Tricks Used to Derail Arguments About Racism

“Forgive them not Father, for they know what they do".

Image by Iván Tamás from Pixabay

As there seems to be an influx of readers and people on social media for longer periods because of the pandemic forcing many of us to lose our jobs and stay at home to protect ourselves and loved ones, there is also a rise in the same comments, arguments (term used loosely) and claims that, when hammered down to their base statements, amount to nonsense or “strawman logic".

But what is strawman logic? And what does it mean for discussions regarding equality and racism maintained by the white, capitalist patriarchy?

Strawman Logic Doesn’t Make Sense

Photo by Gorkić Taradi on Unsplash

The term “strawman argument” is also known as an informal fallacy and is the act of arguing by making statements to refute a claim that, when analyzed, refutes a claim that was never made in the first place. It’s basically taking a person’s statement and thinking of the most extreme thing and claiming that’s what they meant.

Here’s a simple example of strawman logic. A parent tells a kid they can’t have a snack because they’ve already eaten…