1. SPS Accounts:
    Do you find yourself coming back time after time? Do you appreciate the ongoing hard work to keep this community focused and successful in its mission? Please consider supporting us by upgrading to an SPS Account. Besides the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from supporting a good cause, you'll also get a significant number of ever-expanding perks and benefits on the site and the forums. Click here to find out more.
    Dismiss Notice
Dismiss Notice
You are currently viewing Boards o' Magick as a guest, but you can register an account here. Registration is fast, easy and free. Once registered you will have access to search the forums, create and respond to threads, PM other members, upload screenshots and access many other features unavailable to guests.

BoM cultivates a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. We have been aiming for quality over quantity with our forums from their inception, and believe that this distinction is truly tangible and valued by our members. We'd love to have you join us today!

(If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you've forgotten your username or password, click here.)

Hitlers! They're all over the place!

Discussion in 'Alley of Lingering Sighs' started by Ragusa, Jan 6, 2007.

  1. Ragusa

    Ragusa Eternal Halfling Paladin Veteran

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2000
    Messages:
    10,140
    Media:
    63
    Likes Received:
    250
    Gender:
    Male
    [​IMG] And I thought with his way too late suicide he's out of this world. No. His reincarnations still spawn all over the world.

    U.S. officials become angry and indignant when someone compares the Bush administration’s policies to those of the Hitler regime. The anger and indignation felt by U.S. officials about it, does not stop U.S. officials from comparing foreign leaders to Hitler. Or, for that instance, their antagonists from comparing Hitler with them, causing anger and indignation again.What a merry-go-round. My opinion on all this :bs: Only Hitler is a Hitler. Only Stalin was a Stalin.

    Hitler, in connection with the name of an arbitrary political leader, usually one you don't like, is for me as tiring as these horrific threads that have in their title 'homosexuality' and 'religion' ... :eek: :outta:

    The Hitler label has been so overused that it lost any meaning. If those invoking that name would make the effort to use it as an adjective, like 'Hitler-ish', or maybe 'Hitler-esque', but, no, they conflate. The big conflation is first of all only doing one thing: Belittling what Hitler did.

    What's the use in comparing Pinochet to Castro to Hitler to Stalin to Ahmedinejad to Saddam to ... ugh? A murdering dictator is a murdering dictator is a murdering dictator.

    The second side-effect is about as bad. Once you have labeld your enemy, you stop thinking about him and start believing your own propaganda. It stales down public discourse. Only that allowed Saddam to be inflated to the extent he was.

    The only reason Hitler is invoked is because of the strong emotional label of absolute evil attached to the name and deeds ordered by him. It doesn't contribute anything to a discourse. Ultimately it is about demonisation, and nothing else. It's pure propaganda. Bleh.

    /rant

    PS: We need a throw-up smiley.
     
  2. AMaster Gems: 26/31
    Latest gem: Diamond


    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2000
    Messages:
    2,495
    Media:
    1
    Likes Received:
    50
    :lol:

    If someone starts making comparisons to Hitler or Stalin or Mao or Jesus (one of these things is not like the others...) chances are they're either not interested in honest debate or not interested in critical thinking.
     
  3. Dendri Gems: 20/31
    Latest gem: Garnet


    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2003
    Messages:
    1,273
    Likes Received:
    0
    Fools, the whole lot of them! :flaming: Some things just roll off the tongue far too easy if one hasnt to live in the shadow of the Nazis. What do they know. :/

    ... tho I wonder what has gotten into Däubler-Gmelin back then...
     
  4. Ilmater's Suffering Gems: 21/31
    Latest gem: Pearl


    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2006
    Messages:
    1,352
    Likes Received:
    4
    This plain and simple doesn't even make since in the terms of political ideology. Way to go Bill.
     
  5. revmaf

    revmaf Older, not wiser, but a lot more fun

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2006
    Messages:
    1,058
    Likes Received:
    10
    Ah, the old Hitler card again. You know, it's time to come up with another demon incarnate to invoke.

    Though he was a pretty serious one.
     
  6. Gnarfflinger

    Gnarfflinger Wiseguy in Training

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2004
    Messages:
    5,423
    Likes Received:
    30
    And propaganda doesn't win wars. If that was the case, Iraq would have been broken long before the US invaded. If anything, the nation buying into its own propaganda blinds it from the real problem at hand--which usually is very real (even if they did just make it more real than it was before) and needs a very real solution instead of more soundbites from Washington.
     
