Unwarranted Generalization

This fallacy occurs when we make a generalization on the basis of insufficient evidence. This may occur when we rely on too small of a sample or an unrepresentative sample to support the generalization.

Example:

1. Children of faculty are brats. I baby-sit for one of my professors and his children are spoiled and demanding.
2. Bald men are smart. You see, my brother is bald, and he is a genius.
3. Japanese is so easy. Everything was a piece of cake on the first day of the class.
4. I was going to buy a new Honda, but my uncle had one back in the '70's and it was small and noisy and very uncomfortable. I don't think I want an uncomfortable car, so I'll buy something else.
5. I know this will be a horrible class. They tell me the professor is old. Old professors are unable to talk with today's college students.
6. My experience with my ex-wife was such a bad one that I have no intention of ever marrying again. In fact, I would not recommend marriage to anyone.
7. It has been concluded from a recent study involving more that 100,000 people in Florida that 43 percent of the American people now spend at least two hours a day in some form of recreational activity.
8. You don't want to take history from a man. They always have a sexist bias.
9. I've had two maids of the Celluloid race. Both stole money from my drawer. Believe me, you can't trust a Celluloid.
10. The health of the environment is now a major concern of the American people. Some 5,000 students, male and female, at 30 colleges and universities throughout the country were asked to list in order of priority the three public issues of greatest concern to them. More than 4,000 ranked the environment as their number one concern.