Line #15 Main/StrawmanBall


1	The show is tackling a controversial topic and the writers want to appear even-handed by representing different viewpoints. Their solution is to put the correct opinion (meaning that of the writers) into the mouths of most characters, while one of the characters, [[IdiotBall often at random]], holds the opposing, incorrect viewpoint. This character is in possession of the Strawman Ball.
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3	While the device is ostensibly used to make the show seem balanced, it often has the opposite effect because the "correct" characters lecture the ball-carrier calmly, while he rants irrationally. Members of the audience who agree with the Idiot of the Week [[AuthorFilibuster feel they are being lectured]] and that their opinion [[TheWarOnStraw is being misrepresented]]. Fans of the character in question are also annoyed by his OutOfCharacter behaviour. Even people who share the "correct" opinion may feel that they're being talked down to {{Anvilicious}}ly.
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5	This is somewhat related to TheWatson, but deals with opinions rather than facts. Often goes hand-in-hand with the [[StrawCharacter Strawman Political]] and the person holding it is likely to be juggling it along with the IdiotBall and/or JerkAssBall. See also CompressedVice.
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8	!!Examples:
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12	[[folder:Comic Books]]
13	* ''ComicBook/CivilWar2006'': It was meant to be a takeoff on the Patriot Act, where occasional characters such as ComicBook/IronMan are given the pro-registration side while being made to appear as fascists or dupes. Bizarrely, the writer apparently thought he was writing the pro-reg heroes as basically right and reasonable but forced to extremes, and since the writing staff in general didn't agree beforehand on which side they were going to support, it led to other writers deliberately amping up the {{Jerkass}} quotient on Iron Man. Thus making it an interesting example of meta-fiction due to reflecting a 'civil war' [[ArmedWithCanon among the writers themselves]].
14	* Hal Jordan, the titular Franchise/GreenLantern was often reduced to this in ''Green Lantern/Green Arrow'', to give ComicBook/GreenArrow someone to argue with. A particularly JustForFun/{{egregious}} example was arguing against fighting a slaver, because he was the legitimate authority in the area. That isn't to say Green Arrow isn't given this role. He was a real {{Jerkass}} when he found out his sidekick Speedy was doing heroin, and Green Lantern had to lecture him.
15	* Subverted in the similarly themed ''ComicBook/SupermanBatman'' comics, where both reach the same conclusions on what they should do, but the thought process that got them there is as different as night and day.
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18	[[folder:Literature]]
19	* In the Michael Crichton novel ''Literature/StateOfFear'', the characters fall into three distinct categories: smart, educated good characters, who don't believe human-caused global warming is an immediate threat and can quote entire geological surveys in their defense; smart, but uneducated good characters who start out believing in global warming but change their minds when confronted with facts; and bad characters who believe human-caused global warming and defend themselves with loud, pissy, easily-refuted propaganda. In one memorable instance, a minor character is effectively used as a concern troll by Crichton as she displays graph after graph -- which the reader gets to see too -- that "prove" global warming doesn't exist, and is pretty much lost on how to deal with the problem.
20	%%* Found quite frequently in the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series.
21	* The Truax was a response to ''Literature/TheLorax'' written by logging supporters who didn't pay enough attention and thought Seuss' book was an attack on them. The Lorax-analogue, a vaguely racist-looking tree man named "the Guardbark", is an excitable, easily-swayed dimwit who the Truax (a logger) manages to convince with lazy and sometimes completely dissonant arguments; when the Guardbark asks what the logging industry is doing for endangered species, the Truax basically tells him, "Well, who's gonna care about gross nasty things like ticks that carry germs that kill cute little Cuddlebears (Yes, Cuddlebears)? And I mean, sure, everyone likes these minnows, but it's too hard to change what we're doing and we don't really want to, so we won't." The Guardbark is totally down with that excuse.
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24	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
25	* The anti-abortion characters in the ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' episode on the issue seem to have no ethical qualms with the practice itself, giving more focus to the edicts of their religious text and setting-specific concerns over underpopulation than any concern for the rights or well-being of the embryo or fetus being aborted.
26	* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit''
27	** "Noncompliance", where Olivia is afraid of the mentally ill.
28	** "Ridicule", where Elliot dismisses the claims of a man raped by women.
29	** "Closet", where Olivia is honestly baffled as to why a professional football player's homosexuality would be such a big deal.
30	* Numerous episodes of the original ''Series/{{CSI}}''. On this show, Grissom is ''never'' the Idiot of the Week. He's always the one lecturing about alternative lifestyles to one of the other investigators -- or at the very least being curious, receptive and respectful while it's explained to him. Nick is usually the one that's handed the {{Idiot Ball}} or sometimes the Bigot Ball in the early seasons -- notably his rather offensive remarks about the smaller folks.
31	* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'': In an episode about the relationship between Muslims and terrorism, Palmer, the most minor character, makes some vaguely intolerant remarks. He doesn't say anything too ridiculous, but it does present Ducky with an opportunity to soapbox about tolerance and such what.
32	* ''Series/TheWestWing'' was particularly guilty of this, with the weekly caricature of conservative arguments set up as straw men for President Bartlett and his staff to knock down. One regular cast member would usually be chosen as the Idiot of the Week. Admittedly, sometimes the left would lose, usually on the small stuff. Donna Moss took up the role more and more as the show went on.
