The Slaughter Meter is a predictive framework developed by Scott Adams to measure the disparity in persuasion skill between political opponents. Unlike traditional polling, which captures a snapshot of current public sentiment, the Slaughter Meter tracks the effectiveness of psychological framing, branding, and the use of Linguistic Kill Shots.
Overview
The Slaughter Meter operates on the principle that political outcomes are determined by the “persuasion stack” rather than policy details or standard demographics. When one candidate utilizes superior persuasion techniques—such as the High Ground Maneuver—while their opponent remains stuck in “2D” fact-based arguing, the meter moves toward a “Slaughter.”
Adams often describes the meter as being “pinned” at 100% (or hyperbolically at “114 percent”) when the psychological dominance of one side is so absolute that the eventual electoral victory becomes a mathematical certainty in his model.
Characteristics of a “Slaughter”
A slaughter is identified by several key indicators:
- Asymmetric Framing: One side successfully defines the other in a way that cannot be easily shaken (e.g., Trump’s nicknames for his 2016 and 2020 rivals).
- The Default Candidate: Adams noted that candidates like Joe Biden often represent “what you end up with if you take away all of Trump’s best assets,” suggesting a lack of proactive persuasion.
- Visual Dominance: The ability of a candidate to command the media cycle through “talent” rather than spending, as seen when Trump won with significantly less funding than candidates perceived to be the “strongest the Democrats have ever had.”
- Cognitive Dissonance: When the Slaughter Meter is high, the losing side often displays symptoms of massive cognitive dissonance, unable to process why their “factual” arguments are failing.
Notable Readings
The Slaughter Meter is dynamic and fluctuates based on the candidates’ performances and strategy shifts. During the 2020 Democratic primary, Adams initially observed that Elizabeth Warren had “by far the greatest likelihood of getting the nomination” based on her early persuasion trajectory. However, as the field consolidated, he famously “lowered the slaughter meter to 50%” or adjusted it as the “High Ground Maneuver” was employed by various players.
The framework is often used in conjunction with the Loser Think filter, as a “slaughter” usually involves one side falling into predictable mental traps while the other exploits them via 3D Persuasion.