ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Thought-terminating cliché

Okay kiddo, do you know what a phrase is? It's a bunch of words that are put together to mean something. A thought-terminating cliché is a phrase that someone uses to stop a conversation or an argument.

Let's say you're talking to someone and you're trying to explain why something is wrong. But the other person doesn't want to listen to your point. They might use a thought-terminating cliché like "that's just the way it is" or "I don't want to talk about it anymore."

These phrases are used like a magic spell to make you stop talking. They don't really explain anything or add to the conversation.

Sometimes people use thought-terminating clichés because they don't want to think about the problem anymore. Other times, they might not have a good argument to back up their point of view, so they use these phrases to end the conversation.

But, it's important to try and listen to the other person's point of view and have a constructive conversation, even if we don't agree with each other. So, let's try not to use thought-terminating clichés and keep talking things out!