.png)
Red Herring
Category: Fallacy
What is it?
A red herring is a distraction. When a person is losing an argument or wants to avoid a topic, they might introduce a new, unrelated topic to change the subject.
Examples
Person A: "The company's pollution is a serious problem."
Person B: "But what about the jobs the company provides? We need to support our local economy."
How to Avoid This
Stay focused on the topic at hand. If you find yourself changing the subject, ask yourself why. Are you trying to avoid the original issue?
How to Counter This
Gently bring the conversation back to the original topic. 'That's an interesting point, but it's not what we were discussing. Let's get back to the issue of pollution.'