Hey what’s up Thinkers! Kathy Gibbens here…
I thought I’d start off by sharing part of a review that a listener named JLentsAuthor left on Apple podcast. Not only do I appreciate this review b/c it’s a review (which I so appreciate!) but she also shares some really interesting information: “This is a very energetic podcast. AS a former teacher, I am very excited that somebody is out there encouraging people to think critically. I think our whole society could use a class in critical thinking…I taught in a high school for nearly 20 years. For many years, critical thinking was part of the curriculum. It was part of our assessments, and it was a very important goal for us to help students think critically. However, after the ‘No Child Left Behind Act’ (which was enacted in 2001) and the flooding of testing & outside curriculums geared toward that testing, many things changed in schools. That is when I began to see a lack of critical thinking being valued.” Thank you for leaving that review for the podcast, and for listening. I thought your experience was interesting having seen the decline of critical thinking in schools. I know I never got any training in critical thinking, even though I went to a really great private Christian school, and that was way before this act was passed. I appreciate you sharing this with me!
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Ok, today’s new fallacy is the Appeal to Group Identity. An Appeal to Group Identity says that since you’re a part of a certain group, you should automatically do or believe XYZ. Now, this group could be pretty much any sort of group identity: it could be an appeal to people who are part of a specific religious group, it could be people who are part of a specific political affiliation. The appeal could be directed toward people who are part of a certain ethnic group, or it could be directed to specific age groups. Basically, they’re saying, You’re a part of this group, so you should think this certain way or you should act this certain way. This is sometimes called the Group Think Fallacy, and, yes, it’s a form of a Genetic Fallacy, which we covered back in episode 18.
So, here’s a simple example of what the Appeal to Group Identity sounds like: Some of the girls on the college basketball team are petitioning the athletic department of their school to get better uniforms…but Emily & Sofie actually like the uniforms they have and don’t want to change them. The other girls on the team are pressuring Emily & Sofie to join the petition by telling them, “We all need to show a unified front to the school in order to get this passed, so be a good teammate and support this petition for the team…besides, you’ll get used to the new uniforms eventually!” Ok, can you see the appeal to group identity? You’re part of this basketball team, so whether you like the idea or not, we need you to sign the petition. They were expected to completely overlook their thoughts or opinions on the subject in favor of going along with the petition just b/c they’re part of the team.
This fallacy can also sound like: ‘Well, they’re one of us, so we have to accept their ideas or their ideas must be right.’ This version of the Appeal to Group Identity actually happened to me not too long ago. I was coming out of a building and there were a few folks out front who were working on getting signatures on a political petition to get certain candidates onto the ballot here in Colorado. One of the candidates I knew - he goes to our church and we know where he stands on important issues so I was happy to sign his petition. Well, the person next to him asked me to sign the petition he was holding for a candidate I had never heard of. I said I wasn’t comfortable signing b/c I didn’t know the person and didn’t know what they stood for. The man collecting signatures responded by saying, “Well, he’s a solid Christian & patriot and has great values” thinking that would be enough to get me to sign. Do you see how he was appealing to some groups he thought I might identify with to try to get my signature rather than actually addressing the specifics of where this candidate stood on certain issues?
Another version of this fallacy happens when someone’s argument is dismissed or ridiculed or rejected simply because the person is NOT a part of the group. We have seen this happen in our society when it comes to the topic of abortion. There have been men who are speaking up to defend Pro-Life arguments and have been told that they have no say in the subject simply because they’re not women. Essentially in this version of the fallacy, they’re saying that the only opinions who matter are those of the people in the group. This can be dangerous b/c it’s really easy for specific groups to get tunnel vision and when they reject outside input, they can really miss out on important ideas & wisdom that can add to the discussion. When we only hear from people who think just like us, it can be limiting and sometimes even dangerous.
There is a quote that says, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it”. And I’d agree. I think it’s a really good practice to hear ideas contrary to your own and practice the skill of thinking well about them. You can’t do that if the only people you ever hear from are those in your same group. By the way, I don’t actually know who coined that quote. It is usually attributed to Aristotle, but in my research, I learned that that’s not true.
The problem with the thinking behind this fallacy is that just b/c you’re a member of a certain group, that doesn’t mean you have to just accept whatever they’re telling you to believe or to do. You have to actually stop and think about what it is they’re telling you to and ask if it’s really true and if it’s really right to do whatever they’re wanting you to do. Don’t just accept it because you belong to that group.
What makes this fallacy even harder to recognize & stand against is that oftentimes, there is an emotional element to how they’re trying to get you to do or believe whatever they’re wanting you to do or believe. Oftentimes, they’ll appeal to pride over being part of that group. They'll remind you how unique, special and awesome it is to be a part of that group and appeal to your pride & joy in belonging to the group as the basis for getting you to accept what they’re saying. Sometimes, they’ll try to induce shame for not ‘going along with’ the group, making you feel like you’ll be an outsider if you don’t go along with what they’re saying. It takes a strong, confident person to see this fallacy for yourself and be able to really analyze the issues at hand and make a decision for yourself.
I have friends who are part of a particular ethnic group who have told me that they feel this pressure. They’re told that everyone in their ethnic group always votes a certain way and that it’s the only right way to vote for that group of people. The pressure is really strong for them and sometimes they feel like it’s easier to just go along with it than to go against the Group Think because they can be made to feel like they’re a traitor to their race. Whew, y’all, that’s tough! That’s some serious pressure and honestly, most people are not able to withstand the pressure, but they could be! If they just had the skills to think through the message being presented to them, they’d be able to see the fallacy and then they would have the freedom to make an educated decision for themselves. And maybe they would still vote that particular way, or maybe they wouldn’t, but either way, they’d be doing it for the right reasons, not just b/c of the Appeal to Group Identity.
So, the question to ask yourself when you’re facing an Appeal to Group identity is this: “Is it really true that I HAVE to do this just b/c I belong to this group?” *repeat*
Remember: When you learn HOW to think, you will no longer fall prey to those who are trying to tell you what THEY want you to think and it all starts with asking one simple question: “Is that really true?”
