A discussion is a very satisfying form of interaction, and so are arguments. Albeit not as pleasant as discussions, they can still bring a lot of amusement, and you might even learn something new from them. That is if your opponent plays fair and does not employ any of the toxic argument tactics that are so plentiful and terribly annoying. Want to learn more about these toxic arguments? Well, you’re in luck – there’s this awesome Reddit thread where people shared the wild cards other people use to turn a perfectly normal argument into a toxic one. Read it, learn from their example, and learn how to win an argument with a toxic person if ever you need it.
So, what are these bad argument tactics? Well, the front-runner is simply raising your voice in defense or offense – either way, it usually only proves your guilt and confuses your opponent even further in what you are trying to say. A low voice and calm composure always wins. A second runner-up in toxic things to say in an argument is to base your opinion on something as silly as ‘I read it on the Internet’ or ‘Do your research.’ As the people on the AskReddit thread decipher, the latter usually means ‘Watch two YouTube videos and become the same level expert as I am.’ And lastly, any argument turns into a toxic argument once manipulation, deceit, and hateful remarks start to be thrown around – in that case, your best bet is to run and never look back!
Right, ready to take a look at the toxic argument tactics these people caught in the wild? If so, just scroll on down below until you reach the submissions. Be sure to give the most dishonorable tactic your vote so other readers will see it first!
#1
“‘Open your mind.’ My mind is open. The earth isn’t f*cking flat.”
Image source: JekPorkinsIsAlright
#2
Commenter said:
“As soon as they realise they won’t win an argument they bring up something I did wrong in the past that has nothing to do with what’s being discussed. At that point it’s not about winning the argument at hand, it’s about just winning something because they can’t handle being wrong. That annoys me.”
Commenter replied:
“I see you’ve met my mother.”
Image source: reddit.com
#3
CGShiz said:
“Saying you should ‘do your research’ as if it’s a winning argument when they obviously don’t have a clue what they’re talking about.”
murderofcrows90 replied:
“When someone says ‘do your research,’ I hear, ‘watch the same YouTube videos I did.'”
Image source: CGShiz
#4
Outrageous_Claims said:
“Had an ex that would immediately go to ‘WELL i’M SORRY i’M SUCH A F*CK UP, AND YOU HATE ME!” Any time I brought up something I was unhappy with in our relationship which made it impossible for me to bring up anything I was unhappy with.
Me ‘Hey, I’m not happy that I do the cooking every single night.’
Her ‘Well I’m sorry I’m such a stupid idiot who doesn’t know how to make anything. I hate myself.’
Then I had to console her, and keep cooking every night. Totally unfair.”
blu_crab replied:
“Yep. And then they have the audacity to wonder loudly why nobody will be ‘honest’ and ‘direct’ with them.”
Image source: Outrageous_Claims
#5
“The ‘Mom Card’:
Doesn’t matter if you have superior logic, mom always wins the argument because she said so!”
Image source: Ray_McRay
#6
“‘I don’t want to argue.’
Then quit starting an argument, mother.”
Image source: SteamPoweredAshley
#7
“People who set an arbitrary entry goal, rather than arguing the point.
‘Oh, did you read this one book?’ ‘Did you watch this video?’ ‘Did you follow this course?’
Buddy, if the information contained there makes it so easy to refute my point, by all means do so.”
Image source: reddit.com
#8
“‘You must be so much fun at parties.’ Whenever you Call someone out on sh*tty behavior and they refuse to acknowledge it.”
Image source: alexdas77
#9
“Bringing up something from your past that is totally irrelevant to the argument.”
Image source: EthanTheFabulous
#10
biomech36 said:
“I don’t know what the term would be.
When you finish a statement, they turn and laugh lightly, and say whatever. I know that means I win, but it god damn sure doesn’t feel like it.”
yaosio replied:
“If you want to watch somebody explode say, ‘I’m glad you agree I’m right’ after they do that.”
Image source: biomech36
#11
Udjet said:
“Picking apart your entire argument because you chase the wrong word. They admit they knew what you meant, but invalidate everything because you obviously don’t know what you’re talking about.”
totalperspec replied:
“You meant to say ‘chose’ and that error makes you entirely wrong.”
Image source: Udjet
#12
“I have a pet peeve where people bring up kind things they did for me in order to guilt me out of disagreeing with them.
‘You know, I really stuck up for you when so-and-so said this one thing about you.’
Don’t even try it. I don’t need so-and-so’s approval, and I don’t need your friendship loaded as ammunition against me.”
Image source: reddit.com
#13
“Finding the exception that proves the rule.
You say something like ‘iPhones are made in China’ and they scour the internet for some source that one particular model was made in Taiwan or something, as if that somehow invalidates your entire argument.”
