Word of the day: "strawman"
I mentioned earlier that I wanted to write this blog because I was interested in being able to re-read old writing and cringe at my naivete. I can't believe it's happened already. In the past few days, I've decided that I hate the term "strawman." And I used it in the title of my very first post.
I first encountered the word in Intro Women's Studies (before it was Feminism, Gender, and Sexuality Studies) during the Anthropology unit. Back then, I young and impressionable. I started using words like "problematic" and "discourse." Soon, I made jokes about "hailing" people, yelling "Hey! You there!" at random people on the street. Boy, I sure called them into being. Somehow "strawman" never entered my vocabulary. Until now. And I want it out out out.
A strawman, as most bloggers know, is a logical fallacy. It refers to the common practice of mischaracterizing an opponent's argument in order to easily refute it. To unpack the word further, the term evokes a specific action: building an effigy out of an argument, preferably in the shape of a scarecrow, and setting it on fire. We all know that straw burns more easily than ideas.
Why do I suddenly detest this term? Because it has become a useless cliche. It no longer evokes the mental image it once did -- a burly man in an army uniform thrashing a limp scarecrow until straw pokes through its eyes. That image was great: it was silly, it made the burly man look angry and useless, it took everyone down a notch. Now, however, its meaning has morphed into shorthand for "you're not engaging my arguments fairly, so I will not engage your arguments at all. Rather, I will accuse you of committing a fallacy in order to prove I am smarter than you." Instead of encouraging someone to stand up and debate, it is a way to shut down the conversation. It concentrates on the debate method or the rhetorical device used rather than the idea itself. Also, it is often used incorrectly. I hate that. I hate words that have lost their punch. I hate words that have been conscripted into the service of people who wield them indiscriminately. And therefore, I hate the word "strawman." I will be on the lookout for misuse of this horrid term. Consider yourself warned.
I first encountered the word in Intro Women's Studies (before it was Feminism, Gender, and Sexuality Studies) during the Anthropology unit. Back then, I young and impressionable. I started using words like "problematic" and "discourse." Soon, I made jokes about "hailing" people, yelling "Hey! You there!" at random people on the street. Boy, I sure called them into being. Somehow "strawman" never entered my vocabulary. Until now. And I want it out out out.
A strawman, as most bloggers know, is a logical fallacy. It refers to the common practice of mischaracterizing an opponent's argument in order to easily refute it. To unpack the word further, the term evokes a specific action: building an effigy out of an argument, preferably in the shape of a scarecrow, and setting it on fire. We all know that straw burns more easily than ideas.
Why do I suddenly detest this term? Because it has become a useless cliche. It no longer evokes the mental image it once did -- a burly man in an army uniform thrashing a limp scarecrow until straw pokes through its eyes. That image was great: it was silly, it made the burly man look angry and useless, it took everyone down a notch. Now, however, its meaning has morphed into shorthand for "you're not engaging my arguments fairly, so I will not engage your arguments at all. Rather, I will accuse you of committing a fallacy in order to prove I am smarter than you." Instead of encouraging someone to stand up and debate, it is a way to shut down the conversation. It concentrates on the debate method or the rhetorical device used rather than the idea itself. Also, it is often used incorrectly. I hate that. I hate words that have lost their punch. I hate words that have been conscripted into the service of people who wield them indiscriminately. And therefore, I hate the word "strawman." I will be on the lookout for misuse of this horrid term. Consider yourself warned.
posted by Megan at 1:55 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home