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The 'straw man' cliche rolls off my back...it's a term used to dismiss someone else's argument and gain traction for ones own.
Actually, neither of you appear to understand what a straw man argument is. A "straw man" is a common form of argument and is an informal fallacy based on giving the impression of refuting an opponent's argument, while actually refuting an argument that was not advanced by that opponent.
It is a most valid point to make in an argument when it is appropriate. But I don't see that you did that, so it would indeed be incorrect to make such an allegation.
A "red herring" is a fallacious argument that introduces an irrelevant topic into a discussion in order to divert the attention of readers from the original issue.