# Don't call people Nazis **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 7, 2001, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303 "2001-09-07T22:12:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yue\_Han](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/eada6e/32.png) [@Yue\_Han](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yue_Han)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/1 "2001-09-07T22:12:20Z")
Unless they are, obviously. This happened in GD the other day, so I wanted to drop a reminder that calling people who are not Nazis Nazis is a stupid thing to do, even if you qualify it. For instance, ‘word Nazis’ is not a good thing to call language prescriptivists, misguided souls though they may be. This applies to the term ‘rape.’ Do not say, I got raped on a test today, or I will come down on you like a ton of rectangular building things. I have not been around, so if you got away with it in the past, too fucking bad, I’m here again. Don’t tell me I’m uptight. I’ve heard it before. Shut the fuck up. These are very sensitive issues for people. If your mom died, how would you like it if I went around saying things like, ‘Man, when I couldn’t get a cab I felt about as bad as you did when your mom died’? There are other terms to use, terms that do not weaken the meaning of these words. A nazi is one of the worst things a human can be. We need these word to describe true nazis. Please do not weaken its meaning to be ‘jerk.’ Rape is perhaps the worst thing you can do to another human being. Please do not weaken it to mean, ‘something mildly unpleasant that happened to me.’ Language changes over time. If you encourage these specific changes, expect me to get pissed. That is all. –John ---
**Author:** ![DPWhite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@DPWhite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPWhite)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/2 "2001-09-07T22:17:45Z")
Can I still call certain members “fascists” when their posts actually qualify their viewpoints to be fascists? (Which I might add I’ve done on this message board, but only in the pit.) And if someone is actually a “nazi”, may I call them a nazi? Might a better idea be to correct the offending post on the message board in a constructive manner when it appears? ---
**Author:** ![MysterEcks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@MysterEcks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysterEcks)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/3 "2001-09-07T22:19:55Z")
Gee, John, you seem uptight today… ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/4 "2001-09-07T22:25:02Z")
I agree with the Nazis part. However, rape does have different meanings. If you were to say that the greedy capitalists raped the land of it’s wealth, it is in context. It is still a very bad thing to use it meaning the unwanted sexual assault when it is oviously not is unwarranted. Deductively, raping the land comes from the “mother Earth” idea, as you are raping her by violating and removing all her precious things. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/5 "2001-09-07T22:25:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DPWhite \* > **Can I still call certain members “fascists” when their posts actually qualify their viewpoints to be fascists? (Which I might add I’ve done on this message board, but only in the pit.) And if someone is actually a “nazi”, may I call them a nazi?** If you can prove it, be my guest. No, I mean really prove it. Don’t just put your own spin on something someone said just because you disagree with it. That’s just sleazy. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/6 "2001-09-07T22:26:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Can I still call certain members “fascists” when their posts actually qualify their viewpoints to be fascists? You sure as hell better back it up with something better than “I disagree with their viewpoint”, bub. ---
**Author:** ![Amok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f17d59/32.png) [@Amok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amok)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/7 "2001-09-07T22:29:53Z")
And don’t refer to people as “vandals” either; the sack of Rome is no laughing matter. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/8 "2001-09-07T22:36:25Z")
Oh, am I with you on this one. As a matter of fact, while I was reading your OP, I was thinking "Yea, and ‘rape’, too, the next time I hear some fucknoggin talk about having their CD stolen made them feel ‘raped’, I’m gonna (beep beep beep - we’re sorry. the rest of the post was deleted as being of too violent imagery for the poster involved. we invite you now to visit the poster over at the “teletubies are us” website, where she’ll remain until she’s calmed down ) Um. seriously. I am in agreement. That Po is really a hoot ya know. ---
**Author:** ![Briminator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba9def/32.png) [@Briminator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briminator)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/9 "2001-09-07T22:37:38Z")
WOOOP WOOOOP WOOOOP WOOOP! \ Right whats all this then? Don’t make us unload the PC SWAT team on you. Don’t offend anyone or else we will come down on you like a bunch of censoring naz…uh…facis…oh never mind. \ ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/10 "2001-09-07T22:54:51Z")
(apologies to Cheap Trick) “The Word Police They live inside of the web The Word Police They’ll make you wish you were dead The Word Police They’ve come to arrest you, oh no!!!” ---
