Tactic of NIGY / Now I’ve Got You

The Tactic of NIGY / Now I’ve Got You occurs when one question is asked after another, usually with rapport-building techniques to reduce apprehension, until some piece of information is turned up that can be used against you in some way. This technique works well when coupled with an argument from ignorance mentality. NIGY is a common debating technique used by those who are not interested in knowing the truth. When debate is a game with winners and losers, it is unlikely to ever lead to knowledge. This type of debate is a way that a person can think that they are “winning” and someone else is “losing.”

Examples of the Tactic of NIGY / Now I’ve Got You

As an interesting twist, the person who is asking questions pretends to be open-minded. "Just explain it so that I can understand it." Then when you do, you find that this person is insincere. What you have told them is true and rational, but the contrarian uses every fallacy in the book and becomes abusive.