The Bandwagon Fallacy / Effect

This can both be a Logical Fallacy and Cognitive Bias depending on the context.

When the claim that most or many people in general or of a particular group accept a belief as true is presented as evidence for the claim.

Ad Populum/Bandwagon Appeal: This is an appeal that presents what most people, or a group of people think, in order to persuade one to think the same way.

• Getting on the bandwagon is one such instance of an ad populum appeal.

If you were a true American you would support the rights of people to choose whatever vehicle they want.

In this example, the author equates being a “true American,” a concept that people want to be associated with, particularly in a time of war, with allowing people to buy any vehicle they want even though there is no inherent connection between the two.

Thoughts

From Destiny to Sneako: If there is a shepherd who tells the herd to go left and you choose to go right, you are still getting controlled. You are still getting bandwagoned.