Straw man
Attacking a weaker version of what someone said, instead of what they actually said.
How to spot it
Compare the reply with the original claim. If the reply is easier to knock down than what was said, someone has swapped it.
Example
“I think we should spend less on the new stadium.” “So you want the city to fall apart and never have any fun?”
How to answer it
Restate your actual claim in one sentence and ask them to respond to that.
Related
- Red herring: Slipping in a different topic to lead the discussion away from the point.
- Loaded question: Asking a question that has a disputed assumption built into it.
- Ad hominem: Attacking the person making the argument instead of the argument.