Either/or; There's no in-between

Fallacies are such a big part of our world; not only in advertising or politics, but also heavily present in writing. A fallacy that sticks out to me is False Dilemma, also known as the "either/or" fallacy. The purpose of this writing technique is to get readers to choose only one of the given two options. This is also very common among salespeople and negotiators. The trick is simple, if you only present the options that you want them to choose, then they feel obligated to pick one or the other; there is no option for a different pick. I think this is very interesting to use because it subtly effects everyone.

The more I thought about this fallacy, I remembered a specific incident on a trip that I went on this past summer. While traveling through Venice, Italy I learned how obvious it was to the natives how foreign Americans looked. They used prada and other expensive things for bait, once they caught someone with the slightest bit of interest, even just an ounce caused them to pounce. At first I was so called "victimized". Casually, walking through the streets, my eyes would wander to the appealing items. Just going the slightest bit in their direction all of a sudden a sales person would appear from behind the stand. I would quickly back away and act like I wasn't interested, however as soon as that happened I now realize this is when they would start offering deals. They made it no option to leave without something in your hands from them. They would push and push, asking what I wanted, then once I cracked they wouldnt stop. It is so apparent now that all they wanted or needed was a sale. It did not matter what I walked away with, as long as it was something.

Luckily I quickly learned their ways, and would only approach if I was looking for something specific. Because let me tell you, those sales people were excellent at using the False Dilemma fallacy. They could make you decide between an either/or, with no exception.