Argumentum Ad Veteranus ("Think of the veterans") -- is an informal fallacy in the form of a rhetorical appeal that substitutes emotion for reason in debate by stating that the original argument is opposed to military veterans. An example is "I support free speech, but veterans died for that flag, think of them!" This form of discourse is often used by persons who have never served in the military and are taking a logically and/or factually weak position. As a tactic used in an attempt to end discussion by invoking an unanswerable argument, "Think of the veterans" misdirects empathy towards an object which (although venerated) may not have been the focus of the original argument. Since an individual arguing "for the veterans" makes it extremely difficult for an opponent to hold a "not for the veterans" position the possibility of any any type of logical and civil debate is removed from the exchange, instead re-framing the argument as a question of patriotism. The outcome of "Think of the veterans" almost inevitably leads to a breakdown in the debate as demonstrated by increasing irrationality, threats of physical violence, and use of augumentum ad hominem (attacking the person) and ergo decedo (therefore leave), until one side chooses to drop out. See also "Strawman", "Red herring", and "Think of the children".
Disclaimer: Yes, I went there. In no way do I intend to disrespect military veterans. On the contrary, I am very thankful for the freedoms that I have as a result of their service and selfless sacrifice. I never served myself, however my late father is a Korean and Vietnam War veteran and I have several uncles (now deceased) who landed in Normandy on the D-Day Invasion. In that light, I am weary of people invoking their supposed support of veterans as a means of strengthening their arguments and questioning the patriotism of those they disagree with. Debate based on fact and logic is the only way that debate leads to solutions. Please leave the veterans out of it, especially if you never served. Thank you for reading.
