Yea yea I know, not all contradictions imply a fundamental error.
This line is currently in popular usage by online liberals who are forced to work through their 
as China ascends, as DPRK approaches normalization, as Iran demonstrates its regional force, as Ukraine inevitably loses, as the US murders and still loses, as Sahel states inch toward sovereignty. These contradictions are becoming more striking and difficult to hand-wave. And in the first phase of this dissonance, the reflex is to allow the dissonance no matter how deafening.
Why does le narwhal bacon?
I think these phrases just catch on.
Ugh my least favourite one is “tell me you don’t [insert thing] without telling me”
It’s like they’ve all decided this is their phrase they’ll use to be snarky radlib redditors
“Imagine being/doing/thinking thing I disagree with…”
That at least came from something, even if it was just a Reddit thread. It was also fairly contained.
This seemingly popped up from nothing and now I hear dipshits on the news saying it.
I’m reminded of the RedSails article on the theory of ‘brainwashing’. Certain phrases are useful in providing moral license to support imperialism instead of critically examining one’s preconceptions
An all time article. When we start from “people are propagandized” rather than “propaganda reinforces people’s conceptions of their material interests,” we excuse lazy thinking. Debunking some lie about 80s hairstyles being the only legal ones because some dipshit western tourist saw a salon poster they couldn’t read isn’t the point. In the end they excuse bombing the north back to the stone age and using economic warfare to try and keep them there. because it protects their mode of living.