Seafarer493 t1_iuk6wjp wrote on October 31, 2022 at 11:19 PM

Gish galloping is a technique that takes advantage of the fact that it's harder to debunk something than to claim it.

In a face-to-face debate with real-time limitations, if you just make a whole ton of claims in a row, you force your opponent to waste their time trying to address every one of your points rather than making their own. That way, you both monopolise the time for amplifying your side and, if they miss or make limited responses to any of your points, you can then point to that and claim that you "won" the debate. That's the essence of a Gish gallop.

In an actual debate, both participants will get adequate time to both address their opponent's points and make and support their own.

kinyutaka t1_iuk9wvy wrote on October 31, 2022 at 11:42 PM

I get that a lot. Someone will rapid fire like 5 points on Twitter (where space is limited), and I'll address points 1, 2, and 3, and they will shoot back about how I refuse to talk about point 5 before I am even done with point 4.

So, I address point 5, and they use the fact that you can't see the whole threads at once to accuse me of not addressing point 3, then fire off 5 more points.

And even if I do manage to address all of them, they just argue that one of the responses just doesn't apply in the situation, accuse me of acting in bad faith, and block me from responding further.

And in their twisted mind, that means they won.