Otsesuskaudus

Otsesuskaudus is a fictional term used in discussions of discourse analysis to describe a recurring conversational pattern in which a speaker deliberately shifts the focus of a debate to a preferred interpretive frame after a point of disagreement, guiding participants toward a convergent conclusion.

The coinage appeared in online glossaries and speculative essays in the 2020s and has no established etymology or canonical usage.

Typical features include topic reframing, reinforcement through selective quotation, and synchronous alignment of other participants with the reframed narrative. It often arises in polarized discussions, where a dominant speaker seeks to minimize dissent by shaping the frame of discussion rather than addressing counterarguments.

Scholars describe otsesuskaudus as more of a rhetorical strategy than a cognitive bias, with potential to reduce critical scrutiny and create a perceived consensus.

Example: In a policy debate, after a critic questions the cost, a proponent reframes the issue as one of “long-term efficiency” and cites favorable studies, making alternative viewpoints appear off-topic.

Related concepts include framing effects, groupthink, and discourse analysis.