SIGNS OF MANIPULATION.

1. A-Priori Fallacy.

“A-priori” is Latin, meaning “from the former.”  It is a simple deduction (why) based on observations or experience.  Sometimes an example helps understand the principle.  Mice eat carrots, “A priori” removing carrots will eliminate the mice.  A deduction is nothing more than a person’s opinion and is subject to the experience and biases of the author.  Using the mice-carrot example, a grain storage company having an infestation of mice may try and blame the infestation on the carrot farmer next door using the A-priori argument.  The true purpose is to detract from the many mouse holes in the silo.  This illustrates that a strong bias can invalidate his deduction.

The following are some “red flag” words suggesting the presence of manipulation:

• “A-priori,”
• “proof is in the pudding,”
• “an honest person never lies,”
• “no one quarrels with,” etc.

Examples:

• An honest person does not steal.
• How can you dislike the car unless you drive it first?
• Investment is the first step in making money.

2. Actions Support Blame Fallacy.

This fallacy is used to justify a consequence of an action without specifying why (causation).  For example, it’s okay to steal from people who stole from you.

Some “red flags” include: “it’s your own fault,” “God only punishes the wrongdoer,” “it’s Karma,” etc.  When the why is missing, there is a high likelihood of manipulation.

Examples:

• You caused your own problems.
• People who drive slowly cannot complain if they get rear-ended.
• If you ridicule the elderly, you cannot complain when you get arthritis.

3. Ad Hominem Fallacy.

This refutes an argument by attacking someone’s character. It is one of the nastiest of fallacies and the most emotional.  Ad hominem is Latin for against the man.  If the emotion level is off the scale, it is most likely the result of the Ad Hominem fallacy.  It avoids answering any elements because it usually degrades into a mud fight.

Example:

• He’s a racist. You can’t believe a thing he says.
• Her brother was convicted of a felony. Do I need to say more?
• How can you be a great athlete when you’re a liar and a fraud?
• I don’t owe her anything. She flunked high school math.

4. Appeal to Authority Fallacy.

This uses a famous person or an accepted authority to disregard questions about “why” or “consequences.”  The Authority fallacy is used extensively by academia and medicine to validate and sidestep the “why.”  For example, if the FDA approves something, the “why” and “consequences” are automatically side-stepped.  Yet, hundreds of drugs and procedures are withdrawn by the FDA each year after numerous failures or lawsuits reveal a different story.

The authority fallacy is used in commercials selling products with a celebrity endorsement.  Very few celebrities have the experience or expertise to know anything about the product.  They seldom post how much they make from their endorsement.  Strange as it sounds, the Appeal to Authority is the easiest to spot.  Look for a celebrity or a referenced authority.  It will be prominently displayed on every page.  It does not mean you should not purchase the product.  It only means you are being manipulated.

Examples

• David Beckham wears Adidas shoes. (He received 160 million for endorsement)
• Carls Jr. shows Paris Hilton eating a burger while washing a car in a bikini.
• Jennifer Aniston endorsed Emirates Airlines. (And received 5 million).

5. Bandwagon Fallacy.

This is the fallacy that the masses are more intelligent than the individuals; a million minds are more accurate than a single mind.  This fallacy is false on its face.  A million minds are simply the average of a group of people.  There is no information about their intelligence, age group, biases, education, or other information.  Is the average intelligence of a million 15-year-old boys the same as a single Albert Einstein?  The average beliefs have been wrong throughout history, i.e., the earth is flat, witches exist, bloodletting cures many diseases, etc.

This fallacy is used to hide, obscure, and confuse all three manipulation steps, i.e., act, consequence, and why, but it is most often used to sidestep answering the “why.”

Red flags include words like, everyone agrees, most endorse, surveys show, polling supports, etc.  The bandwagon fallacy is used in almost all life-is-coming-to-an-end predictions based on so-called science.  When this pops up, remember that life on earth has been around for hundreds of millions of years and hasn’t ended yet.

 Examples

•  Everyone is buying bell-bottomed pants.
• Most scientists agree that climate changes.
• Surveys show that if we don’t wear masks and close all businesses that COVID-19 will kill millions.
• Everyone that has used this diet has lost weight.
• There are millions of satisfied customers that use this product.
• The book is on the best seller’s list.

6. Con Artist’s Fallacy.

This fallacy assumes that superior characteristics (intelligence, physical ability, or wealth) mean you’re more deserving (brighter, better choices, or work harder) and vice versa.  It suggests a hidden message: “I’m better than you, and therefore you should trust me.”  It is called a con artists fallacy because most con artists use it to gain an advantage.

One does not prove it caused the other.  Someone with a better physical body does not mean they know more than your physical features.  Someone who is less healthy does not mean you made bad choices.

The following are some “red flag” words: “you can trust me,” “it’s your own fault,” “it’s no skin off my nose,” “that’s just the way life is,” etc.  This type of manipulation is used to acquire power or money.

