The Flaming Strawman
“If you’re against government surveillance, then you must be in favor of letting terrorists run rampant and harm innocent people. Are you sympathetic to terrorists?”
A “Flaming Strawman” is a phrase that blends together two rhetorical ideas. You might have heard of a strawman argument. Essentially, the idea is you distort your opponent’s views to make them easier to criticize. The technique magnifies, perverts, or fabricates someone else’s intentions altogether. With a strawman, it makes it a lot more convenient to present your own stance as rational.
It becomes a “flaming” strawman when you throw in a derogatory insult for flavor.
