Red Herring
Diverting attention to an irrelevant topic to distract from the issue at hand.
- informal
A red herring introduces a tangential or unrelated point — often itself interesting or emotionally charged — to lead a discussion away from the original question without ever addressing it. The diversion can slip by because the new topic seems relevant on the surface.
Examples
- “You're asking why I missed the deadline? Do you have any idea how much pressure this whole team has been under?”
- “Why worry about the city's budget deficit when there are children starving overseas?”
Why it works & how to counter
Persuasive because the distraction is often a real and engaging issue. Counter it by noticing that the topic has shifted and steering the conversation back to the original question.