Argumentum ad lazarum
Argumentum ad lazarum or appeal to poverty is the formal fallacy of thinking a conclusion is correct because the speaker is poor, or it is incorrect because the speaker is rich. It is named after Lazarus, a beggar in a New Testament parable who receives his reward in the afterlife.
This is popularly exploited as the statement, "Poor, but honest."
The opposite is the argumentum ad crumenam.
Examples
- Family farms are struggling to get by so when they say we need to protect them, they must be on to something.
- The homeless tell us it’s hard to find housing. Thus it must be.
- The monks have forsworn all material possessions. They must have achieved enlightenment.
- All you need to know about the civil war in that country is that the rebels live in mud huts, while the general who sends troops against them sits in a luxurious, air-conditioned office.
References
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