sealioning
Polite-seeming harassment tactic
Sealioning is a harassment tactic disguised as polite debate, where someone repeatedly demands evidence or explanations while feigning civility and open-mindedness.
The sealion has no genuine interest in understanding—the goal is to exhaust the target and waste their time: I tried to discuss it but he just kept sealioning me with "but can you prove that?" over and over.
The term comes from a 2014 webcomic featuring an actual sea lion who wouldn't leave people alone.
Persistent harassment or nagging
- pesteringPersistent unwanted attention
- harassmentAggressive, unwanted targeting
- relentlessnessUnstoppable persistence
- doggednessUnyielding determination to continue
Feigning ignorance or innocence
- insincereFeigning belief or feeling
- manipulativeSkilled at controlling others
- provocativeMeant to provoke response
- antagonisticActively opposed or hostile
hostile · predatory · calculated · performative · deceptive · time-wasting · derailment · silencing
Weaponized fake sympathy
- derailingGoing off course
- whataboutismDeflecting criticism through counter-accusation
Microblogging social network
Impeding forward progress
- mutingSuppressing sound output
- disengagingReleasing from attachment
- documentationWritten proof or instructions
- screenshotCaptured display image
badgering
Persistent harassment or nagging
- pesteringPersistent unwanted attention
- harassmentAggressive, unwanted targeting
- relentlessnessUnstoppable persistence
doggedness · persistence · repetition · exhaustion · attrition
disingenuous
Feigning ignorance or innocence
- insincereFeigning belief or feeling
- manipulativeSkilled at controlling others
- provocativeMeant to provoke response
antagonistic · hostile · predatory · calculated · performative · deceptive · time-wasting · derailment · silencing · intimidation
concern-trolling
Weaponized fake sympathy
- derailingGoing off course
- whataboutismDeflecting criticism through counter-accusation
Microblogging social network
blocking
Impeding forward progress
- mutingSuppressing sound output
- disengagingReleasing from attachment
- documentationWritten proof or instructions
- manipulation tacticsgaslighting, guilt trip, guilt-tripping, guilt tripping, emotional blackmail
- online trollingtrolling, trollface, bait, baiting, flame bait
- disinformationdisinformation, misinformation, misinformation campaigns, fake news, propaganda
- fallaciesstraw man, red herring, circular reasoning, ad hominem, fallacy
- internet culturememes, meme, trolling, influencers, content creators
- political buzzwordswoke, wokeness, virtue signaling, virtue signal, dog whistle
sealioningintellectual honesty
Commitment to truth over ego
intellectual humility · Socratic dialogue · active listening