Examples:

• If you’re a loser, it’s your own fault.
• My superior body is because I make good choices.
• I’ve helped millions because they invested with me.
• If you make bad choices, you’ll be physically unfit.

7. Losing Increases Odds of Winning Fallacy.

This fallacy is based on funds already spent will increase your odds of winning in the future.  This belief is based on a lack of understanding of probabilities.  But the definition of probability relates only to things that have not happened, i.e., future events.  Something that has occurred in the past has a probability of one, i.e., it has already happened.  If the probability of winning the lottery in the future is 1 in a million or 0.000001, then multiplying that number by 1 (the number representing all past probabilities) results in the same number (0.000001 times 1 = 0.000001.)

NO ONE should ever fall for that gimmick.  But it happens all the time.  People, particularly the elderly, keep buying trinkets from a particular clearing house on the erroneous belief that their time is coming.  The incredibly entertaining movie Nebraska is an example of this mistaken belief.

Examples

• You’ve put in too much money to get out now.
• I’m tripling my bet because I’m due for a win.
• I need to win back my money because my wife will kill me if I don’t.

8. Red Herring Fallacy.

This is raising an irrelevant, highly emotional argument to mislead. This is used to avoid, sidestep, or confuse any of the three elements, “act,” “consequence,” or “why.”   The easier ones can be spotted by the existence of two totally different subjects. 

“You say we need stop signs to keep us safe.  Cows don’t need stop signs to keep them safe.  Are you suggesting we’re less intelligent than cattle?

Politicians and salespeople have experience in cleverly hiding Red Herrings.  They often trick the opponent by saying a word that opens the door to introduce a different topic, i.e., the Red Herring.  To make it even stronger, they will attempt to get you to say the “new topic word to change the subject” somewhere in your conversation.   This makes it appear that you are introducing a new topic.  Remember, most Manipulators are skilled in their trade.

But here is a trick if you think a Red Herring is being introduced.  Ask the person, “Specifically, how is (point 1) related to (point 2)?”  When the person does not provide any specifics or changes the subject, then quickly and forcefully say: “Just as I thought you have no evidence.”

Examples

• “You want me to eat healthier food. Are you suggesting I’m fat?”
• “You want to teach evolution over God. Are you saying my ancestors are monkeys?”
• “You’re saying we need more taxes so our children can have a future.”

9. Romantic Fallacy.

This is a fallacy by appealing to one’s self-validating or romantic feelings to avoid answering the “why.”   It suggests that asking about the “why” challenges the existence of a valid emotion, and therefore the question is invalid.

Examples:

• If I feel it, it must be true. Are you questioning my feelings?
• By wearing a padded bra, aren’t you asking to be assaulted?
• It’s just human nature to follow your heart.

10. Scare Tactic Fallacy.

This is one of the most corrupt and dangerous fallacies.  It is done when people are scared, angry, fed-up, or hurting.  There is a sense that something must be done regardless of the merits.  They need a change, even a sham, to stop the hurt or anger.  This is used to avoid, sidestep, or confuse any of the three elements, “act,” “consequence,” or “why.”

The red flags include a heightened sense of fear and words like, “we must act now,” “the world is coming to an end,” “the Russians are coming,” “better safe than sorry,” etc.

Examples

• We must ban carbon dioxide now, or we will all die. (All plants need carbon dioxide, and all animals need plants to source food.  Therefore, banning carbon dioxide will extinguish all life on earth.)
• Scientists from Harvard warned if Saddam Hussein set the Kuwait oil fields on fire, it would cause world famine. (Hussein did and no detectable effect on the environment occurred.)
• The Martians just landed at Grover’s Mill in New Jersey. (Radio show broadcast during the depression caused local panic and hysteria.)

11. Slippery Slope Fallacy.

This is setting up an extreme extension of a potential problem and then proving that the extreme example is a dangerous slope. The argument is that if you follow this path, a terrible problem will eventually happen.  This is used to hide or sidestep the “why.”

The red flags include “what’s next,” “then this will happen,” “beware,” “it’s just going to get worse,” etc.

Examples:

• Kathy wants to increase the school dance fees. That’s just the first step in prohibiting all dancing at school.
• If you give them an inch, they will take a mile.
• If you lend money to him, he’ll be back every day with his hand out.
• If we send illegal immigrants back to their own country, when will they start deporting everyone they do not like?

12. Straw Man Fallacy.

This sets up an extreme position expansion to illustrate the absurdity of the opponent’s position. As an example, “they say that animals can laugh. Have you ever seen a cow at a comedy club?”  This is the favorite tool of lawyers who are extremely clever in hiding it.  This is used to hide or sidestep any of the three elements, i.e., “act,” “consequence,” or “why.”

Examples:

• That’s like throwing the baby out with the bath water.
• Women burning their bras is the first step in promoting public nudity.
• The internal combustion engine is so powerful that it will result in the world ending in 12 years.

