Fr. Hans' Pair o' Dimes

Hi everybody! This week I’d like to actually attempt a real paradigm shift, rather than just sliding two dimes around on a table and calling it a pair o’ dime shift. I want to look at the intersection of a logical fallacy and a media reality, and hopefully equip us to not fall into the trap!
 
First, the fallacy: The Straw-Man Argument. Here’s a definition I pulled off the Internet: “an intentionally misrepresented proposition that is set up because it is easier to defeat than an opponent's real argument.” By using straw-man arguments, we can avoid addressing what our opponents really said, and simply knock down the “easier to defeat” argument which is close enough to what our opponents said to sound convincing, but which our opponents never actually said.
 
Second, the media reality: The Echo Chamber. Here’s a definition from Wikipedia: “a metaphorical description of a situation in which beliefs are amplified or reinforced by communication and repetition inside a closed system and insulates them from rebuttal.” A media echo chamber happens when we only listen to media which agrees with positions we already hold. For a variety of reasons, media echo chambers have become very easy to fall into.
 
Finally, the intersection: echo chambers make it really easy for straw-man arguments to flourish. The weakness in using a straw-man argument is being able to point out what an opponent actually said, and show that it is different from the “straw-man” which is being knocked down. When the media we receive presents us with exactly what everyone said, straw-man arguments don’t work. However, when we only hear our opponents’ arguments through the lens of people who are trying to defeat them, straw-man arguments work extremely well.
 
I have recently heard a number of people (all across the political spectrum) say “I can’t believe that THEY can think that way.” Well, if we’re only hearing straw-man arguments by people we agree with, it’s no wonder we reach that conclusion. I offer a word of caution to those who have this thought: you might be listening to “an intentionally misrepresented proposition that is set up because it is easier to defeat than an opponent's real argument.” Real arguments make far more sense than straw-man arguments
 
A final word about how this intersection applies directly to the Catholic Church: Bishop Fulton Sheen once said, “There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.” Rejection of the Catholic Faith is largely due to misrepresentations and misunderstandings about what the Catholic Church actually teaches.
 
Jesus tells us that the truth will make us free. Far too often we don’t actually know the truth about what others say and think, but we believe we do. Far too often others don’t know the truth about what we say and think, but they believe they do. As Catholics we are called to seek unity. That means both understanding what other people are actually saying and clarifying misconceptions about what the Catholic Church teaches.