Straw Man
Misrepresenting someone's argument to make it easier to attack.
- informal
- relevance
A straw man replaces an opponent's actual position with a distorted, exaggerated, or oversimplified version, then refutes that weaker version as if it were the original. The real argument is left untouched.
Examples
- “You want better transit funding? So you want to ban all cars and force everyone onto buses.”
- “Vegetarians think no one should ever enjoy a meal again.”
Why it works & how to counter
Persuasive because the distorted version is easy to knock down and feels like a win. Counter it by restating your actual position clearly and asking the other person to address that.