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Red Herring

The question was about corruption. Somehow, ten minutes later, everyone is arguing about national security. The original question? Gone.

A red herring is an irrelevant topic introduced to divert attention from the real issue. It doesn't refute the argument — it replaces it. A politician asked about suspicious contracts starts talking about the jobs they created. A company questioned about pollution pivots to their charitable donations. A public figure caught lying shifts the conversation to the motivations of whoever exposed them. The original point doesn't get answered. It gets buried under something louder or more emotional.

This works because human attention is finite and easily redirected. Once a new topic enters the conversation — especially one that triggers strong feelings — your brain follows the energy. The uncomfortable question fades into background noise while everyone argues about the shiny new distraction. In media environments where coverage moves fast, a well-timed red herring doesn't just delay accountability — it eliminates it entirely.

The defence is almost embarrassingly simple: keep asking the original question. "That's interesting, but you didn't answer what I asked." Repeating the actual question, calmly and clearly, is one of the most powerful moves in any conversation — and one of the rarest. Most people let the subject change because following along feels polite. That politeness is exactly what the tactic relies on.

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