straw men
Misrepresented opposing arguments
Straw men is the plural of straw man, a misrepresentation of someone's argument made easier to attack than the original position.
In debate, constructing a straw man means distorting an opponent's view to knock it down: He's not arguing against my actual proposal—he's attacking straw men.
The image is of a flimsy practice dummy rather than a real opponent.
False or misleading statement
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
- oversimplificationStripping complexity unfairly
- distortionTwisting from original state
- red herringIntentional misleading distraction
sophistry · equivocation · false equivalence · ad hominem · loaded question · slippery slope · false dilemma · circular reasoning
Concealment through misdirection
- misdirectionIntentional focus manipulation
- diversionRedirection of attention
- obfuscationDeliberate concealment through confusion
- decoyFalse target for misdirection
feint · ruse · subterfuge · bait-and-switch · evasion · cover-up · ploy · pretext
Decoy to frighten birds
- dummyLifelike substitute figure
- mannequinLife-sized display figure
- decoyFalse target for misdirection
- figureOutline or numeral
puppet · prop · stand-in · substitute · target · Guy Fawkes · burning effigy
Proving claims false
- refutationDisproving a statement
- counterargumentPoint challenging another's position
- rebuttalFormal response disputing claims
- polemicAggressive argumentative discourse
critique · mischaracterization · spin · talking points · sound bite · deflection · framing · positioning
misrepresentation
False or misleading statement
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
- oversimplificationStripping complexity unfairly
- distortionTwisting from original state
red herring · sophistry · equivocation · false equivalence · ad hominem · loaded question · slippery slope · false dilemma · circular reasoning · appeal to authority
smokescreen
Concealment through misdirection
- misdirectionIntentional focus manipulation
- diversionRedirection of attention
- obfuscationDeliberate concealment through confusion
decoy · feint · ruse · subterfuge · bait-and-switch · evasion · cover-up · ploy · pretext · manipulation
scarecrow
Decoy to frighten birds
figure · puppet · prop · stand-in · substitute · target · Guy Fawkes · burning effigy
debunking
Proving claims false
- refutationDisproving a statement
- counterargumentPoint challenging another's position
- rebuttalFormal response disputing claims
polemic · critique · mischaracterization · spin · talking points · sound bite · deflection · framing · positioning · smear campaign
- dirty moneydirty money, ill-gotten gains, illicit funds, illicit gains, proceeds of crime