13. Taboo Fallacy.

This is drawing a line in the sand that you cannot step across. It is invoked to avoid addressing the “why.”   The line is associated with an extreme point of view.  This fallacy is the favorite tool of the media to terminate any discussion that challenges their position.  These involve all “isms” such as sexism, racism, terrorism, bullyism, ageism, etc.  It is used to generate great emotions.  It is often used by the very people who are sexists, racists, terrorists, etc., to cover their activities.

Anyone who accuses someone of any of the negative “isms” without providing specific facts is a giant red flag announcing that they are trying to manipulate you.

Examples:

• We will not tolerate any discussion that we consider racist.
• We will censor any voice from websites if we think you are sexists.
• You will be cut off if you question the Bible.
• Faith is contrary to science and may not be considered in our schools for any purpose.

14. Wisdom of the Crowd Fallacy.

This one is of the most dangerous and persuasive of the fallacies right behind the scare tactic fallacy. If you spot it, you should immediately walk away. It is based on the concept that many are always more intelligent than the one. This is used to avoid, sidestep, or confuse any of the three elements, “act,” “consequence,” or “why.”

Repeated scientific studies have shown that people refuse to hurt others with a painful shock when it is one-on-one.  But when a crowd supported the shock treatment, almost everyone participated in shocking the person, even when the person was screaming in pain.  The crowd effect is so strong that it can drown out the concept of what is right and wrong.

The presence of a crowd easily recognizes this fallacy, and the speaker is recruiting members of the crowd to participate.

Examples

• At a vacation timeshare presentation. “Do you hear that bell? It’s another happy customer.  We may not have many left.”
• “How many people here believe in ______? Raise your hand.”
• A salesman in front of a group of people. “You, sir, would you buy this elixir if it is guaranteed to make you healthier and live longer.”

15. Single Cause Fallacy.

This fallacy is used to direct the listener to consider a single cause.  It is well known by public speaking experts that the speaker should keep the number of essential topics to three or less.  More than three and the majority of the listeners will tune out.  This is based on the reader’s attention span.  It has nothing to do with truth or facts and everything to do with persuasion.  Persuasion is the primary component of manipulation.

In the television realm, where time is expensive, the rule is that one topic is addressed.  And it should be discussed briefly in the first introduction sentence or headline.

The rule is that there is NEVER one cause.  There are always multiple causes.

Spotting this fallacy is easy.   Count the number of causes listed.

Examples of false statements:

• “Driving under the influence of alcohol caused the accident.” One cause – alcohol caused the accident.
• “The stock market went down 500 points today because of the increased number of COV19 infections.” One cause – COVID19 made the stock market go down.
• “You will be informed if you listen to ABCD news.” One cause – Listen to ABCD news, and you will be informed.

16. Anonymous Source Fallacy

This is a subspecies of the Authority Fallacy.  Keeping the authority anonymous allows one to exaggerate or even fabricate facts to deceive.  As such, anytime the word “anonymous” is used, it is a red flag that you are probably being manipulated.

Does the fact that a new agency reports an anonymous source change it from manipulation to a legitimate news story?  The short answer is NO.   A new agency will always opt in the direction of creating interest, i.e., triggering emotions.  And there are legal incentives to publish unverified statements.

Reporter Shield laws, passed by 40+ states, bar all contempt actions preventing anyone from revealing the source of their information.  This means that false and fabricated facts can be disclosed to the public without effective consequences.  There is currently no practical way to obtain the person’s identity or statement to disprove the disclosed facts in civil actions.

Examples:

“Anonymous Source.”

“Unnamed Source”

“Whistleblower”

“Informant”

If any of those words are used to protect access to verification, then this is a Red Flag that you are being manipulated.

17. All Broadcasts, Must Be True Fallacy.

A large segment of society believes that if something is published, it must be true.  This is based on various reasons, but this belief’s primary source is the laws prohibiting publishing false statements.  There is no blanket law prohibiting making false statements to the public.

Defamation laws prohibit making false statements of fact (not opinions) directed to a person that causes damage to that person’s reputation or standing in the community.   But those laws have been emasculated by so many exceptions and privileges that they render the laws non-functional. 

There are privileges associated with making false statements in a courtroom, words by government officials, statements made during political broadcasts or speeches, legislative proceedings, and a long list of other exceptions. 

One of the worst examples of the misuse of this privilege was done by Congressman Adam Schiff when he was making a speech during a congressional hearing.  He made up the false facts for the specific purpose of having news agencies quote these false statements to the public.  Most news agencies repeated these statements and inferred that they were credible by referencing that the records in the US Congress supported the information.  Only a few new agencies reported that the statements were false and were meant to be parity. 

Examples.

“It can’t be published if it were not true.”

“I read it on the internet, so it’s true.”

“The law prohibits us from saying anything that is not true.”

There are over 100 fallacies.  An internet search can discover them.