Any story, account, or declaration from one of your kids that starts with “everyone” can’t be true. It’s not possible. Everyone can’t be going to the party, or wearing their hair that way. Everyone is most certainly not staying out all night or skipping school on Tuesday. And everyone didn’t fail the test.
In argumentation theory, according to Wikipedia[1], an argumentative fallacy known as Appeal to Popular Opinion (Argumentum ad Populum) is a fallacious argument that concludes that a proposition is true because many or most people believe it: “If many believe so, it is so.” This type of argument is known by several names, including appeal to the masses, appeal to the majority, consensus fallacy, authority of the many, and bandwagon fallacy.
As a parent, I’m certain you’ve used argumentum ad populum yourself on a number of occasions. “If everyone else jumped off a cliff,” you may have heard yourself say, “would you join them?” It’s also a favorite of advertisers – “Fifty Million Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong.” The number of people who believe something is irrelevant to its truth. In fact, millions of people have been wrong about many things: that the Earth is flat, for example.
According to Robert T. Carroll’s The Skeptic’s Dictionary[2], the argumentum ad populum fallacy is seductive because it appeals to our desire to belong and to conform, to our desire for security and safety. Dr. Philip N. Howard, of the University of Washington, explains that this fallacy claims that because everyone else is doing it, it must be the best, right, or moral way[3].
So why employ the “everyone” ploy? Because it provides cover of course. If I’m part of everyone, then I’m not responsible for that certain someone named me. If everyone failed the test, then how in the world can I be responsible for not passing it? In fact, it would be downright antisocial of me to get a passing grade.
One more great thing about everyone is that it’s near impossible to prove. Who has the time to ask everyone? And once you realize you can’t ask everyone, then why bother asking anyone?
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_populum
Lies Kids Tell Their Parents 