I never realized there was a term to describe the low-effort phrases that people often use to get other people to shut up.

A thought-terminating cliché (also known as a semantic stop-sign, a thought-stopper, bumper sticker logic, or cliché thinking) is a form of loaded language—often passing as folk wisdom—intended to end an argument and quell cognitive dissonance with a cliché rather than a point.[1][2] Some such clichés are not inherently terminating, and only becomes so when used to intentionally dismiss, dissent, or justify fallacies.[3]

The term was popularized by Robert Jay Lifton in his 1961 book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism, who referred to the use of the cliché, along with "loading the language", as "the language of non-thought".[4]

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[–] 154 points 1 year ago (11 children)
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    [–] 122 points 1 year ago (1 child)
  • [–] 95 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    You'll change your mind you are older.

    Been hearing that one for over 15 years and it hasn't gotten any less wrong.

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    [–] 80 points 1 year ago* (2 children)

    So it goes. C'est la Vie (Such is life).

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    [–] 57 points 1 year ago (1 child)
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    [–] 54 points 1 year ago

    Damn that's crazy

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  • [–] 44 points 1 year ago

    Agree to disagree

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  • [–] 44 points 1 year ago (2 children)
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    [–] 44 points 1 year ago (1 child)
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    [+] 41 points 1 year ago* (last edited 6 months ago)
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  • [+] 40 points 1 year ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)
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    [–] 38 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Personal favorite: "Just shut up, man."

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    [–] 38 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

    Here's an example: "Israel has a right to defend itself"

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  • [–] 32 points 1 year ago

    Bless your heart.

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  • [–] 27 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

    Let's not forget the grand daddy of them all: The Lord works in mysterious ways.

    Somewhat apropos I recommend watching Adam Curtis' take on what he calls Oh Dearism:

    https://thoughtmaybe.com/oh-dearism/

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    [–] 27 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    "Let people enjoy things." – purports that criticisms to consumable media are attempts to prevent consumers from enjoying said media.

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    [–] 27 points 1 year ago

    That's just, like, your opinion, man.

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  • [–] 24 points 1 year ago (3 children)
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    [–] 21 points 1 year ago

    That's nice.

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  • [–] 19 points 1 year ago (1 child)
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    [+] 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
    [–] 18 points 1 year ago (1 child)
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    [–] 18 points 1 year ago

    Not reading all that

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  • [–] 17 points 1 year ago (1 child)
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    [–] 17 points 1 year ago (8 children)

    In Russian there's a "Такие дела", which means something like "Things are like that"

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    [–] 17 points 1 year ago
    [+] 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 child)
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    [–] 14 points 1 year ago

    Epstein didn't kill himself

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  • [+] 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
    [–] 13 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    I'd like a list of self-forgiving-for-being-a-piece-of-shit phrases. Example: "I just tell it like it is", "tough but fair", etc.

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    [–] 13 points 1 year ago
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