Fallacy

14 Ceremony or Setting: "pomp and circumstance"
Everyone has found himself roused by military music or by cadence in marching, by bunting and colorful displays. Ceremony is a powerful stimulant, sometimes a Pied Piper leading a people into disaster. Or it may elevate the feelings of the audience, as in a religious service. There is no call to condemn ceremony as such. The color of public occasions is part of the joy of life; it is capable of reinforcing attachment to institutions and ideals. But these should be such as to win loyalty on their own merits -- people should give consent, like a bride, for reasons of worth and promise, not for the sake of a public ceremony.
Very different from the inspiration derived from public display is the influence exerted by the setting. The physical circumstances forming the background of an argument often affect the notice the argument gains. The same words uttered by the President before a joint session of Congress and by an acquaintance on the next stool of the Trolley Diner have, because of the difference in setting, entirely different penetrating power. The same salesman will sell more with the same sales-line when he has his hair trimmed and his trousers pressed than when he has neglected his appearance. A change in the appointments of office or a store will likewise affect sales. Yet the President's argument is no better than that of the fellow sitting on the next stool -- by hypothesis it is identical -- and the same sales pitch varies in effectiveness with setting. Setting covers the physical environment of an argument. It is at worst an embarrassment, at best an adornment; truth stands resolute in both rostrum and soap box. Yet arguments that might be listened to with respect coming from the one may be laughed at when coming from the other.

EXAMPLE COMMENT
The Nazis fully understood the appeal of pageantry. They made masterly use of the contagious excitement stimulated by masses of men, colorful banners, trumpet blares, parades of troops marching with flawless precision, honor guards standing in motionless files, spirited songs, and cries of Sieg Heil -- all this was deliberately organized to stir the emotions of the people, to emphasize the omnipotence of the leaders, and to provide a setting which would make even commonplace utterances seem of deep significance.
On the other hand, the National Socialist meetings were indeed not "peaceful" meetings. There the waves of two views of life clashed against one another, and they ended not with the humdrum singing of one or another patriotic song, but with a fanatical outbreak of popular and national passion.
Hitler, Mein Kampf

A display of confidence is, in effect, a type of setting. Personal bearing -- tone of voice, dignified posture, a candid eye on the person addressed -- can make a vital difference to the practical effectiveness of argument. Salesmen, advocates, leaders -- all cultivate these attributes in order to gain by the "confident manner." Indeed, not to display at least a moderately impressive personal demeanor is to invite the audience to discount the value of what is said. If they do so, however, they are committing the fallacy of origin (#19).
An Army captain gives a training lecture to his military police unit. "You must outdress every other outfit on the post. People obey orders from those they respect. If you have to reprimand a soldier when you are on police duty, the chances are that you and the soldier will have been total strangers up until that moment. The soldier will size you up by the tone of your voice, by your posture and dress -- if these are superior, you aren't going to have much trouble. But if you're sloppily dressed and not snappy in your bearing, then watch out." The captain is making shrewd use of the fact that men are influenced by setting as well as reason.
Mr. and Mrs. Peter stop with a crowd listening to a street orator. "Let's go," says Peter to Mrs. Peter, "He'd make more impression on me if he had a shave." Mr. Peter may be expressing merely a reluctance to consider argument from such a source (see #19). As expressed, his reluctance is an instance of reliance on setting -- if we can regard a stubbled chin as a setting for a speech.

EXAMPLE	COMMENT
The Nazis fully understood the appeal of pageantry. They made masterly use of the contagious excitement stimulated by masses of men, colorful banners, trumpet blares, parades of troops marching with flawless precision, honor guards standing in motionless files, spirited songs, and cries of Sieg Heil -- all this was deliberately organized to stir the emotions of the people, to emphasize the omnipotence of the leaders, and to provide a setting which would make even commonplace utterances seem of deep significance.	On the other hand, the National Socialist meetings were indeed not "peaceful" meetings. There the waves of two views of life clashed against one another, and they ended not with the humdrum singing of one or another patriotic song, but with a fanatical outbreak of popular and national passion. Hitler, Mein Kampf A display of confidence is, in effect, a type of setting. Personal bearing -- tone of voice, dignified posture, a candid eye on the person addressed -- can make a vital difference to the practical effectiveness of argument. Salesmen, advocates, leaders -- all cultivate these attributes in order to gain by the "confident manner." Indeed, not to display at least a moderately impressive personal demeanor is to invite the audience to discount the value of what is said. If they do so, however, they are committing the fallacy of origin (#19).
An Army captain gives a training lecture to his military police unit. "You must outdress every other outfit on the post. People obey orders from those they respect. If you have to reprimand a soldier when you are on police duty, the chances are that you and the soldier will have been total strangers up until that moment. The soldier will size you up by the tone of your voice, by your posture and dress -- if these are superior, you aren't going to have much trouble. But if you're sloppily dressed and not snappy in your bearing, then watch out."	The captain is making shrewd use of the fact that men are influenced by setting as well as reason.
Mr. and Mrs. Peter stop with a crowd listening to a street orator. "Let's go," says Peter to Mrs. Peter, "He'd make more impression on me if he had a shave."	Mr. Peter may be expressing merely a reluctance to consider argument from such a source (see #19). As expressed, his reluctance is an instance of reliance on setting -- if we can regard a stubbled chin as a setting for a speech.