§   DEFINITION

Name Calling -- an attempt to discredit an opponent by labeling or describing him with words that have unfavorable connotations.
 

NOTE: Name calling is a specific type of character attack.
 

Making unsupported assumptions about a person is a fallacy similar to stereotyping.  Name-calling directs attention to a person (specifically, his flaws), rather than a person’s ideas about an issue.
 

CAUTION!     

Name-calling by itself is not technically an ad hominem fallacy.  Rather, the attack on the arguer must occur as an ostensible attack on an argument. If no argument is offered there is no ad hominem (or any other kind of fallacy) at work.
 

EXAMPLE 1

A cynical individual might say: “Don’t believe anything Dexter says; he’s psycho freak.”

Many phrases in our pop culture might be funny to say amongst friends, but many people will take these remarks seriously.  Calling someone a name prejudges that individual, making name calling akin to a stereotype.  Please be sensitive when choosing your words — you never know when a member of your audience has a family member who suffers from psychosis.
 

EXAMPLE 2

A mean-spirited individual might say: “Harry doesn't know anything about cooking.  Heck, he's an idiot truck driver!”

Although a person’s occupation leads to tempting generalizations about a person’s intelligence or character, each person is capable of surprising us with hidden talents.  Harry may be a truck driver, but he also might be a chef.

Name-calling often does not attack a person’s character directly, but rather, it suggests a character attack.  Referring to Harry’s occupation generates negative connotations about his profession — the listener is supposed to believe that a truck driver is less intelligent, less capable, or less human than someone working in a white collar occupation.

This statement, therefore, insults Harry’s profession directly, but indirectly makes him look bad because of his association with a stereotyped occupation.  In other words, the speaker asserts that Harry’s opinions can’t be trusted because of his occupation (not because of his character).
 

FOR  YOUR  INFORMATION     

Emotional language that is carried to the point of name-calling will provide an unfavorable response from intelligent readers.  The name-calling fallacy often incorporates or accompanies stereotypes, overgeneralizations, and character attacks.  Equivocation, distortion, and loaded language fallacies often accompany name calling, since key words are used that generate emotions in the hearts of others.