Is it considered a Strawman if you have have to try to infer what somebody is saying?
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Original Question
I was thinking about witnessing arguments of people being forced to guess what someone else means and the kind of "Set up" involved that implies your changing what they really mean. Especially in regards to certain phrases or platitudes that are basically thought stoppers or Gaslighting.
"What you feel is also what you Attract". When I hear somebody say this it highly suggests they are blaming a circumstance or how you feel as something you did to yourself. But if you say that back usually you get "I'm not blaming you why would put words in my mouth".
"Two wrongs don't make a right" Presumes a response to an unjust provocation is morally equivalent to the unprovoked transgression . I always called it Treating the Victim as guilty as the bully.
"Yeah but that's your Mother or Father" Its highly suggestive that one must put up with the toxic behavior of others due to some kind of close relations.
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Answers
3Is it considered a Strawman if you have have to try to infer what somebody is saying?
It depends on how one presents the inference. If one presents a sincere inference as a question or a statement that solicits a confirmation or clarification from the interlocutor, then this is an honest and productive technique in argumentation. If, however, one presents the inference as a statement with confidence, not allowing clarification, then it would be more along the lines of a strawman (assuming the inference does weaken the interlocutor's argument), especially if the inference is a significant departure from the intent of the interlocutor. For example:
"So what you are saying is that most Republicans are not well educated?" (pause)
This is okay, assuming the inference is not way off. And
"So you are saying is that most Republicans are idiots. I agree."
This would most likely be a strawman fallacy based on 1) it appears insincere 2) No request for clarification and 3) It is likely quite different from the argument the interlocutor was making.
If you have to infer what another person is saying, it is a failure of communication, not a fallacy.
Dr Bo gives a good answer to the first part of your post.
The next three phrases - "what you see is what you attract", "two wrongs don't make a right" and "yeah, but that's your mother/father!" aren't arguments; they're thought-terminating clichés. Granted, they are typically deployed to discourage critical thought, and thus, argument. However, since they aren't arguing anything, there are no fallacies.
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The "Treating the Victim as guilty as the bully" could also be expressed as "Spread the blame across the victim and the perpetrator"