Godwin's Law
Godwin's Law of Nazi Analogies: As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one. [Mike Godwin, 1990]
There is a tradition in many groups that, once this occurs, that thread is over, and whoever mentioned the Nazis has automatically lost whatever argument was in progress.
Seems to me that the MoveOn.org types who played the "Hitler" card have thereby disqualified themselves from participation in any serious discussions about the future of our country, or anything else for that matter, and deserve to be/ought to be ignored outright. ...If only for their demonstrated abysmal lack of education. Taking a broader look, I am concerned with what it says about the current state of discourse in this culture that we have reached a point where someone feels moved on to such absurd, almost cartoonish lengths to sway the public perception. And then, to add damnum to injuria, the majority of people -- regardless of political affiliation -- do not laugh that person off the stage, or beat them away with cudgels, but actually respond as if that nonsense made sense. I can hear my US history-buff friends quoting this or that horrible remark made to or about some other President in the past -- perhaps equally distasteful -- but it seems that we've reached a point, a nadir [Nader?] if you will, in the process where we must re-evaluate the fuzzy definitions of "appropriate" or acceptable debate tactics. It is one thing to allow the other guy his point of view and agree to disagree -- it is quite another to put up with such disrespectful ignorance. UPDATE: Great Minds think alike -- Kevin just thinks faster . . .
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