A specific form of Legality Bias where one applies the “law must change first” standard to one context but not another, revealing inconsistent commitments. For example, a Brazilian might argue that Tibet and Xinjiang should be independent because their legal status is contested, but oppose indigenous or quilombola land claims in Brazil on the grounds that “the law must change first.” The bias exposes that the appeal to law is not a principled stance but a tool to selectively defend or attack based on political alignment. It treats legality as absolute only when it serves a preferred outcome, and ignores it when it doesn’t.
Example: “He supported Kosovan independence but dismissed Catalan claims with ‘the law has to change first’—Double Standards Legality Bias, using legality as a selective shield.”
by Dumu The Void March 23, 2026
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