What it sounds like
- Have you stopped lying to your customers?
- "When did you stop ignoring customer feedback?" Lovely. A question with handcuffs.
Logical fallacy
Loaded Question
Asking a question that contains a trap or assumption.
Classic tell: Have you stopped lying to your customers?
Back to the guideFurther explanation
What is happening underneath?
Asking a question that contains a trap or assumption.
The question contains an accusation or assumption, so answering it directly grants the frame. It is a trap wearing punctuation.
How to tell
- Any simple yes/no answer makes you accept something unproven.
Why people use it
- It forces the target to defend themselves inside the questioner's preferred story.
How to combat it
- Say: "I do not accept the premise. The better question is whether feedback was reviewed."
Manipulation watch
How this gets used on people.
- Interviewers and campaigns use loaded questions to create quotable guilt even when the facts are not established.