SPRECHEN SIE DEUTSCH?

Invoke the name of Hitler and grab the room’s attention. Whatever is said next is a lose-lose scenario. Satirist, Jon Stewart (not to be confused with “news anchor, Jon Stewart”), provides some insight on the matter...

“These days when it comes to demonizing your enemies, there’s a certain someone whose name is on everybody’s lips... (clips played of Michael Moore, Donald Rumsfeld, Ted Turner, and other garrulous talk show hosts invoking the name of Hitler). And the Hitler’s keep on comin’! Yes, Adolph Hitler, one of the worst mass-murderers in all of history, has now become the go-to metaphor in comparison for anyone you have a minor disagreement with. Pick earlier this year (2005) when Republican senators had threatened to change a parliamentary filibuster rule... (clip played of Sen. Robert Byrd - D/W.Va. - invoking Hitler’s name). You see what he did right there? He set up the moral equivalency between ending the filibuster - and - ENDING THE HOLOCAUST! It’s personally offensive to me because my grandfather survived... the filibuster. (pause for moment of sarcastic reflection)... Thankfully, Sen. Rick Santorum - R/Pennsylvania, stepped in to say, Byrd’s remarks ‘lessen the decorum of the Senate.’ Thank you, Rick Santorum! And that was really how Rick Santorum felt... until 2 months later when he took to the Senate floor to discuss the filibuster issue (also invoking Hitler’s name).

Here’s my point: when you compare people to Hitler, eeeh, you lose a little credibility...

So to sum up, please stop calling people Hitler when you disagree with them. It demeans you, it demeans your opponent, and to be honest, it demeans Hitler! That guy worked too many years, too hard, to be that evil, to have any Tom, Dick, and Harry come along and say, ‘Hey, you’re being Hitler.’ No! You know who was Hitler? Hitler!”

In light of Stewart stating the obvious, let’s not invoke the evil name of Hitler for emotion-inciting means. Bush, Clinton, Putin, Gore, and Albright have all joined the fray in recent years. Invoking the name of humanized evil never broadens a discussion; it is simply an attempt to place your opponent in an indefensible position. Who of us would admit to being on the same side as Hitler?

In an upcoming blog we will take a factual look at some relevant comparisons between Germany in the 20th century and potential propositions for the USA in century 21. But we will follow Godwin’s Law (also know as Godwin’s Rule of Nazi Analogies). Created by Mike Godwin in 1990, the maxim states that as an internet discussion grows longer, “the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.” According to the ever-evolving Wikipedia, Godwin has maintained that “overuse of Nazi and Hitler comparisons should be avoided, because it robs the valid comparisons of their impact.”

So... to those of you who consider yourselves “right wing extremists”: no more references to President Obama as Hitler. And to those of you who are still in therapy due to your hatred of President Bush: no more references to Bush as Hitler either.

As for Jon Stewart? I’m sorry about your grandfather.

AR