Well poisoning (rhetoric)
The poisoning wells is a rhetorical device, a special case of argumentum ad hominem .
The "well poisoner" presents hostile or distorted "information" about the opponent or his position in the discussion in order to discredit, denigrate or ridicule him from the outset. For example, it is claimed that “no reasonable person” can represent the other person's position. In this way, others are compelled to reject this position in order not to take the “poisoned” conclusion about the position.
The term is derived from well poisoning , which was mainly accused of Jews as a pretext for their persecution, whereby the side acting as the well poisoner was transferred to the other side in the transferred use.