  7. jaded empath Gems: 20/31
    Latest gem: Garnet


    Veteran

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2005
    Messages:
    1,284
    Likes Received:
    9
    One could look to the unofficial corollary of Godwin's Law for that; once Hitler has been mentioned, it becomes much less likely for any useful debate or information to be contributed to the discussion. :aww:

    I whole-heartedly agree with the sentiment of the OP - it's 'lazy debating' to resort to this, even if the analogy is somewhat applicable. :nolike:

    Thanks for restating something that needed it. :thumb:
     
  8. Bion Gems: 21/31
    Latest gem: Pearl


    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2004
    Messages:
    1,356
    Likes Received:
    2
  9. Goli Ironhead Gems: 16/31
    Latest gem: Shandon


    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2004
    Messages:
    859
    Likes Received:
    1
    Let us not forget the cats!
     
  10. Dendri Gems: 20/31
    Latest gem: Garnet


    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2003
    Messages:
    1,273
    Likes Received:
    0
    Es gibt Reis, Baby :rolling:
     
  11. The Shaman Gems: 28/31
    Latest gem: Star Sapphire


    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2004
    Messages:
    2,831
    Likes Received:
    54
    "Bad news ma'am, you have a Hitler infestation"

    I can't help but think of a "pop goes the weasel" game. By the looks of it we'd have little Hitlers popping everywhere in a matter of months, so I'm starting to work out and save for a sledgehammer :D Mind you, if we get any more Hitlers, I wonder if we could find a spiritist to contact the Austrian Painter himself for a talk-show in which he comments on the "new generation." I think that'd be a ratings hit, but it's best kept in a time range where there aren't that many children watching/listening. So what if it may be considered racial hatemongering, I think as long as he comments on the "bad people" of the day no one'd bother. I've heard worse on Bulgarian TV, and we're supposedly a tolerant nation :rolleyes: .

    "Osama? That ....... Arabischen idiot? Pfft. Clown. Back in mein day, it took a lot more than a few planes and a s..tload of luck ein world enemy to become. Und diese Taliban? We had like true Menner fought, not like children, to hit and to run. Bah, what can you expect from ein Araber. They can't even of the Jews take care, and they have half a century had."

    He could also have guest commenters to help give him that extra punch, or just to interview them. Imagine Hitler and Stalin dissecting Saddam. Mind you, the spiritists should get more for the possible dangers, and I'd think a few counceling sessions now and then can't go wrong. Catching off some of the body language - a Nazi salute - can be quite embarassing in some situations.

    [ January 13, 2007, 16:58: Message edited by: The Shaman ]
     
  12. Montresor

    Montresor Mostly Harmless Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2005
    Messages:
    3,103
    Media:
    127
    Likes Received:
    183
    Gender:
    Male
    Propaganda may not win wars, but it wins political debates and elections. A powerful slogan wins a lot more votes than a long, well-reasoned argument about what you intend to do about a country's present problems, or why your solution will have the desired effect. (Ironically, Hitler was a master politician who understood this very well.)

    Branding a political opponent as a new Hitler or Stalin is more effective than getting into a long, drawn-out debate with arguments and counter-arguments about why Bush or Clinton or Pelosi or <insert your own favorite politician> is untrustworthy or why his or her politics will cause universal poverty/drug abuse/immorality/terrorism or whatever.
     
  13. Nakia

    Nakia The night is mine Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2003
    Messages:
    5,575
    Media:
    102
    Likes Received:
    136
    Gender:
    Female
    I remember one literary class where we had to study some of Hitler's speeches because of his oratory power. We also had to watch a movie of a Japanese version of Hamlet.

    My own personal reaction to this Hitler/Stalin name calling is that it is ridiculous. Hitler and Stalin were products of their time. Using their names to try and stigmatize some one is just down right dirty pool.
     
  14. Fabius Maximus Gems: 19/31
    Latest gem: Aquamarine


    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2003
    Messages:
    1,103
    Likes Received:
    3
    Offtopic:

    Was it "The Bad Sleep Well" by Kurosawa?
     
  15. Daie d'Malkin

    Daie d'Malkin Shoulda gone to Specsavers

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2002
    Messages:
    2,636
    Likes Received:
    1
    Ouch! Your teacher is a new Hitler.
     
  16. Montresor

    Montresor Mostly Harmless Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2005
    Messages:
    3,103
    Media:
    127
    Likes Received:
    183
    Gender:
    Male
    Somewhat on-topic, I am re-reading Alan Bullock's biography Hitler - a Study in Tyranny at the moment. It is highly recommendable for a deeper understanding of Hitler as a person, and how he managed to do the things he did.
     
  17. Ofelix

    Ofelix The world changes, we do not, what irony!

    Joined:
    Dec 19, 2002
    Messages:
    5,989
    Media:
    5
    Likes Received:
    111
    Gender:
    Male
    I'm sure Kurosawa's Hamlet version was Throne of Blood.
     
Sorcerer's Place is a project run entirely by fans and for fans. Maintaining Sorcerer's Place and a stable environment for all our hosted sites requires a substantial amount of our time and funds on a regular basis, so please consider supporting us to keep the site up & running smoothly. Thank you!

Sorcerers.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.