Image source: EffityJeffity
#14
Commenter said:
“Talking louder makes you right.”
Mrminecrafthimself replied:
“CORRECT.”
NotGayRyan replied:
“I read that in plankton’s voice without even thinking about it.”
Image source: reddit.com
#15
TheOneAboveAll said:
“I don’t know what to call it but the ‘how dare you insinuate I did something wrong despite all the clear evidence showing I did something. I’m a literal angel who cannot do anything wrong so how dare you even suggest I could possibly do anything bad. I’m not the bad guy here. You’re the bad guy for even thinking anything wrong of me. I am incapable of doing anything bad and for you to suggest otherwise shows how much of an abusive asshole you really are.’ Whatever card you call that. The perfect angel card or something I guess.”
GD_Sytonix replied:
“Think that’s called the narcissist card.”
Image source: TheOneAboveAll
#16
“Looking through my Facebook photos and pointing out that I’m fat, so therefore what I’m trying to say has no merit. Like whoa, I had no idea that I was fat until you told me, buddy! A+ 100 for you, observational master.”
Image source: SharpieScentedSoap
#17
Fiddlesnarf7 said:
“‘You always want to be right.’
‘Sure honey, you’re definitely 100% right like always.'”
Oscar_7 replied:
“The irony about this is that 100% of the time, it’s the person saying this that always wants to be right.”
Image source: Fiddlesnarf7
#18
NotABurner2000 said:
“‘So you’re saying…’
No, stop trying to summarize my argument in a way that makes me sound like an a**hole.”
aleagrh1 replied:
“I’d say it depends for this one. Sometimes mirroring and rephrasing can help on make sure you’re not misinterpreting the other person’s argument.
I can see it being problematic when someone takes advantage of mirroring or rephrasing to create a straw man.”
Image source: NotABurner2000
#19
“Do you have kids of your own? No? Then you wouldn’t understand.”
Image source: xilog
#20
1thatonedude1 said:
“‘Well that’s just your opinion. You have yours I have mine!’
No Cletus, peeing in the fuel tank won’t work as emergency fuel and that’s a fact not an opinion!”
The_Blue_DmR replied:
“Seriously. How did that start? I had a discussion with a guy about frame rates in videogames and he told me just what you said.”
Image source: 1thatonedude1
#21
“I don’t get this one often, but it’s the absolute worst.
Old dude said my opinion wasn’t valid, because I went to college. Therefore, I was an indoctrinated, brainwashed liberal.
I went to school for engineering bruh. That has nothing to do with the argument.”
Image source: Silentprotagon
#22
“Labelling someone an autist/narcist/BPD or just plain crazy. OR, using someone’s actual diagnosis as a way to never have to take anything they say seriously.”
Image source: Nevidimka-
#23
Mrminecrafthimself said:
“The straw man. Basically they grossly misinterpret your point, transform it into a weaker point, and proceed to defeat the weaker point while claiming they defeated the original point. It’s complete intellectual cowardice.”
anonymousbach replied:
“So you’re saying I am literally made of straw? That is utterly ridiculous, if I was made of straw how could I be typing this? I’m embarrassed for you.”
Image source: Mrminecrafthimself
#24
“‘You laughed so you must not be telling the truth.’
No, mom and dad, when you stare at me with your eyebrows raised like that you look funny.”
Image source: Terarri
#25
The_Blue_DmR said:
“Trying to play mind reader. I’m sorry, but you don’t know jack sh*t about my thoughts.
Guilt tripping me. It doesn’t work, just f*ck off.”
N7even replied:
“Oh I hate this, people just assume what you are thinking. Usually they are a mile off, and don’t wanna know what you were ACTUALLY thinking. Then proceed to make a whole argument out of their assumption.
Just beyond annoying.”
Image source: The_Blue_DmR
#26
daboss54320 said:
“It is what it is.
I know this, that’s why it needs to change.”
Miramar_VTM replied:
“Maybe they’re already at the ‘change what you cannot accept and accept what you cannot change’ stage.”
Image source: daboss54320
#27
“I used to live with a psychotic woman. She would get mad at something in the middle of the night and would throw flat out tantrums. She would demand you listen to her yell at you and get angry towards you for hours. She would speak over you whenever you tried to explain your side, until eventually you would get so frustrated that you say something in an angry tone.
The second a raised voice, sudden movement, or hurtful thing was said to her, she would instantly turn to any other guy around and insist that you are dangerously violent, or she would immediately call the cops acting like a scared woman.
