Scare Tactics refers to the attempt to persuade someone to believe something out of fear. We should be careful not to let our fears cloud our better judgement in such cases; we must decide whether we have been given good reason to accept the view in question. It is a fallacy to reason that "Since so-and-so made X seem so scary, I should accept Y instead."
Example #1:
Here Romney arouses our fears of what could happen if Iran gets a nuclear weapon. He then asserts that we will be safe from this threat if we elect him as president but that we will see the threat realized if we elect Obama.
Example #1:
Here Romney arouses our fears of what could happen if Iran gets a nuclear weapon. He then asserts that we will be safe from this threat if we elect him as president but that we will see the threat realized if we elect Obama.
Example #2:
This political cartoon employs the same tactic. It suggests that Obama will not protect us from serious plight.
Example #3:
Romney asserts at a rally that "If you re-elect President Obama, you’re gonna see in this nation chronic unemployment, no growth in take-home pay, and of course fiscal crisis at the doorstep." The thought of fiscal crisis at our "doorstep" is frightening, but of course, there is a lot for critical thinkers to evaluate when determining which candidate's economic policies are more apt to succeed, so we must be wary of agreeing with Romney simply out of fear.