Logical Fallacy

From http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/: A fallacy is, very generally, an error in reasoning. This differs from a factual error, which is simply being wrong about the facts. To be more specific, a fallacy is an "argument" in which the premises given for the conclusion do not provide the needed degree of support.


Appeal to popularity

A claim may be accepted simply because many people believe it to be true. The especially happens with claims that people have favorable emotions to. Sometimes people may agree to one of these claims because they have see it accepted before by other people and sometimes they want it to be true.

For example, there is an urban legend that says, "Daddy Long Legs are the most poisonous spiders, except they don't bite because their mouths are too small to do so." This incorrect claim was believed at a summer camp I attended because so many people were claiming that it was true. The more people stated it, the more people believed it. Also, this claim is appealing to emotions. Spiders are thought by some to be scary, gross, and ugly. Because many people feel a revulsion to them, they feel there must be something wrong or dangerous about them.

Another example, the people in this commercial each have their own personalized Dell computers and they all look happy. Because I like the look of the commercial and the song (emotions) and all the people in the commercial like Dells, I should get one too. This example is a lot more subtle, but the fallacy is definitely still there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCwKndz41P4

Straw Man

This happens when Person A is defending something and Person B exaggerates or miss represents Person A's position and refutes it. In reality, Person B is not refuting Person A's position but a distorted version of it. Therefore, Person B isn't really proving Person A wrong. For example this conversation:

Lucy: I hope we have snow day today.

Ted: Why don't you ever want to go to school?! Don't you want to go somewhere in life?

Lucy: Of course I do, but I don't want to spend all my time in class.

Here, both Lucy and Ted miss represented each other's positions rather than arguing their actual point.

This clip is another example. If you turn off the sound and just watch the images and read the words, the message is very negative.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QmyCyxD1lM

However, it is also very misleading. For example, the ad claims that Scott Brown wants to "deny rape victims care." (time 0:20, text at bottom right.) Although Scott Brown did, at one point, vote for an amendment to avoid forcing Catholic hospitals to provide abortion or contraception based on their religious beliefs, he never voted to neglect rape victims. He voted to allow hospitals to deny one certain kind of care. Even when this amendment failed, Brown still voted for the underlying bill, even when another Republican did not, which suggests that the amendment was not terribly important to him anyway. (information taken from http://m.factcheck.org/2010/01/bay-state-battle/ )

Appeal to Emotion

This is usually when a claim appeals to the senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, or smell, and makes the knower feel a certain way which causes them to accept the claim. For example, if something makes you happy or amused, you are more likely to believe that what it says is true.

For example, in elementary school, health teachers help students feel strongly opposed to smoking. They associate it things with negative images, such as cancerous lungs, rotted teeth, yellow skin robotic voices, like the voices of people who have had to have their voice boxes removed, and gross smells. These images, sounds and smells help students feel negatively about smoking, which health teachers hope will cause the students not to smoke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeKzE1mahNs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdcE0AKi_JU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eMmcMK_3Ao

Each of these commercials appeals to the senses. The first one is engaging, as the emotions are very strong. I want to know what will happen next. It is also easy to relate to, as many children have a strong connection to their mothers. Finally, it takes an everyday task and puts it in a new light. This commercial drew in my emotions and focus, showed me an aspect of life in a new light, then made me laugh. Because it made me feel good at the end, I want to buy the product.

The second one is also engaging and funny.

The third is easy to relate to. The boy's passion and hope are also very positive emotions that make me like the product.

These commercials each take their audiences' existing emotions then sort of stretch them out and point them in their product's direction.