Moving the goalposts
Moving the goalposts or shifting the goalposts is an idiom which means changing the terms of a debate or a conflict after it has started.[1]
The phrase describes changing the target or goal of a process. In a dispute or a competition, the idiom explains what one side does in order to gain advantage.[2]
History[change | change source]
This phrase comes from sports that use goalposts, such as football.[2]
In 1978, the Washington Post published the phrase, quoting the CEO of American Airlines who said, "'They keep moving the goal posts."[1] In Britain, the earliest known published use was in 1987.[2]
Logical fallacy[change | change source]
The idiom identifies a kind of logical fallacy. In an argument, when evidence is presented in response to a specific claim, it is "moving the goalposts" when some other evidence is demanded instead.[3]
In other words, after an attempt has been made to score a goal, the goalposts are moved to exclude the attempt.[3] The problem with changing the rules of the game is that the meaning of the result is changed too. It counts for less.[4]
Bullying[change | change source]
The tactics of bullying behaviour include moving the goalposts. This means setting objectives which subtly change in ways that cannot be reached.[5] In workplace bullying, shifting the goalposts is a conventional tactic.[6]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Safire, William. "On Language; Moving the Goalposts," New York Times. October 28, 1990; excerpt, "This term is British,... and [it] means changing the terms of a debate or a conflict after it's been started"; retrieved 2012-2-16.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Phrases.org.uk, "Moving the goalposts"' retrieved 2012-2-16.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Clark, Jef et al. (2005). "Moving the goalposts," Humbug! The Skeptic’s Field Guide to Spotting Fallacies in Thinking, p. 101.
- ↑ Hobbs, Jeremy. "Moving the Goal Posts," New York Times, November 21, 2011; retrieved 2013-2-19.
- ↑ Royal College of Psychiatrists, "On Bullying and Harassment" retrieved 2012-2-19.
- ↑ Field, Tim. (1995). Bully in Sight: How to Predict, Resist, Challenge and Combat Workplace Bullying, p. 60.