This was how she ‘won’ arguments all the time. She would just bully people until they lashed out verbally, then would use the law and social rules to finish bullying you. I couldn’t believe someone would pull the scared woman card so flippantly when she has spent her entire life doing things to encourage other people to hurt her. She punched our other roommate in the face and then called the cops when he yelled at her after she did it.”
Image source: Definitely_Working
#28
“Deliberately misconstruing the implications of your speech to incite hostility so they can proclaim themselves as the composed winner.”
Image source: VelvetDreamers
#29
“‘I once read an article…’
So reading a tabloid article without any source made you the expert now… Rrrrright.”
Image source: deyoeri
#30
“If I complain about a minor thing like someone leaving the lights on, they tend to go ‘well at least I’m not getting upset over LIGHTS, there are bigger things to worry about’ like yes true but can you turn the lights off and stop acting like you are superior because apparently don’t complain about minor things ever in your life??”
Image source: reddit.com
#31
DogD666 said:
“Crediting a class they took once 3 years ago.”
Synli replied:
“Jesus Christ, this one is infuriatingly accurate.
You took Psych 101 4 years ago, shut up, you aren’t ‘reading’ me, I’m not ‘projecting,’ you aren’t a goddamn mind-reader. You’re a pretentious c*nt who’s trying to win this argument by quoting a class you probably failed in Freshman year because you have no other grounds to stand on.”
Image source: DogD666
#32
“‘You showed one(1) emotion and therefore your entire argument is invalid because showing any emotion at all during an argument means you’re just hysterical and overemotional, unlike me, a paragon of Logic and Rational Thinking’
That’s… not how it works.”
Image source: Your_Local_Stray_Cat
#33
“Most frequently: Age. It’s combination of my friends being a bit older than me, and me being a bit baby faced and newer to our mutual hobbies. I started after graduating, they all played throughout college.
But hot damn, shut your sh*t with: ‘Back when I was your age, gaming used to be…’ I’m 30, you’re 35, shut the f*ck up.
Worst case was with a hobby I was really new to, had a girl say ‘I used to think that when I was your age, but I’ve been doing this for years now…’ I discover she was 30 when I was 29.
Age doesn’t make you wiser or more experienced. Actual experience makes you more experienced so please just phrase it that way instead, it’s far less condescending.”
Image source: KHeaney
#34
“The devils advocate that adds nothing to the argument. They want to be against what you are saying to sound smart and just steer the argument with no direction.”
Image source: bi_here
#35
“‘Anyway, you’re young I don’t expect you to understand.’ My older brothers and sister use this sh*t all the time. Drives me crazy.”
Image source: Just_Red_00
#36
“Trying to ‘win an argument’ at all. There is no discussion we can have that is better had as an argument. How about we both approach the issue from the same side as individuals who are seeking to understand the truth? It’s fine if we’re playing lawyer to give one side it’s best possible defense, but at the end of the conversation if you were so married to your argument that you couldn’t even entertain the idea that it wasn’t the correct one (you don’t even have to entertain MY argument, but show me you at least consider that your view may be imperfect), then here’s what I know about you:
You turned a valuable opportunity for both of us to win new growth and insights into a cheap game. We both lost out and that’s because of your juvenile attitude.”
Image source: Jeremy_Winn
#37
Commenter said:
“The age card. ‘I’m older than you and that means I know better.’
Age means nothing. Knowledge isn’t gifted to you every year you’re on earth. It doesn’t work like a jRPG level up.”
huazzy replied:
“To be fair, those that discredit experience (sometimes comes with age) are equally infuriating.”
Image source: reddit.com
#38
“My former roommate constantly told me that because I grew up ‘privileged’ my arguments were all invalid.”
Image source: emprienna
#39
vibrantax said:
“Personal attacks, especially online. People know no limits.”
ThisGuy_Again replied:
“F*ck you! That point is invalid because you are an absolute d*ckhead.”
Image source: vibrantax
#40
“In real life: Any time someone tries to use your race or gender to discount your argument.
In other words, attack the person instead of the idea.”
Image source: reddit.com
#41
“I once had a woman try to defend a homophobic comment by saying something along the lines of she once fooled around with another woman so she couldn’t possibly be homophobic.”
Image source: Dfarrey89
#42
“‘Think of the children!’ – Exactly my point.”
Image source: Ikinoki
#43
“People expecting that anecdotal evidence is proof of any point, no matter the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.”
Image source: Makeelee
#44
“Posting a picture of a crying baby in an attempt to insult you.
You clearly have nothing else to say or add, I won the argument.”
Image source: reddit.com
#45
“Comparing whatever the argument is about to a similar but extremely different thing Ex: We’ve only explored 1% of the ocean so think of all the places on land we haven’t found.”
Image source: seasonedporkchops
#46
“Saying that I’m pretentious for knowing the jargon.
