We need to talk about The Straw Man Fallacy

[colditz]

Example.
Y "I want everyone to stop buying kittens, and buy puppies instead"

X "I happen to believe that kittens are much nicer than puppies, and I choose to support kittens"

Y "Oh, I suppose you like seeing puppies suffering then? You're one of those people who burns puppies alive and then eats them in a stew, aren't you? You disgust me. You're a disgusting human being. People who are cruel to puppies are often cruel to children - I'm glad I'm not your child."

What Y has done there is set up a Straw Man. Y has decided, in his/her own head, what sort of person X is, and has commented upon this effigy of X, instead of what X has actually said.

I'm seeing a lot of this going on in AIBU and it's lazy debate.

[ChristmasTrulyReigns]

I see this all the time in AIBU.

I'm not eloquent as you - I call it MissingTheFuckingPoint.

Would love to have read their English comprehension work at school.

[sethstarkaddersmum]

we get Straw Feminists a lot in the feminism topic.
Straw Feminists are the ones who hate all men and say women are not allowed to wear make-up or be a SAHM. Fortunately they don't actually exist but it doesn't stop perfectly normal feminists getting mistaken for them all the time.

[WildPansy]

YABU! Suggesting that MNers are incapable of intelligent debate is an outrage!

[disgustedbythisman]

Oh great another post bashing defenceless scarecrows

they can't even walk ffs

cowardly HATER

[sethstarkaddersmum]

I get annoyed by people not understanding the concept of an analogy.

'It's a bit like the fact that some people prefer goldfish and some people prefer piranhas; neither is wrong.'
'But we're not talking about goldfish and piranhas, we're talking about puppies and kittens!'
or
(straw man and analogy-ignorance meld) 'But I didn't say I didn't like piranhas! Actually I do, I love them, so you clearly don't know what you're talking about!'

[mollyroger]

Disgusted - Shame on you! are you seriously saying scarecrows are defenceless because they can't WALK???
They have trained field mice who will bite the ankles of anyone.

[colditz]

hee hee hee

I find these sorts of responses very heartening

[disgustedbythisman]

Oh I see, scared of mice are we?

You don't fool me, I know an elephant when I see one

why don't you stop eating BUNS and then maybe you wouldn't feel the need to persecute rodents

[mollyroger]

you are so fecking speciesist, it is unbelievable...oh yeah because all elephants eat is buns.

[cumfy]

I prefer kitten stew.

[gorionine]

Mollyroger that is not even true , scarcrows do not need mice to be mean,. Check your facts![anger]

here is the proof if it was ever needed!

[jonicomelately]

I think scarecrows are horrible. They TRAIN field mice and deprive them of their own freewill. Bastards. Anybody who likes scarecrows is as guilty as they are

[jonicomelately]

I think scarecrows are horrible. They TRAIN field mice and deprive them of their own freewill. Bastards. Anybody who likes scarecrows is as guilty as they are

[mollyroger]

oh FFS, now you are suggesting that all scarecrows are EVIL aliens? Are you suggesting they shoud be sent back to whence they came?

[Chil1234]

YANBU. Have that straw-man t-shirt. Actual exchange of memos in a previous job....

Me: "The project is not working because we're trying to make a silk purse out of sow's ear."
Colleague: "Are you calling me a pig?!!!"

[sethstarkaddersmum]

rofl Chil

[BitOfPom]

Mumsnetters believe in equality for all life-forms, iirc.

[gorionine]

Well, the only alien I could see was not a scarecrow! Do we even know if there is strow on other planets?!?!?!!?!?!?!!?

[tethersend]

I think the only way to solve this argument is to have four or five subsequent pages of personal scarecrow anecdotes.

That should clear things up.

[gorionine]

Great one Chil1234

[WildPansy]

FFS what about straw women?!!

[mollyroger]

I have a scarecrow on my allotment and he couldn't be sweeter. He's quiet mind, keeps himself to himself...

in answer to OP by the way, I am in complete agreement!

[BookcaseFullofBooks]

(lurker who enjoys witty comments but has nothing to say)

[seeker]

My child once tripped over a scarecrow and grazed his knee. Scarecrows should be banned.