Appeal to Rugged Individualism

The appeal to rugged individualism is simply taking the position of the unpopular. Where as the appeal to popularity, aka, bandwagon is siding with the majority's say in one argument, rugged individualism is the siding with the unpopular majority. The people who are most susceptible to this fallacy are those who are typically prideful in what thy do and how they do it. An example of this fallacy is: "be original, drink Dr. Pepper." This is the official slogan of Dr. Pepper in the 1950's. This appeals to the audience by attempting to create a sense of ingenious way of thinking, almost trailblazing in a way. The slogan hopes to invoke the audience's sense of originality and willingness to try new things, just by drinking a new brand of soda. According to this source, the fallacy plays upon the psychological aspect of rhetoric. It uses the "desire to be above the crowd, better than others, a leader rather than a follower." It is also argued that since using the appeal makes it seem that one has thought about the subject so much that they have made a well, thought-out decision. This is because the decision can be so obscure from the mainstream idea. This makes the author seem as though they have thought it through so much, even if they have not.

Probably the most memorable example of the appeal to rugged individualism is in John F. Kennedy's inaugural speech in 1961. "My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." This is the epitome of using the appeal to change the reader's opinion on a subject and have them go against the mainstream. By asking the nation to change their outlook on their country, the newly inaugurated JFK causes the audience to rethink their existing viewpoint. This fallacy is a great example of a "call to action" as well. This fallacy is asking the reader to stand alone, but opinionated.