Life is awesome - argumentum ad populum

[Rayaan]

There was a thread on the meaning of ad hominems and it's applications.
I'll quote it here because it's a very simple explanation:

Not every insult is an ad hominem. Not every mean comment is an ad hominem. Not every bit of mockery is an appeal to ridicule.

It becomes an ad hominem when insults are used in place of an argument. It's where you attack the person and not the argument.

Ad hominem: "Oh yeah, well, you're stupid, so there"
Not ad hominem: "In your argument, you missed X, Y, and Z and here's A, B, and C to show that you're wrong, you blithering idiot."

In the second example, the insult, while perhaps a bit harsh, is not an indicator of fallacious reasoning. The insult is in addition to the argument, as a by the way, not a replacement for an argument.

Whining "Ad Homimen"

Note: The words in bold are my own emphasis to show you the important parts in the explanation.