33	* ''Series/BostonLegal'' usually avoids this, but sometimes Denny comes across as this when talking about being a Republican.
34	* There was a particularly JustForFun/{{egregious}} example in one episode of ''Series/AllInTheFamily.'' The issue: Sexism. The Idiot of the Week? The extremely liberal Michael, for whom this viewpoint was completely out of character (at least at the time: as the series went on, it became increasingly clear that for all of Michael's liberal views, he was quite chauvinistic).
35	* Occasionally happened on the first season of ''Series/{{House}}''. Chase hates nuns! Foreman hates the homeless! And so on.
36	* Strangely common on the ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', considering that most of the cast are scientists and generally viewed as geniuses. It's rare that the 'stupider' characters take this role.
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39	[[folder:Web Original]]
40	* PlayedForLaughs in WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick's crossover with ''WebVideo/NeedsMoreGay'': while Nella is excited to fangirl with Lindsay and Rantasmo, Lindsay insists that they need a strawman and even provides a script for Nella to begrudgingly read. Made more ridiculous if you know that Nella is bisexual in RealLife.
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43	[[folder:Western Animation]]
44	* More recent episodes of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' make use of this (usually with Lisa, Ned, and Marge) whenever they tackle topical issues. All the while keeping laughs the main priority. One notable instance was Marge's issues with her sister Patty coming out of the closet (Homer of all people even lampshades the TransparentCloset before the commercial break by essentially saying, [[SarcasmMode "Oh and get this, I like beer!"]]), after talking up a big show about how open minded she is about homosexuality. She fully recognizes what a hypocrite she's being, and indeed there are a lot of cases where someone believes they're completely accepting of gay and lesbian people until someone they're close to comes out. What makes this example particularly odd is that eight years before that episode was one where the family befriended a gay man (voiced by openly gay director John Waters) and not only was Marge perfectly fine with him, she chewed Homer out for being homophobic and thinking that hanging around John would make Bart "go gay". AesopAmnesia, or OpinionMyopia? More likely a twist on NotInMyBackyard, as it's one thing to be friends with a non-related gay person, but could hit closer to home when it's a relative being talked about.
45	* On ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', Lois is the worst of the bunch as it's not only painfully obvious that she's a [[StrawCharacter Strawman Political]] to [[AuthorAvatar Brian's]] AuthorTract, it's hypocritical without being HypocriticalHumor as she's suddenly Mrs. Brady when the subject of drug legalization or gay marriage pops up despite being a pothead (and using harder drugs) with recurring bouts of DepravedBisexual. Meg's excused because she's a ButtMonkey both in and out of the show's universe and represents Teen {{Wangst}}, but Lois serves no other purpose than as a Foil with no humor or lampshading involved. Toyed with, since there also plenty of times Lois [[KarmaHoudini gets away with putting Brian or another character down]], either due to ComedicSociopathy, or because they are ''[[EvilVersusEvil even worse]]''. At one point Lois even made clear that Brian is a pretentious CommanderContrarian who plays this trope solely to [[AttentionWhore stand out and be different]].
46	* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' didn't do this every week. However, if it was a group that existed outside of Hank's comfort zone or value system ([=RPGers=] and/or Pagans, New-age birthing techniques, Alternative spirituality, Hippies), you can bet that that particular [[TheWarOnStraw Strawman]] wouldn't even have a chance to make a point before the show went right ahead in "proving" how wrong they were.
47	** It didn't even have to be ''[[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman human]]''. If the episode centered around an animal ''other'' than a dog, then you could guarantee that said animal (and even said animal's owner) would be portrayed in a negative light. Taken to [[ExaggeratedTrope ridiculous extremes]] in "[[Recap/KingOfTheHillS9E6ThePetriotAct The Petriot Act]]": Bill is portrayed as being happy, successful, and popular with woman after he decides to look after a very friendly dog that belongs to an army officer for a few days. Hank ends up looking after a cat, who is [[CatsAreMean vicious and nasty]] and makes Hank's life miserable.
48	** Not always the case. Hank ''often'' exhibited this, but episodes like the one where he joins a Food Co-op involved him learning that he was wrong to dismiss them as a bunch of dirty hippies (of course, he also teaches them basic business practices that make the Co-op productive and financially sound... sound enough to sell out to the local big box store that Hank didn't want to go to in the first place). The above example about the episode where he is forced to adopt a cat was more about the greedy and hypocritical veterinarian and medical supply salesmen trying to milk Hank for every dollar they could get than it was about cats being bad pets (it was just that ''specific'' cat was a huge pain). Most episodes that invoked this trope end with Hank learning a lesson or making a reasonable concession to the idea he opposed, but pointing out that the person arguing or acting against him was a hypocrite or at least being a jackass about it.
49	* Done a few times with varying characters in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', the main cast generally take turns representing a negative method of dealing with the current episode's obstacle or conflict and have to learn an Aesop about it. This is mostly rotated around rather evenly, though Twilight Sparkle and [[LeeroyJenkins Rainbow Dash]], [[CommanderContrarian being the more cynical and abrasive thinking of the team]], arguably get it slightly more.
50	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' would generally use [[KnightInSourArmor Sokka]] when it needed a StrawMisogynist to be proved wrong in favor of girl power. These attitudes would be brought up ''only'' when there was a specific point to be made, and not as part of his general characterization in most episodes.
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Context Main / StrawmanBall