J+Brey



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 * Fallacy:** Red Herring
 * Definition:** A red herring is a statement used in an argument to sidetrack the listener. When used, the original topic is often forgotten and a new topic is brought up for discussion. For example, if a mother starts to argue with a child about the chores he or she has not completed, a popular response is "Mom, there are worse things I could be doing besides not doing my chores." The focus has now shifted from incomplete chores to worse activities the child could be doing such as drugs, drinking, vandalism, etc.

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 * Explanation:** At the debate, Romney asks Obama how many licenses and permits he has cut on federal lands and federal waters in the past four years. Rather than answering the original topic question on how many cuts were made, he responds with the statement "Governor, we have actually produced more oil." By making that statement, the listeners are now focused on how much oil was produced instead of how many cuts were made. However, Romney caught the fallacy because Obama did not answer the original question and continued to ask.

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 * Explanation:** In the Sonic commercial, the guy in the black is discussing how good the boneless wings are. The other guy responds with the comment "I know, I think I found myself a wing man." The comment has something to do with agreeing to the taste but side tracks the conversation by adding discussion about a new wing man, which leads to more off topic discussions rather than focusing on taste. The commercial only discusses how the food actually tastes for the first five seconds.