Sea-Lioning
Sea-lioning bombards a target with persistent, polite-sounding requests for evidence and explanation until they give up or lose composure, at which point the sea-lioner claims the high ground for “just asking questions.”
Name origin
Named after a David Malki “Wondermark” comic where a sea lion politely insists on debating someone who said they don’t like sea lions.
Why it's bad faith
- The questioning isn’t genuine; it’s about exhaustion, not understanding
- It exploits norms of politeness against the target
- Sibling of “Just Asking Questions” (see Bad-Faith Argument)