Thought Terminating Clichés

Thought Terminating Clichés

“We’ve heard it all before!” (Hey! That’s a cliché!)

Phrases or slogans that everyone knows and uses often are clichés, especially when they want the discussion to stop! Ah! Thought cancelling!

“Just don’t think about it!” Yet another cliché that is applied to just about everything possible. It’s exactly what the speaker wants you to do! Stop thinking!

Thought cancelling clichés are used to end a debate or discussion. While often superficial, the cliché may sound thoughtful, inciteful or meaningful.

These clichés were first recognized for what they were in 1953 when slogans first began to be commonplace in advertising and politics. They existed long before that but were not so commonplace. At that time, they were used by diverse groups such as religious affiliations (“God works in mysterious ways.”) and in help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (“The best decision you’ve made.”) They encouraged members, stopped discouraging conversations in their tracks, and limited unwelcome or threatening thought processes. Sadly, the cliché also became useful to groups with questionable motivations. They united followers of totalitarian ideologies, cults and even multi-level marketing schemes.

When used in a negative manner, they combated a justified cognitive dissonance. They became highly reductionist. Complex human problems were reduced to simple, oft repeated phrases. Instead of requiring thoughtful investigation of the positions and ideologies involved, thought terminating clichés shut down both the discussions and independent considerations.

Something catchy and popular is not necessarily the truth. Just saying it is “all good” does not make it so! Even calling something critical to your position “fake news” does not make it fake, or news. Soon everything becomes suspect!

The proliferation of thought terminating clichés in our society does not promote free speech, freedom of opposing opinions or even critical (read as “thoughtful”) thinking. The next time you hear such a cliché, ask yourself: Is it meant to shut me up? Or does it just keep me from asking more questions? Or both!!!

The use of clichés to deter objective consideration has been used to halt freedom of critical thinking, open discourse and logical observations. It may serve to isolate individuals and groups, create divisions, and blindly lead groups to dissent and violence. Be on the look-out for though terminating clichés.

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Your thoughts? Comments or reactions:

Karenmac1999@hotmail.com

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Further investigation:

Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism by Robert Jay Lifton, 1961

https://en.wikipedia.org Thought Terminating Clichés

1984 by George Orwell, multiple printings

https://brainlenses.subtack.com Thought Terminating Clichés

https://rationalwiki.org Though Terminating Clichés