# What's the name of this fallacy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 18, 2014, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-this-fallacy/707554 "2014-12-18T05:44:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-this-fallacy/707554/1 "2014-12-18T05:44:59Z")
I’m just assuming it _is_ a fallacy, and there’s a name for it; the basic idea is when you remind someone who’s complaining about their lot in life (or just a bad day) of people going through much worse circumstances (war refugees, cancer victims, etc.), thereby implying they should get some perspective and have no real right to complain. Anyone? It’s been a hugely stressful day and my brain is mush right now, so my example probably sucks, but hopefully you get the gist. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-this-fallacy/707554/2 "2014-12-18T06:29:08Z")
[Fallacy of relative privation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacy_of_relative_privation)? I’d also call it the “first world problems” fallacy. It’s an informal fallacy, which means sometimes people who bring up worse suffering have a point, but it’s generally used to be unnecessarily dismissive. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-this-fallacy/707554/3 "2014-12-18T06:31:00Z")
Got it in one! Excellent. Thanks. That seems to be exactly the answer I was looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-this-fallacy/707554/4 "2014-12-18T06:52:42Z")
Such a selfish question, have you considered that children in Antarctica don’t even know what a fallacy is? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-this-fallacy/707554/5 "2014-12-18T13:23:39Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > [Fallacy of relative privation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacy_of_relative_privation)? I’d also call it the “first world problems” fallacy. It’s an informal fallacy, which means sometimes people who bring up worse suffering have a point, but it’s generally used to be unnecessarily dismissive. I’ve learned an awesome new word from that link - “Whataboutery” ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-this-fallacy/707554/6 "2014-12-18T14:12:52Z")
A couple of years ago I asked pretty much the same question. Then most people said it wasn’t a fallacy. What a difference a couple of years makes. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-this-fallacy/707554/7 "2014-12-18T14:57:42Z")
The same argument can be used in different ways, and whether or not it’s a fallacy would depend on how it’s used. The OP’s example was telling someone that they “_should get some perspective and have no real right to **complain** _”. The Wiki example was about **logical arguments** in which relative privation is used “_to suggest that the opponent’s argument should be ignored because there are more important problems in the world_”. These are fundamentally different. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-this-fallacy/707554/8 "2014-12-18T16:11:29Z")
Also: “Did you hear about the brutal murders happening recently? I hope they catch that guy” “Why’s everyone banging on about that when dozens of people die every day in Syria?” ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-this-fallacy/707554/9 "2014-12-18T16:54:57Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > A couple of years ago I asked pretty much the same question. Then most people said it wasn’t a fallacy. What a difference a couple of years makes. It’s not one of the standard logical fallacies that people learn in Philosophy 101 classes. Doesn’t mean it’s not a fallacy. That being said . . . some people believe that any untruth must be a named fallacy. Not true. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-this-fallacy/707554/10 "2014-12-18T17:28:25Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > The same argument can be used in different ways, and whether or not it’s a fallacy would depend on how it’s used. > > The OP’s example was telling someone that they “_should get some perspective and have no real right to **complain** _”. The Wiki example was about **logical arguments** in which relative privation is used “_to suggest that the opponent’s argument should be ignored because there are more important problems in the world_”. > > These are fundamentally different. Not really - as I said, my wording was probably poor, but that’s pretty much the argument I was looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-this-fallacy/707554/11 "2014-12-19T01:16:14Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > A couple of years ago I asked pretty much the same question. Then most people said it wasn’t a fallacy. What a difference a couple of years makes. Easy, cheif. You’re post #6. “It’s not a fallacy.” There. Happy? Informal fallacies are a name given to things that aren’t fallacies but which ignorant people try to ham-fist into being fallacies anyway. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-this-fallacy/707554/12 "2014-12-19T04:17:19Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Informal fallacies are a name given to things that aren’t fallacies but which ignorant people try to ham-fist into being fallacies anyway. [Nope](http://www.fallacyfiles.org/inforfal.html).