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."

Debate Blind Spot by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026