The great American straw man

This might feel like one of those, “Here’s the problem with America” kind of columns. And while I would never synthesize the totality of issues we face as Americans into a singular element, this is an issue that permeates everything from the highest levels of politics to our everyday conversations.

I call it collective straw manning. A straw man fallacy, which is a long-established and routinely referenced logical foible, is when somebody distorts or misrepresents their opponent’s argument or position to make it easier to refute.