History Main / AppealToPopularity

* [[EverybodyKnowsThat Everyone Knows]]...

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[[AC:Radio]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

[[AC:RealLife]]

->"They voted for the impossible, and the disastrous possible happened instead"

** ""Trope" is a word meaning "storytelling device", because that's how most people use it."

::These concepts, like economical value, linguistic meaning, or etiquette, are things that only exist because a large number of us believe that they exist. If everyone would believe that gold is worthless, [[WorthlessYellowRocks its value would disappear]] (this happens at the beginning of the novel ''Galapagos'').

* The BBC PanelGame ''QI'' uses this extensively. Points are awarded for "quite interesting" answers, and are taken away for boring ones. If the answer given to a question is one that "everybody knows" and is '''wrong''', a klaxon sounds and ten points are taken away. Both the examples of lemmings and piranhas have been used. Sometimes, however, the obvious answer ''is'' the real answer, which sometimes leads to the panel members phrasing their answers very carefully in case the question is a double bluff.

'''Alice:''' Geez, get with the times, The Band suck since they sold out and went mainstream.

* On ''HaveIGotNewsForYou'', Louise Bagshaw argued against the Alternative Vote method based on the fact that very few countries use it. This prompted Ian Hislop to point out that much of the world is starving, which is a pretty strong argument against eating.
* The BBC PanelGame ''QI'' uses this extensively. Points are awarded for "quite interesting" answers, and are taken away for boring ones. If the answer given to a question is one that "everybody knows" and is '''wrong''', a klaxon sounds and ten points are taken away. Both the examples of lemmings and piranhas (see REAL LIFE below) have been used. Sometimes, however, the obvious answer ''is'' the real answer, which sometimes leads to the panel members phrasing their answers very carefully in case the question is a double bluff.

[[AC:RealLife]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* "The Mob Song" from ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'' includes the line "Here we come, we're fifty strong and fifty Frenchmen can't be wrong".
** Well, they're French, [[AdHominem of course they would say that]].

** "Most people would agree that is improper to talk in the cinema during a movie, so don't do it."

* Lemmings are a prime example, as well as an ''Appeal to Authority''. If everyone, including random authorities, say that lemmings commit mass suicide.... The truth: [[http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s979473.htm Stoats]]. (Not to mention that a famous lemmings-jumping-off-a-cliff video, as filmed by Disney, had people off-camera herding the lemmings over said cliff. This isn't as horrific as it sounds, because [[SquareCubeLaw lemmings fall slowly enough to be unharmed by the fall]], but still dodgy.)

* If the criteria being measured ''is'' popularity, or something that ''can be determined by'' popular vote. For instance, in a list of "best-selling books", the ranking is determined solely by how many copies of each book were sold, and whether it's a good book or not doesn't enter into it.

* [[DyingLikeAnimals Sheep Factor]]

[[AC:RealLife]]

* "Gold is valuable because many people pay for it."
* ""Trope" is a word meaning "storytelling device", because that's how most people use it."
* "Most people would agree that is improper to talk in the cinema during a movie, so don't do it."
These concepts, like economical value, linguistic meaning, or etiquette, are things that only exist because a large number of us believe that they exist. If everyone would believe that gold is worthless, [[WorthlessYellowRocks its value would disappear]] (this happens at the beginning of the novel ''Galapagos'').

If the investigated subject isn't an objectively measurable thing, but a social concept, that is indeed determined by popularity. For example:

-->-- History lesson (talking about ''us''), RobertHeinlein, ''Literature/StarshipTroopers''

-->Bob:''' Alice, what's that terrible noise coming out of your speakers? I thought you liked The Band.\\

-->Alice: "Don't you know smoking's bad for you, Bob?"
-->Bob: "Bah, it's just propaganda. If it were really bad for you, why would millions of people do it, hm?"

-->Bob: "Alice, what's that terrible noise coming out of your speakers? I thought you liked The Band."
-->Alice: "Geez, get with the times, The Band suck since they sold out and went mainstream."

!!! Examples:
[[AC:Live Action TV]]

[[AC:Real Life]]

[[AC:{{Western Animation}}]]
* "The Mob Song" from ''Film/BeautyAndTheBeast'' includes the line "Here we come, we're fifty strong and fifty Frenchmen can't be wrong".

-->-- History lesson (talking about ''us''), RobertHeinlein, ''StarshipTroopers''

** Well, they're French, [[AdHominem they would say that]].

These concepts, like [[UsefulNotes/Economics economical value]], linguistic meaning, or etiquette, are things that only exist because a large number of us believe that they exist. If everyone would believe that gold is worthless, [[WorthlessYellowRocks its value would disappear]] (this happens at the beginning of the novel ''Galapagos'').

* Any relevant population figure (sixty million Frenchmen, a billion Chinese, etc)
* Common Knowledge
* Sheep Factor

* Everyone Knows...

* Lemmings are a prime example, as well as an ''Appeal to Authority''. If everyone, including random authorities say lemmings commit mass suicide.... The truth: [[http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s979473.htm Stoats]]. (Not to mention that a famous lemmings-jumping-off-a-cliff video, as filmed by Disney, had people off-camera herding the lemmings over said cliff. This isn't as horrific as it sounds because [[SquareCubeLaw lemmings fall slowly enough to be unharmed by the fall]], but still dodgy.)

** As does the idea that birds won't take back hatchlings that smell like humans (fun fact: very few birds actually have a sense of smell acute enough to notice if their baby smells strange).
** This is also why people think piranhas are solely carnivorous. In fact, they're omnivores, and eat primarily insects, seeds and other fish.

!!!Looks like this fallacy but is not

* "Gold is valuable because many people pay for it"
* ""Trope" is a word meaning "storytelling device", because that's how most people use it"
* "Most people would agree that is improper to talk in the cinema during a movie, so don't do it"
These concepts like economical value, linguistic meaning, or etiquette, are things that only exists because a large number of us believe that they exist. If everyone would believe that gold is worthless, [[WorthlessYellowRocks its value would disappear]] (this happens at the beginning of the novel ''Galapagos'').

These concepts like economical value, linguistic meaning, or etiquette, are things that only exists because a large number of us believe that they exist. If everyone would believe that gold is worthless, its value would disappear (this happens at the beginning of the novel ''Galapagos'').

These concepts like economical value, linguistic meaning, or etiquette, are things that only exists because a large number of us believe that they exist. If everyone would believe that gold is wortless, it's value would disappear.

* If the criteria being measured ''is'' popularity, or something that ''can be determined by'' popular vote. For instance, in a list of "best-selling books", the ranking is determined solely by how many copies of each book were sold, and whether it's a good book or not doesn't enter into it.

* Lemmings are a prime example, as well as an ''Appeal to Authority''. If everyone, including random authorities say lemmings commit mass suicide.... The truth: [[http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s979473.htm Stoats]]. (Not to mention that a famous lemmings-jumping-off-a-cliff video, as filmed by Disney, had people off-camera herding the lemmings over said cliff.)

* Any relevant population figure (fifty million Frenchmen, a billion Chinese, etc)