Was in a music related argument and started talking about hammer-ons and was told I’m super pretentious for saying things that they didn’t know and that I must be so good at the guitar.
I don’t even play guitar.”
Image source: reddit.com
#47
“Attacking minute details that are barely relevant to the argument to begin with, just because it’s the only thing they can easily latch on to. Basically trying to drag the argument to the ground or filibuster the argument to make it go away. Completely ignoring the important points in order to drag on and on and on about something stupid. I hate it.”
Image source: reddit.com
#48
“A lot of times people will cite sources, that aren’t that legitimate. If you can’t find a link to the research study, then I’m going with what makes the most logical sense to me. There are a lot of websites that are very legit, (.gov and .edu sites) that will state things as facts that are actually just popular, accepted opinions.”
Image source: tictacti1
#49
BabyBabaBofski said:
“The slippery slope argument, cause its technically correct but not really.”
guitar_vigilante replied:
“I think it’s difficult because you need to identify that the argument is a slippery slope, and you also have to determine if it is actually a slippery slope, AND you have to determine if the end point of that slope is acceptable or not if it is a slippery slope, because slippery slope arguments are not automatically fallacious.”
Image source: BabyBabaBofski
#50
“When someone has previously given out to you for an action. Then when they preform said action and you call them out on being a hypocrite, they hit you with the ‘yeah but you did it too’ and proceed to give out to you again.”
Image source: Ger-Bear_69
#51
NaturalSwolelection said:
“Well. Just had a breakup so this one is perfect. I told the girl straight up from the jump I have a smoking addiction, she said it was cool as long as I was trying to quit. It obviously wasn’t, she got pissed and told me she didn’t believe I could quit, and broke up with me. I told her that hurt and I was upset she lied about how she felt about me smoking. Because I said that I apparently ‘victimize myself’ and do it all the time. So expressing emotion makes me a victim because I’m male, and invalidates my argument.”
HighestLevelRabbit replied:
“Silly robot males don’t have emotion.
But seriously, I absolutely hate that. Along with anything related to the phrase ‘man up’ when ever a guy shows emotion.”
Image source: NaturalSwolelection
#52
“My is a ______! I know what I’m talking about.”
Image source: reddit.com
#53
“My grandma on facebook…
‘According to the internet…’
As if it was some singular monolithic entity…”
Image source: emjaytheomachy
#54
PM_ME_LOVELY_SMILES said:
“Shifting the goalposts to a new argument without acknowledging that’s what they’re doing.
We can take up a new argument once the first one’s been settled.”
Hidden_Samsquanche replied:
“But if they don’t shift it they may lose the fierce battle and come away wiser. Can’t have that, *because admitting you are wrong or made a mistake can make you look foolish.”
Image source: PM_ME_LOVELY_SMILES
#55
“The ‘honest question…’ card. I give people a chance, but they get tired about 2 replies in, and start dishing out the snark and trying to make it personal. Probably 90% of the time, it’s not an honest question, it’s just smug posturing by people who consider themselves reasonable but aren’t.”
Image source: reddit.com
#56
Back2Bach said:
“A guy I knew would say, ‘Yeah, well… You don’t know grits from granola!’
Then he’d walk away with a smile of self-satisfaction, completely dismissing all that had been discussed.”
Sunny_Tater replied:
“I would laugh my **s off if someone said that to me.
I really want to believe he was just trolling.”
Image source: Back2Bach
#57
-Words-Words-Words- said:
“Sometimes I think my wife will do something that I have asked her not to do just to provoke an argument. So when I get pissed off that she did that thing AGAIN, she completely shuts down and acts like I am being unreasonable and sh*tty. It is infuriating.”
Stormfly replied:
“My five minutes of reading psychology and complete lack of experience tell me she just wants you to give her attention, and in future you should see if this might be the case next time.
That or she’s been replaced by a lizard person and they don’t remember.”
Image source: -Words-Words-Words-
#58
“When people make comparisons to what you’re saying that make absolutely no sense at all. Like if I told you I thought mayonnaise was bad on sandwiches, and you responded by being like ‘that’s like saying gun control is BAD for the US!’
I’m obviously being facetious but whenever someone I talk to says ‘that’s like saying’ I usually brace for stupidity.”
Image source: reddit.com
#59
Zuko_Ya_Boi said:
“Pot of greed to try to summon two more counter arguments when their other ones have been proven wrong.”
cassidybk asked:
“BUT WHAT DOES POT OF GREED DO?”
SCOOTtheSQUEAKER replied:
“IT LETS ME DRAW TWO CARDS FROM MY DECK!”
Image source: Zuko_Ya_Boi
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