's not evidence because I say so." The bias replaces objective standards of evidence with personal fiat, making the individual the sole arbiter of what counts as proof. Evidence Objectivity Bias is what allows conspiracy theorists to dismiss mountains of data while accepting a single tweet as proof. It's what allows bad-faith arguers to demand evidence, then reject it, then demand different evidence, then reject that—because the real standard is not evidence but agreement. If you agree with me, your evidence counts; if you don't, it doesn't. The bias is the "because I said so" of epistemology, the final refuge of those who have no arguments left.

Example: "She provided study after study showing vaccine safety. He dismissed each one with Evidence Objectivity Bias: 'That's not real evidence.' When she asked what would count, he said 'I'll know it when I see it.' He never saw it. The bias had made him the sole judge of what counts as proof—and his judgment was that nothing that disagreed with him could ever count. Evidence wasn't the issue; control was."

by Dumu The Void February 20, 2026

Logical Objectivity Bias

A variation of objectivity bias where something only counts as logical if the person making the judgment says it's logical. "That's not logical because I say so." The bias replaces logical standards with personal authority, making the individual the arbiter of reason itself. Logical Objectivity Bias is what allows people to reject valid arguments as "illogical" while accepting obvious fallacies from their own side. It's what makes debate impossible because the standards shift constantly—what's logical is whatever supports my position; what's illogical is whatever challenges it. The bias is the ultimate expression of epistemic narcissism: not just believing you're right, but believing you're the definition of rightness.

Example: "He presented a perfectly valid syllogism. She responded with Logical Objectivity Bias: 'That's not logical.' No explanation, no reasoning—just declaration. When he asked what made it illogical, she said 'It just is.' The bias had made her the sole judge of logic, and her judgment was that anything she disagreed with was automatically unreasonable. Reason wasn't the issue; authority was."

by Dumu The Void February 20, 2026

Normativity Bias

The bias where only one's own views, behaviors, or ways of being are considered "normal"—everything else is deviant, strange, or wrong. Normativity Bias is the cognitive foundation of prejudice, of ethnocentrism, of every system that treats difference as deficit. It's the assumption that how I live is not just how I live but how people should live, and that those who live differently are not just different but wrong. Normativity Bias is invisible to those who hold it because their way of being feels not like a choice but like reality. They don't see their own culture; they see the world. Everyone else has a culture; they have normality.

Example: "He couldn't understand why other cultures did things differently. To him, his way wasn't a way; it was just 'normal.' Normativity Bias meant he never had to examine his own assumptions—they weren't assumptions, they were just reality. Other people were strange; he was just... normal. The bias was invisible to him, which is how it maintained its power."

by Dumu The Void February 20, 2026

Neuropsychonormativity Bias

A specialized form of normativity bias centered on neurological and psychological function—the assumption that one's own cognitive style, emotional range, and mental processing are "normal," and that anyone who differs is somehow deficient. Neuropsychonormativity Bias is what makes neurotypical people assume that autistic communication is "broken" rather than different, that introversion is "shyness" rather than a preference, that alternative cognitive styles are disorders rather than variations. It's the bias that pathologizes difference while treating the dominant mode as simply "how minds work." This bias is especially harmful to neurodivergent individuals, who are constantly measured against a standard that was never designed for them and told they're falling short.

Example: "She stimmed during meetings to focus. Her neurotypical colleagues saw it as 'weird,' 'distracting,' 'unprofessional.' Neuropsychonormativity Bias meant they never asked why she did it, never considered that her brain worked differently, never recognized that their standard of 'normal' was just one standard among many. She was the problem; they were just normal. The bias was invisible to them, which is how it hurt her."

by Dumu The Void February 20, 2026