Chapter 5 of Epstein teaches us about how bad appeals are used and applied in our daily lives. Bad appeal to common belief is defined as accepting a claim to be true only after seeing that other people believe the claim as well. In modern terms, it’s following the “hype,” or in other terms falling for the fad of the time. A common term or known phrase that is often used is 'Hopping the bandwagon or getting on that train'. The bad appeal to common belief is a popular mistake that affects the way we reason or make opinions on claims. This mistake normally occurs when people are under the pressure of their peers, role models, or people that hold high credibility. People and sports are a perfect example of hoping on the bandwagon. A lot of people do not favor a team unless the team is on a winning streak. They join the fanbase of a sports team only because everyone else is supporting them and not solely on their own opinion.
I agree completely with what you are saying. People join things because it is "common to popular belief". Another example that i remember was during Y2K. There was no evidence to support the claim that the world was going to end, but many people still believed it. Using bad appeals to common beliefs can be very dangerous. For instance, using fear to force people to believe a claim can be an example of bad appeals to common belief. These type of beliefs can cause chaos as well as prevent people from thinking for themselves. We should definitely stay away from using this and think for ourselves as well as analyze arguments carefully rather than like you said "jumping the band wagon." Good job on your post! I completely agree.
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