A straw man argument is relatively common. It allows a person to divert the discussion away from the original topic, in a sense hijacking the discussion.
Elements of the straw man fallacy:
(1) A person (A) states on opinion.
(2) An opponent (B) replaces that opinion with a totally different one, usually one that is absurd or emotionally charged ("setting up the straw man").
(3) The opponent (B) then attacks the person (A) for holding the fabricated opinion rather than the original one ("knocking down the straw man").
Example:
Person 1: I think that a homeowner should be able to have a gun for home defense.
Person 2: So you think that everyone should have nuclear weapons?
The effectiveness of the maneuver depends on:
(1) the emotional state of the audience
(2) the distribution of opinions of the audience relative to the speakers
(3) the response of the person being falsely attacked
(4) whether anyone recognizes and challenges it for what it is
