Thanks for the reply. I read a lot, and I've never encountered this term before. Seems like "in defense of" would be every bit as good, and universally understood.
It's an internet term of recent origin, from a specific community, not a traditional one.
It's good to be familiar with the word, as it comes up in adjacent communities like this one, but like with most slang, there are indeed clearer ways to say the same thing.
But also, some people don't realize that they've picked up a slang term or that people outside their community are part of discussions like we have here, so it comes up a lot. Now that you've spotted it, you'll likely see it here a lot.
(FWIW, I hate it and am grateful that nobody can see
me roll my eyes when its used. Same for "motte and bailey" and other comically pseudo-erudite slang from those folks)
Thanks. Glad to hear from someone else who despises this kind of douchily obscure jargon. Its smug adherents love to "flag" anyone who calls it out here, or calls out similarly douchey posts whose titles lack any description.
It's good to be familiar with the word, as it comes up in adjacent communities like this one, but like with most slang, there are indeed clearer ways to say the same thing.
But also, some people don't realize that they've picked up a slang term or that people outside their community are part of discussions like we have here, so it comes up a lot. Now that you've spotted it, you'll likely see it here a lot.
(FWIW, I hate it and am grateful that nobody can see me roll my eyes when its used. Same for "motte and bailey" and other comically pseudo-erudite slang from those folks)