fallacy

Straw man

Also called: Strawman, Straw person

A straw man misrepresents someone's position, usually as a weaker or more extreme version, and then attacks that distorted version instead of what was actually said.

How it works

Defeating the caricature looks like defeating the real position. It works because audiences rarely check the original wording, and an exaggerated claim is easier to make look foolish.

Examples

A: "We should reduce speed limits near schools." B: "So you want everyone crawling along at walking pace everywhere? That would wreck the economy."

A proposed lower limits near schools; B attacks a sweeping nationwide slowdown that nobody suggested.

"My opponent says we should review the defence budget. Apparently he wants to leave the country defenceless."

Reviewing a budget is turned into abolishing defence, which is far easier to reject.

How to spot it

Compare the reply with the original words: is it the same claim?
Watch for "so you're saying..." followed by something more extreme.
Absolute words (everyone, never, all) appear in the reply but not in the original.

How to respond

Quote what was actually said and ask the other side to respond to that.
State your position in its strongest form before defending it.
When arguing yourself, summarise the other view so its holder would agree with the summary (steelmanning).