History Main / TheWarOnStraw

* NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer: When [[RefugeInAudacity the Strawman in question is an honest representation]]. Can sometimes become a more typical example if the specific Strawman is a fringe part of the targeted group but the author acts as if they represent the entire demographic for the sake of fighting an easy target, or if the Strawman's "not made up" words are [[ManipulativeEditing twisted out of context]].

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: When used portray a strawman as a evil bigot for the heroes to destroy.

* ForScience: Depicting scientists as willing to do anything for no practical purpose.

* StrawAngst: When the writer plays a character's worry over their flaw or flaws over everything else they say and do.

* NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer: When [[RefugeInAudacity the Strawman in question is an honest representation]].

* StrawFan: Used to caricature the worst aspects of one's fanbase.

Simple: declare war on straw! You're the writer, aren't you? You control what the "other side" has to say. All you need to do is present the opposing position as a laughable shadow of its true self and you can easily knock it over. You'll always be the winner! Everybody loves a winner. Bonus points if the opposing side is violently murdered afterwards (with the killer [[KarmaHoudini never being punished]], naturally, because why would you ever punish someone who's ''right?'').

* BlondeRepublicanSexKitten: Women with conservative values are portrayed as young, attractive, fit and blonde to combat the stereotype that conservatives mostly consist of men from the boomer generation.
* BombThrowingAnarchists: For OrderVsChaos stories where people on the chaos side are portrayed as AxCrazy and unsympathetic.
* CategoryTraitor: When the writer creates the false idea that anybody from a group of people who doesn't follow the same beliefs as that group is betraying them.
* CorruptChurch: If that trope is used to portray a real-world religion, or an obvious {{Expy}} of one.

* DesignatedHero: Happens when the character we're expected to side with fails to give reasons why we should think he's right.
* DesignatedVillain: The only reason this character is demonized is because they disagreed with the protagonist.
* DryCrusader: When this character is in the right, everyone who drinks alcohol is considered to be worse than the Devil. Can also be used to assume that anyone who refrains from alcohol acts this way towards drinkers.

* ExecutiveExcess: The portrayal of business executives as hedonistic and wasteful, to the point that they're rarely seen actually putting in a full day of work, sometimes as a criticism of the corporate lifestyle or capitalism in general
* FamilyValuesVillain: If combined with the HeteronormativeCrusader.

* FoxNewsLiberal and its counterpart, the MSNBCConservative: If opposing views fail to properly be presented, thus creating an echo chamber.

* GodwinsLaw: Comparing anything you don't like with one of the worst dictators in human history.

* GoodIsDumb: Portrays {{goodness|Tropes}} and {{idealism|Tropes}} as utterly moronic and out of touch with life

* HateSink: The strawman is created to attract hate to promote a point.

* InternalAffairs: The higher ups for police forces are portrayed as corrupt.

* MalcolmXerox: Portraying a left leaning black man in a work as a paranoid loon that thinks "the white man" is out to get him.

* PoliticalCorrectnessIsEvil: Social justice activists are easier to attack if you caricature them into prissy pricks who make mountains out of molehills. Even easier if they come from privileged background.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: When used portray a strawman as a evil bigot for the heroes to destroy.
* PoliticallyMotivatedTeacher: In its most basic form.

* SchoolIsForLosers: Characters who disagree with/aren't interested in public education are presented as idiots.
* SubParSupremacist: Character claims a group they're a part of is better than others while failing to exhibit any of that group's traits.
* StrawAffiliation: In the same vein as CategoryTraitor, people who are a part of a certain group are portrayed as not being allowed to endorse things that are typically not associated with them (e.g. gays and women can't be conservative).
* StrawAngst:
* StrawCivilian: In a military focused work, any and all non-military characters are shown as being actively hostile towards soldiers.
* StrawCritic: Media critics are portrayed as snooty and uptight. Often used by writers who can't take criticism.
* StrawFan: Used to caricature the worst aspects of one's fanbase.

* StrawHypocrite: The {{hypocrite}} doesn't even believe what he preaches; as with AmoralAttorney or CorruptChurch, not ''always'' a subtrope of The War On Straw, but a frequent one nevertheless.
* StrawLoser: Characters who don't conform to what the writer believes or thinks is awesome often get portrayed as deserving of ridicule.
* StrawMisogynist: A particularly {{Anvilicious}} portrayal of HeManWomanHater characters.
* StrawNihilist: Those with nihilistic views get {{Flanderiz|ation}}ed as using this to justify acts of villainy.
* StrawVegetarian: Vegetarians and vegans are portrayed as intolerant of meat eaters and actively try to force their dietary ways on others.
* StrawVulcan: The writer treats people who are logical thinkers as cold and emotionless.

* StrawmanEmotional: Opposite of the StrawVulcan in which it's the characters who act on their emotions who are treated as irrational.
* StrawmanHasAPoint: What happens when bad writing or authorial myopia creates a front in The War On Straw that the author actually has a chance of losing.
* StrawmanNewsMedia: News media are almost ''never'' portrayed as being trustworthy in fiction.
* StrawmanProduct: Making a false image of another product.
* StrawmanU: Certain types of schools are portrayed as attracting people who are politically opposite of the writer.
* TheoryTunnelvision: When the writer is convinced that their opponents won't accept their views even when they're proven to be correct.
* ThereAreNoGoodExecutives: Business men are all greedy jackasses within the setting.
* ThisLoserIsYou: A negatively portrayed protagonist meant to represent the audience. Not always a strawman, but it can often come off that way if the writer assumes too much about their audience.
* TooIncompetentToOperateABlanket: In order to make a product appealing, advertisers portray people who aren't using the product as incompetent morons who can't even do the simplest tasks without it.

* AmbulanceChaser: When the strawmen are portrayed as InUniverse UnacceptableTargets.