What is a straw man argument?
A straw man argument, sometimes called a straw person argument or spelled strawman argument, is the
logical fallacy of distorting an opposing position into an extreme version of itself and then arguing against that extreme version. In creating a straw man argument, the arguer strips the opposing point of view of any nuance and often misrepresents it in a negative light.
The straw man fallacy is an
informal fallacy, which means that the flaw lies with the arguer’s method of arguing rather than the flaws of the argument itself. The straw man fallacy avoids the opponent’s actual argument and instead argues against an inaccurate caricature of it. By doing this, the straw man fallacy is a
fallacy of relevance, because with it the arguer doesn’t engage with the relevant components of their opposer’s position.
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/rhetorical-devices/straw-man-fallacy/
