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The argumentum ad populum fallacy is telling an audience what they want to hear in order to gain their approval. The speaker knows ahead of time what the crowd wants to hear, and they tell it to them whether they believe it or not. This is a favorite technique of demagogues (politicians that seek the support of ordinary people by appealing to prejudices and desires instead of engaging in thoughtful discussion of real issues).
Simply put, the ad populum fallacy takes the position that, because a large number of people think or believe something is true, it is true. In truth, popular opinion can be wrong.Â
At one point in history, most people believed that the earth was flat, the sun revolved around the earth, and posies protected us from the black plague.
Some Ad Populum Subcategories
The Bandwagon Approach
The Bandwagon Approach
Example: 75% of people like dogs more than cats; therefore, dogs are better than cats.
Example: I only read best sellers. They're the best books.
The Patriotic Approach
The Patriotic Approach
Also known as "draping one's self in the flag."
Example: Mr. Jamie "America" Spagnolo makes amazing grilled cheese sandwiches. He shoots off red, white, and blue fireworks every Friday night and has a pet Bald Eagle named George "2nd Amendment" Lincoln. If you don't like his grilled cheese sandwich, you must be a communist who hates America.
The "God Bless The U.S.A." Bible
The "God Bless The U.S.A." Bible
There is a ton going on in this one, but, most notably, this ad combines the Patriotic Approach with the Christian Approach (something we've seen an increase of among right-wing American politicians in recent years).
Check it out here:Â
Who's Lee Greenwood? He wrote the song "God Bless the U.S.A."
Patriotic & Christian Approach Hybrid!
The Christian (or any other religion) Approach
The Christian (or any other religion) Approach
Also known as "covering one's self with the cross."
Example: You need to agree with me because God agrees with me. If you disagree with me, you disagree with God.
Example: "As a used car salesman, I always strategically place a Bible on the driver's seat of the car so the test driver has to move it before driving. This makes them trust me more."
The Snob Approach
The Snob Approach
When an arguer claims that, if you agree with or do X, you will benefit by being part of an exclusive, classy, selective group of attractive, wealthy, intellectual, or otherwise gifted people.
Example: The few. The proud. The Marines.
Fair use images for education purposes.
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