I also think it’s valuable to include strawmen in some stories, as long as you include the steelmen alongside them. Typically, the issue with strawmanning is that you don’t present the strongest version of your opponent’s arguments. But if you present the straw and steel side by side and explicitly distinguish them, I have no problem with it.
Update: both Vaniver’s and Rob’s comments make sense.
I also think it’s valuable to include strawmen in some stories, as long as you include the steelmen alongside them. Typically, the issue with strawmanning is that you don’t present the strongest version of your opponent’s arguments. But if you present the straw and steel side by side and explicitly distinguish them, I have no problem with it.