By 1965, President Johnson's own advisors were telling him the Vietnam War couldn't be won. More than 180,000 soldiers were already there, billions already spent - and to stop would mean admitting those lives were wasted. So they sent more.

The Sunk Cost Fallacy is what happens when past investment becomes the reason for future action. The money is already spent. The time is already gone. None of that changes based on what you decide next. But it feels like it should - and that feeling is the trap. "We've come too far to stop" is not a reason to keep going. It's a description of how far you've come. The only question that matters is what happens from here.

You hear it everywhere: "I've already paid for the ticket - I'm going to the concert even if I'm sick." "I've spent two years on this degree. I can't quit now even if I hate it." "We've been together for five years. I can't leave - that's five years gone." The past is gone either way. The only question is what happens next.

This free expansion pack teaches you to ask "am I still doing this because it makes sense going forward - or because stopping would mean admitting what I've already lost?" - through a true historical story, real-life examples, and activities that feel nothing like homework. It's the companion to the full Sunk Cost Fallacy Activity Pack and a free preview of the upcoming book, 24 Fallacies and the Historical Disasters That Followed.

⭐ Rated 5.0 by people who now win arguments

THE STORY INSIDE

Vietnam, 1965. The United States had been sending military advisors to South Vietnam since the 1950s. By 1965, those advisors had become combat troops - and the combat troops kept losing.

President Johnson knew it. His own advisors told him privately that the war couldn't be won. But by that point, more than 180,000 American soldiers were already in Vietnam. Billions of dollars had been spent. Thousands of soldiers had already died.

And so the logic went: we can't stop now. Not after all this. To stop would be to say those lives were wasted. To stop would be to admit the whole thing was a mistake.

So they sent more. And then more. By 1969, over 540,000 American soldiers were in Vietnam. The war lasted another decade. The cost of not stopping dwarfed every cost that had come before.

The pack closes with the one question that cuts through a Sunk Cost Fallacy every time: "Am I still doing this because it makes sense going forward - or because stopping would mean admitting what I've already lost?" Because what's already spent is gone either way. The only decision that can change anything is the next one.

WHAT'S INSIDE

📖 Illustrated True Story - how the logic of "we've come too far to stop" kept 540,000 American soldiers in Vietnam for a decade, after the president already knew the war couldn't be won

🔍 Real-Life Examples - spot the Sunk Cost Fallacy in relationships, careers, projects, purchases, and everyday decisions

✏️ Activities - written questions, Going Deeper analysis, Spot it in the Wild, graphic organiser, and Draw Your Own Comic Strip

📋 Answer Sheet - for whoever's playing referee

WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT

Most fallacy resources are a definition on a slide and a matching worksheet. This pack shows the fallacy destroy lives in a true story, makes you recognise it in your own conversations, then sends you hunting for it in the wild. That's how it sticks.

WHO IT'S FOR

→ Anyone 11+ who's sick of losing arguments they were right about

→ The smartest person you know - this is their gift (see also: the other 23)

→ Homeschool families and teachers who want critical thinking that doesn't feel like a chore - yes, it works in classrooms too

WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE

Free digital download. Includes A4 and US Letter sizes at 300 dpi - print as a booklet or as individual pages. Arrives in your email.

COLLECT THE FULL SET

This is one of 24 free expansion packs - one for every logical fallacy in the series. Each has a matching full activity pack with an illustrated comic, true history story, and more activities. Find the full series at duchessandbruno.com.

Coming soon: 24 Fallacies and the Historical Disasters That Followed - the book behind the series.

FOR THE TEACHERS

Aligns with ACARA Critical and Creative Thinking, UK National Curriculum English/Citizenship, and US Common Core ELA (Grades 6+). We promise the students will never know it's curriculum-aligned.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "We're now catching ourselves using the fallacies which I didn't think would happen. A 10/10 resource!" - Kylie

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Really clever and funny comics. I wasn't expecting them to be so funny." - Sandra

NEED HELP?

Contact us at info@duchessandbruno.com - we'll sort it out.

TERMS OF USE

For personal or single-classroom use only. Not for sharing, reselling, or commercial use.

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