How to Spot an Argumentative Fallacy
8. Faulty Authority (Argumentum ad Vericundiam)
Does someone with a YouTube Channel necessarily a place to seek medical advice? Does the Pope understand economics enough to prescribe world policy? Does Michael Jordan really have a more valid opinion on cotton underwear than anyone else? Of course not. Yet we often view recognizable people as valid sources for anything, regardless of their actual skillset and knowledge base. Actors are often guilty of assuming the role of faulty authority figures when they use their fame to promote their personal (often ill-informed) views on politics and national policy. No one should care who Clint Eastwood votes for or what Matt Daemon thinks about gun control. They’re actors, not experts.
