Have you ever come across someone who is “just asking questions”… but it never ends?
That’s not curiosity. That’s a tactic called sealioning. It’s when someone jumps into a conversation and fires off endless questions to drain your time and patience, without having any real intention to learn. They keep asking what seems like “polite” follow-ups, but they ignore what’s already been explained. At first glance, it sounds like a civil attempt at conversation, but it’s actually a subtle form of trolling that aims to exhaust you by shifting the burden onto you to teach them again and again (1-4).
The problem with sealioning is that there’s no winning response (1-3,5,6). 👇
If you see the tactic for what it is and choose not to answer, they’ll say you’re avoiding the question because you have no argument, which “proves” they’re right.
If you take the bait and keep answering, you’ll probably end up tired and frustrated. At some point, you might snap, and that’s exactly what they want. They’ll stay calm and polite, pretending to be the “reasonable one,” while you look like the one overreacting and attacking them.
Or, after enough endless questioning, you might slip up, say something slightly off, or contradict yourself. Then they’ll jump on it and claim they’ve proven you wrong.
That’s what makes this tactic so manipulative. No matter what you do, they twist it to make you look unreasonable. It’s not a real debate. It’s harassment dressed up as a polite conversation (2,3,5,6).
So what can you do when someone tries this?
Call it out. You can say, “This looks like sealioning. You keep repeating bad-faith questions that have already been answered.” This works both for the person being targeted and for those watching. Sealioning relies on an audience. By naming it, it loses power (3).
Sometimes, the best way to stop a bad-faith “debate” is to call it what it is.
- What is Sealioning?: A Type of Trolling | Merriam-Webster
- Sealioning Meaning & Origin | Slang by Dictionary | March 2022
- Just Asking! On “Friendly” Forms of Harassment | Cambridge Core | February 2024
- Sealioning | Urban Dictionary | November 2016
- ‘Sealioning’ Is A Common Trolling Tactic On Social Media–What Is It? | Forbes | March 2019
- Welcome to Advanced Trolling: Sealioning | Medium | July 2020
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