What do you call those who defend the indefensible blindly?
Poll - Total Votes: 1
Dumbasses
Nationalists
Fascists
MAGA
Just blind
All of the above
You can only vote on one answer.
Defending the indefensible means supporting actions, beliefs, or people that are clearly unjustifiable—such as cruelty, abuse, or severe dishonesty. When people do this on behalf of strangers or public figures, it is usually driven by specific psychological, social, or structural dynamics.
Why People Defend the Indefensible
• Identity Protection: When a belief, leader, or group becomes tied to a person's sense of self, attacking that thing feels like a personal attack on them, triggering an automatic defense mechanism rather than a logical one.
• Cognitive Dissonance: People feel deep mental discomfort when reality contradicts what they want to believe. To avoid that discomfort, they twist the facts, minimize the harm, or blame outsiders instead of admitting they were wrong.
• Misplaced Loyalty and Fear of Loss: Many individuals equate blind loyalty with goodness. They defend wrongdoers out of a fear of losing social standing, group belonging, or the privileges attached to it.
• Tribalism and "Us vs. Them": In public or online spaces, strangers often jump to defend someone simply because they share the same political team, ideology, or social group, viewing any critique as an assault from the "enemy."
Common Tactics Used in Defense
When people try to justify the unjustifiable, they frequently rely on predictable rhetorical tricks:
• The Shotgun Approach: Throwing out a massive wave of random accusations, distractions, and emotional appeals all at once.
• Feigned Moral Outrage: Acting deeply offended by the tone or motives of the person pointing out the wrongdoing, shifting the focus away from the actual harm.
• Red Herrings: Abruptly changing the subject to an unrelated flaw of the victim or critic.
• Vague or Corporate Language: Using heavy, abstract, or bureaucratic jargon so that nobody can clearly pin down what is actually being defended.
The Role of Professional Defense
There is a distinct difference between everyday social enablers and formal institutional roles. For instance, Public Defenders and criminal defense lawyers are legally bound (such as through the Cab rank rule) to represent accused strangers. Their job is not necessarily to endorse the bad act, but to ensure the state proves its case legally, protecting the framework of a fair trial.
Why People Defend the Indefensible
• Identity Protection: When a belief, leader, or group becomes tied to a person's sense of self, attacking that thing feels like a personal attack on them, triggering an automatic defense mechanism rather than a logical one.
• Cognitive Dissonance: People feel deep mental discomfort when reality contradicts what they want to believe. To avoid that discomfort, they twist the facts, minimize the harm, or blame outsiders instead of admitting they were wrong.
• Misplaced Loyalty and Fear of Loss: Many individuals equate blind loyalty with goodness. They defend wrongdoers out of a fear of losing social standing, group belonging, or the privileges attached to it.
• Tribalism and "Us vs. Them": In public or online spaces, strangers often jump to defend someone simply because they share the same political team, ideology, or social group, viewing any critique as an assault from the "enemy."
Common Tactics Used in Defense
When people try to justify the unjustifiable, they frequently rely on predictable rhetorical tricks:
• The Shotgun Approach: Throwing out a massive wave of random accusations, distractions, and emotional appeals all at once.
• Feigned Moral Outrage: Acting deeply offended by the tone or motives of the person pointing out the wrongdoing, shifting the focus away from the actual harm.
• Red Herrings: Abruptly changing the subject to an unrelated flaw of the victim or critic.
• Vague or Corporate Language: Using heavy, abstract, or bureaucratic jargon so that nobody can clearly pin down what is actually being defended.
The Role of Professional Defense
There is a distinct difference between everyday social enablers and formal institutional roles. For instance, Public Defenders and criminal defense lawyers are legally bound (such as through the Cab rank rule) to represent accused strangers. Their job is not necessarily to endorse the bad act, but to ensure the state proves its case legally, protecting the framework of a fair trial.
31-35, F