Blog 6

Fallacy in an advertisement: 

    In this ad the slippery slope fallacy is used. Slippery slope is when it is assumed that one thing is going to have a series of consequences lead to a worst case scenario. If you don't do this, then this will happen, then this will happen, and so on. In the ad it shows that if you do not have direct tv and only have cable, all of these bad things will happen to you. First, you'll get angry at your cable tv for being on hold, then need to blow off some steam, then get hurt, then get an eye patch, then people will think you're tough, then those people will fight you to see how tough you are, and finally you'll end up waking up in a ditch. If you got rid of cable in the first place and had direct tv, none of these other things would have happened to you.

Fallacy in a tv show:

The Simpsons, season 13 episode 10- Half Decent Proposal (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701104/)

    Hasty generalization is used in this episode. This is when a conclusion is made from insufficient evidence. Homer and Marge Simpson need money for Homer to get a device to help his snoring. Marge's ex boyfriend, millionaire Artie Ziff, says he will pay for the device if Marge does a re-do prom with him. They agree to it, but when Homer goes to see Marge and Artie at the prom, he sees them kissing. Right away he leaves and feels heartbroken. He decides to leave their marriage and go work at an oil rig, which is a very dangerous job and most of the time the workers get hurt or die. But if Homer would have stayed a few seconds longer instead of jumping to conclusions, he would have seen Marge push Artie away and cancel the whole thing and leave. Or if he waited for her at home instead of leaving to the oil rig, she would have explained to him what happened and what a big misunderstanding it was. Appeal to authority is also used in the beginning of the episode. This is when you use someone's status instead of evidence to make a conclusion/judgment. Marge goes to visit her sisters for a girls night. That's when they learn Artie is now a millionaire. Patty and Selma, the sisters, take this as a great opportunity for Marge to reach out to arite and catch up. They only care because he is rich. They didn't take into consideration his bad personality and inappropriate gestures. All they saw was his status as a millionaire and thought that's all that mattered, no matter his personality. 

(From 1:50-2:25)