Of Straw Men And “Toxic Commentators”
By JAMES K. FITZPATRICK The term “a straw man” is a useful figure of speech. It points to a tactic used by commentators to create an unfair or overly simplistic caricature of an opponent or opposition point of view. It is done to carry the day in a debate by casting the opposition’s ideas in the worst light — to make them as easy to cut apart as a child’s straw doll. Everyone — on the left and on the right — agrees it is a cheap shot to use the tactic. But only in theory. Journalists and politicians — and the folks around the water cooler — do it all the time when it is useful for them. What…Continue Reading