[Crimson Dynamo]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I don't know. I'm the first to agree with Godwin's Law when it comes to people pulling the Nazi card, and if anyone starts saying that Trump is "just like" Hitler or is going to successfully form a new Nazi regime, then yes, Godwin's all the way.

However...

There are some clear, obvious and demonstrable comparisons that can be made between Trump's popularity and the rise of Hitler. Anyone who bleats "blrrrr Godwin's law lolol" whilst refusing to acknowledge or address those in any way, is just as bad as someone Barking "Nazi!".

There are similar economic and political trends at work that are being leveraged in similar ways, using similar rhetoric, for a similar surge in political popularity that would not have been possible under other circumstances. That's just a fact.

There are comparisons to be drawn. Comparing does not necessarily mean equating. Shooting down those comparisons in a kneejerk fashion, "OMG you said Hitler lololllll Godwin lol get out" is disingenuous.

i seem to remember that Farage for this and no doubt in French forums Le Pen gets this all the time, in fact I doubt that there has been any right wing popular politician who has not been compared to Hitler, ever

[user104658]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

i seem to remember that Farage for this and no doubt in French forums Le Pen gets this all the time, in fact I doubt that there has been any right wing popular politician who has not been compared to Hitler, ever

Well surely they can be. I think there's a fundamental misunderstanding of the word "comparison" to be honest, like I said, with people believing that "compare" and "equate" mean the same when they don't. "There's no comparison!!1!!1"... Well... Of course there is. I could write a lengthy post comparing Hitler to a banana sundae, if the mood were to strike. Or anything else. There may be no similarity at all... That would be a part of the comparison?

So yes, compare any right wing politician to a facist dictator and you will inevitably find similarities to highlight. That's inevitable. Just as it's inevitable that you will be able to find similarities between left wing politicians and hard socialism / communism / Marxism. The Tories for example absolutely love to do just that?

So, it is in fact perfectly valid to compare Trump with Hitler. There's no inherent problem with it, if it's just part of the conversation and explained. There ARE similarities in the reasons that they rose to popularity, there ARE similarities in their rhetoric. Should it be off limits to say so just because of the wider implications? In my opinion, no, but I guess it depends on your audience and your intent. Pointing these things out is not the same as saying "Trump = Hitler! Trump is a Nazi!"

IMO Godwin's law comes into play, then, when "Nazi" or "Hitler" is used as the descriptor itself without further examination or elaboration. When the entire argument is "X is a Nazi", "Y is Nazi propaganda" etc.

There's no inherent problem with comparison.

[Crimson Dynamo]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Well surely they can be. I think there's a fundamental misunderstanding of the word "comparison" to be honest, like I said, with people believing that "compare" and "equate" mean the same when they don't. "There's no comparison!!1!!1"... Well... Of course there is. I could write a lengthy post comparing Hitler to a banana sundae, if the mood were to strike. Or anything else. There may be no similarity at all... That would be a part of the comparison?

So yes, compare any right wing politician to a facist dictator and you will inevitably find similarities to highlight. That's inevitable. Just as it's inevitable that you will be able to find similarities between left wing politicians and hard socialism / communism / Marxism. The Tories for example absolutely love to do just that?

So, it is in fact perfectly valid to compare Trump with Hitler. There's no inherent problem with it, if it's just part of the conversation and explained. There ARE similarities in the reasons that they rose to popularity, there ARE similarities in their rhetoric. Should it be off limits to say so just because of the wider implications? In my opinion, no, but I guess it depends on your audience and your intent. Pointing these things out is not the same as saying "Trump = Hitler! Trump is a Nazi!"

IMO Godwin's law comes into play, then, when "Nazi" or "Hitler" is used as the descriptor itself without further examination or elaboration. When the entire argument is "X is a Nazi", "Y is Nazi propaganda" etc.

There's no inherent problem with comparison.

Godwin invented his law to make people try and think a little deeper and avoid the obvious just because you dont like something

Hopefully today maybe people have

[user104658]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

Godwin invented his law to make people try and think a little deeper and avoid the obvious just because you dont like something

Hopefully today maybe people have

He sure did. He didn't invent the law to block anyone from ever drawing any parallels with Hitler or the Nazis in any circumstance. That would be ridiculous.

[Crimson Dynamo]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

He sure did. He didn't invent the law to block anyone from ever drawing any parallels with Hitler or the Nazis in any circumstance. That would be ridiculous.

indeed, it was to make them think deeper

[user104658]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

indeed, it was to make them think deeper

One can think deeply about the meteoric rise of Donald Trump in politics and still come out of it with unsettling Hitler tease. Trust me.

[Crimson Dynamo]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

One can think deeply about the meteoric rise of Donald Trump in politics and still come out of it with unsettling Hitler tease. Trust me.

Yes and you can probably do the same with the rise of Adele too