Four-panel comic strip showing Duchess attempt to go vegan at a cafe, get caught eating fish, get smacked and expelled from the group, and storm off to the butcher — a perfect example of the No True Scotsman fallacy

No True Scotsman: The Vegan Nazi

A little bit of fish never hurt anyone...

Duchess the orange cat arrives at a Vegan Cafe and sits down with a group of dogs and a black cat, all eating vegan meals including broccoli and asparagus
Everyone at the Vegan Cafe screams "AAAAAH!!" in horror as Duchess's fish dish hits the table with a splat, broccoli flying everywhere
A golden retriever leaps at Duchess outside the Vegan Cafe, smacking her to the ground and shouting "You aren't a real vegan! And you never will be!"
Duchess storms off furiously toward a butcher shop in the background, yelling "I never liked cults anyway!" as the golden retriever thinks "Good!"

Straight to the butcher goes Duchess!!!! That'll teach em.

Want to learn more about the No True Scotsman fallacy? Check out our activity pack for fun activities that help you spot this common logical fallacy.

No True Scotsman in a Nutshell

The No True Scotsman fallacy is what happens when the goalposts move just fast enough that you can never reach them.

Duchess went vegan. She sat at the table. She had the greens. She was trying. Then she had a little fish. Not a crime. Just a fish. And suddenly she wasn't a real vegan. She was never a real vegan. She never would be a real vegan. The moment she slipped, the definition quietly shifted - and out she went.

That's the fallacy. Instead of accepting that people are complicated, you just decide they were never really in the group. No true vegan would eat fish. No true Scotsman would do that. It keeps the idea perfect by making sure anyone who challenges it simply doesn't count. It's not logic. It's gatekeeping with extra steps. And if you've ever been told you're not a real fan, a real feminist, a real whatever - you've met it.

Duchess's response was correct. Straight to the butcher.

See all 24 fallacies in What Are the Most Common Logical Fallacies?

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