Overuse of Nazi comparisons

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Other things that get done to derail a conversation, about nazis for example, are

All the people who don't want the conversation to happen start ignoring the larger conversation, and create their own circle of agreeing with each other. Never stop reiterating how overused it is and why. It doesn't actually have to be overused as long as you can complain about it enough that people assume it must be a thing.

Split hairs about what the word nazi even means or refers to, and initiate debates about it. Use that to illustrate how overused and inaccurate the claims are. Intentionally conflate nazis with other forms of bigotry to further muddy the water and make it look like the word is used improperly.

Claim the insult is overused, and then jokingly overuse it, artificially "proving" their point, by them doing so.

Realistically, it's possible that some individuals don't even believe a word they're saying, and are only doing it to act "edgy" for attention, or because they enjoy trolling.

As for those hate crime statistics, that's a fine example of how to subvert them to misrepresent data. The number of people who commit hate crimes in no way establishes the number of people who hold bigoted beliefs but do not commit crimes in the process of holding those beliefs. While the number of people who *act* on it, both overtly and criminally, may be small, it in no way establishes the number of people who hold those beliefs but do not explicitly get prosecuted, explicitly for hate crimes. It makes it seem like it's impossible to be a bigot, but not commit hate crimes. That's just called "staying under the radar".

Extremism may be rare by those numbers, but that doesn't mean bigotry isn't. Sometimes the only difference between extremism and normalcy is what we've decided to normalize. The problem with bigotry held in check by rule of law is, all they have to do is get that law changed, and then their bigotry isn't "illegal" anymore, at which point they just call it "freedom".

A person doesn't have to identify as a nazi in order to hold ideas or ideals that happen to coincide with nazi-ism. The book that you learn from doesn't have to be titled "How To Be A Nazi And Kill Jews", in order for you to be taught that you are superior and other people are inferior, and that's just how it is.

A person doesn't have to identify as a klansman for their beliefs to be identical to those of the klan. The book you learn from doesn't have to be titled "White Supremacy And You: How To Hate Dark People" to teach you that you are inherently worthy or deserving, and others are inherently unworthy or undeserving.

And it doesn't have to be motivated by "hate". All it takes is a belief in a difference that doesn't exist, to be used as a justification. It doesn't have to be malicious either.

Bigots love to find ways to make their ideas sound more "mainstream" so they can say them in public without revealing the nature of their beliefs. For example, the repeated rhetoric of "Rich Elites like GEORGE SOROS are using their money to BUY support from MINORITIES" is just the old klan belief that the Rich Jewish Elite are in league with "the blacks" to control the world - where the official rich secret jew organization (the "a-jew-minati"?) secretly pull the strings, while "the blacks" act as their enforcers - with the words "jew" and "blacks" replaced with less obvious terms. Even "liberals are appealing to minorities with handouts, and bailing out DANGEROUS RIOTERS!" is just another reworking of that same idea, even if people don't realize it when they hear it and repeat it. The usual tactic at this point is to claim that these correlations are merely my creative imagination, and to imply that the connection is absurd, paranoid, or otherwise dismiss-able.

Godwin's law is certainly sounds clever, but even a stopped clock is still right twice a day.

I never bought into Godwin's Law. When I first heard of it, it was "if you bring up Hitler in a topic, you lose the argument." That never made sense because it seems to invalidate your feelings. But no one likes to be compared to a villain anyway because it makes them uncomfortable so they deny and gaslight and go "la la la I can't hear you."

Also many people seem to mistake "holding the same ideologies Nazis had" as being called one. But this happens in about every topic in human language. One time my husband came home and thought a doctor told him he was autistic but I pointed out to him "she only said you show signs, that isn't the same as saying you have it." or telling someone "You are heading for an eating disorder" and they interpret that as you accusing them of having it.

This is why I don't believe everything I hear when anyone makes claims about what someone else said. Someone called you a Nazi, I take that as a grain of salt. I would need to see that actual post for me to decide. If I don't see "you are a Nazi," no they did not call you one. They only said that comment you made is the same ideology Nazis had and that is what lead to the holocaust and so many deaths because they also said they wanted to sacrifice humans and put them into rehab. They misled so many people they supported them. All that person did was explain why your ideology is so bad and why it's dangerous.

Communication is about forming a message in a way likely to be understood.
When you're aware of other people's biases, you can try to take them into account when voicing your opinions.
If you know someone would read "fascist" as the same as "neo-nazi" and then get offended by it, it would be prudent to avoid these terms when explaining why you believe their opinions are harmful.

I know.
Persuading people that they're wrong in a way that they may accept it and correct themselves requires enormous social skills. Confronting someone who personally hurts you is even harder.

Implying that this word has been a mere slur ever since WWII ended won't do much to help the consequences of not talking about this.

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos

I think it's a completely apropos term when you're using it to point out actual fascists identifying as such in the real world.

My friend got stuck next to one at an airport gate somewhere in Europe. They have t shirts now.

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos