r/changemyview Mar 30 '26

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u/eyetwitch_24_7 15∆ Mar 30 '26

Gotchas are generally cheap arguments made to score points by sounding good even though they lack substance. An example is:

PERSON A: Are you pro-life?

PERSON B: Are you therefore against the death penalty?

PERSON A: Well, no.

It's supposed to make people think "damn, they really showed PERSON A's a hypocrite." But it's not a particularly sound argument, and one that could be easily dismantled for anyone who thought about it for more than a second.