A form of Reality Bias where
one invokes "reality" as a trump card, treating their position as simply how things are and any alternative as
literally out of touch with reality. The fallacy lies in claiming direct access to the real while others are trapped in illusion, ideology, or wishful thinking—without demonstrating why
one's own access is privileged. "You're not living in the real world" becomes a way of dismissing views
one dislikes without engaging them. This fallacy allows the speaker to position themselves as the realist, the pragmatist, the
one who sees things as they really are—while everyone else is merely dreaming.
Example: "He dismissed her policy proposals as 'not living in the real
world'—never explaining why his preferred policies were any more realistic. Argumentum Ad Realitatem: using '
reality' as a cudgel rather than a
standard."