To me, the reason is clear. They have come under the sway of the “Bandwagon Fallacy.” Here is a detailed description:
The bandwagon fallacy, also known as the appeal to popularity or argumentum ad populum, is a logical fallacy that argues a claim is true simply because many people believe it or support it.
Here’s a breakdown of the concept:
- Core Idea: The fallacy relies on the assumption that popular acceptance equates to validity or truth. It essentially argues “everyone’s doing it, so it must be right”.
- Logical Flaw: The popularity of an idea or action is irrelevant to its truth or correctness. A belief can be widely held, yet still be demonstrably false.
- Informal Fallacy: It’s an informal fallacy, meaning the flaw lies in the content of the argument, not its structure.
- Fallacy of Relevance: It falls under fallacies of relevance because the popularity (the “proof”) doesn’t logically relate to the claim’s truth.
Examples of the Bandwagon Fallacy:
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- “This new diet must be effective because everyone is trying it”.
- “You should vote for this candidate because they’re leading in the polls”.
- “This movie is amazing, it’s a box office hit!”.
- “Everyone knows that Israel is committing Genocide.”
- “It’s quite clear that Israel is starving children in Gaza.”
- “Israel has illegally occupied the West Bank since 1967.”
- “israel is a settler-colonial state.”
- “All Israeli Jews are white European colonizers.”
- “All Palestinians are suffering under Israel’s racist Apartheid regime.”
- “The entire Jewish state of Israel occupies stolen Palestinian land.”
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- All that has to happen is for some famous Progressive, such as Noam Chomski, Amy Goodman, or Michael Moore, to repeat one of these lies, and Progressives begin repeating them like lemmings running of a cliff.
- Why are people susceptible to the bandwagon fallacy?
- Desire to Conform: People have an innate desire to fit in and belong to a group.
- Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): The feeling that others are experiencing something desirable that you’re not can lead people to join a trend.
- Social Proof: In uncertain situations, people look to the actions of others to guide their own behavior.
- Simplified Decision-Making: Following the crowd eliminates the need for critical thinking and independent evaluation.
Note(s):
- The bandwagon fallacy should not be confused with the “bandwagon effect,” a related phenomenon where individuals adopt behaviors or beliefs as they become more mainstream or popular.
- While the bandwagon fallacy is a flawed argument, popularity can sometimes be relevant when evaluating the widespread adoption of a practice or product. However, this should be done with careful consideration and critical thinking.
