Strawman?

[Compnewbie01]

I've been hearing this term a lot on these boards lately. What does strawman mean exactly?

 

[clamum]

A man fabricated out of straws.

 

[moshquerade]

A skinny male.

 

[KarenMarie]

Definitions of STRAW MAN on the Web:

* A slang term for a trustee who purchases property on behalf of another who wishes to remain anonymous.
www.gibbons-realty.com/dictionary/S.html

* One who purchases property for another to conceal the identity of the real purchaser; a dummy purchaser, a nominee.
www.prestigehawaii.com/reterms.html

* The arguer makes up a proposition never offered by her opponent (usually weaker than the true proposition) and then attacks it as if his opponent had offered that proposition. This is most common on Internet chat sites.
designdynamics.org/dictionary.html

* is an opposing point of view set up so that it can easily be defeated. This is a common strategy in debate.
members.tripod.com/hjohnsonmac0/TermsToKnow.htm

* front man: a person used as a cover for some questionable activity
* a weak or sham argument set up to be easily refuted
* scarecrow: an effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

* A straw man or man of straw is a dummy in the shape of a human created by stuffing straw into clothes. Straw men are used as scarecrows, combat-training targets or swordsmiths test-targets, effigies to be burned, and as rodeo dummies to distract bulls.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man

 

[Thraxen]

scarecrow

 

[Chiropteran]

It's this great summer festival out in the desert where they make a giant man out of straw and burn it while listening to hippy music and smoking.

 

[Juno]

Originally posted by: Thraxen
scarecrow

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Been surfing in P&N have you?

Generally speaking, Person A makes a statement. Person B alters the meaning/wording of A's original statement and then argues against that new, fabricated statement. Strawman.

 

[Kadarin]

It's a logical fallacy that many in P&N like to use to argue their point. There are a number of other logical fallacies as well.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Astaroth33
It's a logical fallacy that many in P&N like to use to argue their point. There are a number of other logical fallacies as well.

Stawman!

Seriously, you can't even defend your point without all these strawman arguments.

 

[dullard]

Compnewbie01, stop playing these charades with your "newbie" alias. You go around pounding your chest proclaiming to know everything about computers on all of these message boards. And then you have the gall to come to ATOT and tell us that everyone calls you a genius. Let me quote you talking about that "genius" term so that you cannot ever deny it:

Originally posted by: Compnewbie01
I've been hearing this term a lot on these boards lately.

Well guess what, you are not a genius.

No one knows everything about computers. Stop going to all of those message boards you keep bragging about. It is time you got a life.

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: dullard
Compnewbie01, stop playing these charades with your "newbie" alias. You go around pounding your chest proclaiming to know everything about computers on all of these message boards. And then you have the gall to come to ATOT and tell us that everyone calls you a genius. Let me quote you talking about that "genius" term so that you cannot ever deny it:

Originally posted by: Compnewbie01
I've been hearing this term a lot on these boards lately.

Well guess what, you are not a genius.

No one knows everything about computers. Stop going to all of those message boards you keep bragging about. It is time you got a life.

Well done.

 

[ggnl]

Originally posted by: Squisher

Originally posted by: dullard
Compnewbie01, stop playing these charades with your "newbie" alias. You go around pounding your chest proclaiming to know everything about computers on all of these message boards. And then you have the gall to come to ATOT and tell us that everyone calls you a genius. Let me quote you talking about that "genius" term so that you cannot ever deny it:

Originally posted by: Compnewbie01
I've been hearing this term a lot on these boards lately.

Well guess what, you are not a genius.

No one knows everything about computers. Stop going to all of those message boards you keep bragging about. It is time you got a life.

Well done.

More of an ad hominem arguement than a strawman, but it illustrates the point nicely.

 

[BoomerD]

Starman? Wasn't that a movie back in the early 80's with Jeff Bridges?

LOL!

 

[fitzov]

Remaking the argument so it's easy to attack.

Person A: We should legalize drugs. If it is better for everyone overall, then we should do it, and it is better for everyone overall.
Person B: So, you're saying that we should let people wantonly steal money for their drug habit? Ridiculous!

 

[b0mbrman]

There are those who think clubbing baby seals is a worthwhile pastime. I say to those people, not in my country.

b0mbrman for President :thumbsup:

 

[DayLaPaul]

Now can someone use it in a sentence?

 

[IronWing]

Thanks for the coke. Now could ya get me a straw man?

 

[Skeeedunt]

Originally posted by: KarenMarie
* The arguer makes up a proposition never offered by her opponent (usually weaker than the true proposition) and then attacks it as if his opponent had offered that proposition. This is most common on Internet chat sites.

ha