Son: Wow, Dad, it's really hard to make a living on my salary.

Father: Consider yourself lucky, son. Why? When I was your age, I only made $40 a week.

The above is a good example of _______________ fallacy.

Question

Son: Wow, Dad, it's really hard to make a living on my salary.

Father: Consider yourself lucky, son. Why? When I was your age, I only made $40 a week.

The above is a good example of _______________ fallacy.

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question and options restated: The dialogue presents a father commenting on his past earnings to address his son's complaint about making a living on a salary. The task is to identify which fallacy this exemplifies.
Option 1: ad hominem
This would involve attacking the person rather than addressing the argument. In the exchange, there is no personal attack on the son or father; the focus shifts to past income rather than criticizing character, so this option mischaracterizes the move.
Option 2: appeal to pity
An appeal to pity tries to evoke sympathy to win acceptance of a claim. Here, the father’s statement about his own past earnings does not attempt to elicit pity to justify a conclusion about the son’s salary; it’s more about diverting attention than appealing for sympathy, so this is not a precise fit.
Option 3: red herring
A red herring is a distraction that steers the conversation away from the central issue. The son complains salary is hard to live on, and the father responds by recalling a different, unrelated benchmark (his own past pay) to imply the issue is less serious or to shift focus. This move effectively distracts from evaluating the son’s current financial situation.
Option 4: scare tactics
Scare tactics rely on fear to influence belief or behavior. There is no attempt to incite fear or threaten negative outcomes in this exchange, so this option does not apply.
Further observations: The key feature of a red herring is introducing information that's tangential to the original argument (the son’s salary and living standard) to derail the discussion. The other fallacies require other patterns—personal attack, pity-based appeal, or fear-based intimidation—which aren’t evident here. The father’s remark serves to derail the topic rather than directly argue for or against a point about the son’s salary, aligning best with the red herring structure.

MPU3202.4C.JUN2025 Revision Quiz (4%)

Son: Wow, Dad, it's really hard to make a living on my salary. Father: Consider yourself lucky, son. Why? When I was your age, I only made $40 a week. The above is a good example of _______________ fallacy.

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