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How Does Malcolm Gladwell Use The Straw Man Theory?

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People’s reliance on the straw man theory is more prevalent now than ever. The straw man theory is commonly used in daily life. The straw man theory occurs by diverting the reader's attention. It occurs when someone ignores a person's position and instead exaggerates, misrepresents, or creates a distorted version of that position. Straw Man is one of the best-named fallacies, and is used in many books and/or articles. Malcolm Gladwell’s “What the Dog Saw” uses this theory as a method of persuasion. He describes this premise as being commonly used, but then knocked down; some argue if this method is effective. Gladwell incorporates the straw man theory into most of his essays; including “The Ketchup Conundrum” and “Something Borrowed” to prove how effective it is. “The Ketchup Conundrum” discusses questions such as why is all ketchup the same? Why are there so many flavors of other condiments, yet ketchup has remained the same? This article discusses the progression of ketchup taste. Jim Wigon had seen Grey Poupon’s entire mustard section, and he instantly became inspired; he wanted …show more content…

He was surprised to find out that there are many occasions where “One artist was simply replicating the work of another.” (Gladwell 235) Many artists simply change the baseline of their song and then they call it their own. Artists get their inspiration simply by viewing or listening to another artist’s work. In the beginning of the essay, he leads us to believe that plagiarism is a problem. However, after his experiences he encountered, he realizes that plagiarism is not a big problem; rather a process to creative works being published.“So is it true that words belong to the person who wrote them, just as other kinds of property belong to their owners? Actually no.” (Gladwell 231) The straw man theory helps Gladwell to build up his opinion; just for him to knock it

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