**Author:** ![Yue\_Han](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/eada6e/32.png) [@Yue\_Han](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yue_Han)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/11 "2001-09-07T23:06:41Z")
Amok: My initial reaction was that your post was just a joke. If so, it was funny. If in fact you were attacking my OP, then consider the fact that the sack of Rome didn’t kill the family and friends of people still alive today in a vicious way based on their religion and race. DPWhite:I said you could call people Nazis if they were Nazis. It’s the first sentence of my OP. You can call anyone anything they really are. But go read Spoofe’s post again; ‘I don’t agree with this person’ does not mean ‘This person is a Nazi or a fascist.’ red dragon: I accept the term ‘raping the land’ because that’s a meaning to the word that already exists. I may not particularly like it, but it’s there. What I object to is a trend in language towards using the word ‘rape’ to mean just ‘mistreated’ and ‘Nazi’ to mean ‘jerk’. I would like to arrest this line of development before it spreads any further. MysterEcks: I missed you, man. Mr. Blue Sky, Briminator: Yeah, that’s right, I’m the fuckin’ cops. Because I’m a mod and I’m going to ban you if you do this. Christ.I’ve been away on a sabbatical and so I’m letting new people or people who forgot, that this pisses me off. If you do it, I’m gonna call you out on it. I don’t have any authority, I’ll just think you’re a dick and I’ll probably call you one. –John ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/12 "2001-09-07T23:22:05Z")
**Yue Han** Don’t call people dicks. I have a dick, and I like it very much. I used it to create my son (well, start him off anyway), and it offends me when you use that word to mean “someone who uses words in ways you find inappropriate”. ---
**Author:** ![absoul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@absoul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/absoul)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/13 "2001-09-07T23:23:08Z")
What if I get raped by Nazi groundhog morderators? How am I going to explain that type of ordeal? ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/14 "2001-09-07T23:36:08Z")
:: applauds **Yue Han** :: Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/15 "2001-09-07T23:38:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Yue Han \* > Because I’m a mod and I’m going to ban you if you do this. Christ.I’ve been away on a sabbatical and so I’m letting new people or people who forgot, that this pisses me off. If you do it, I’m gonna call you out on it. I don’t have any authority, I’ll just think you’re a dick and I’ll probably call you one. > > –John If you were to check my posting history, you’ll not see a single post in which I use any of the language you speak of. **I’m confused** If you’re a Mod, then why doesn’t the word Moderator appear under your username? Have I missed something? Also, if you’re a Mod, wouldn’t a post like this warrant one of those “IMPORTANT STUFF IN HERE”-type posts we’re used to seeing at the top of each forum. I understand your point, but I would think that something that’s quite obviously important to you would warrant something more than a casual post. ---
**Author:** ![Yue\_Han](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/eada6e/32.png) [@Yue\_Han](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yue_Han)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/16 "2001-09-07T23:47:46Z")
Mr. Blue Sky: Nice grasp of sarcasm. Or nice sarcastic not grasping sarcasm. Or whatever. Tapswiller: Hmm, good point. I know TennHippie used to hate the profane use of fuck because fucking is something beautiful and pleasurable. But I feel that the use of dick as a term for a jerk is already an established use of language. However, if this truly offends you, feel free to correct people… although I trust you won’t be correcting just me, but everyone who uses ‘dick’ in that sense. absoul: I recommend talking to Scylla. Scylla knows a lot about dealing with Nazi ground hogs. I’ll forward this thread to him. –John ---
**Author:** ![xanakis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/7bcc69/32.png) [@xanakis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanakis)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/17 "2001-09-07T23:53:57Z")
I was just wondering, what about Stalinists? Are we allowed to call people Stalinists? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/18 "2001-09-07T23:57:19Z")
Ouch! I deserved that one. I’ve had a long, sucky day and wasn’t paying attention too closely. Still, by stating your feelings on this (which you certainly entitled), you are setting yourself up for a lot of crap (figuratively, of course). Even if you ARE being sarcastic. going to have a long lie down, now… ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/19 "2001-09-08T00:00:11Z")
[Dieter]You are quite the nancy-boy, aren’t you? I say this jokingly. Some of my best friends are nancy-boys.[/Dieter] ---
**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303/20 "2001-09-08T00:11:05Z")
The newer uses of the term Nazi generally apply to the tyranical or oppressive way someone is using his authority. Popularized by Jerry Sienfeld with the “soup nazi” episode. I do enjoy the mild irony that “Sienfeld” and most of the main cast are Jewish, and there is much Jewish humor on the show. “Nazi,” when used in this manner is usually preceeded by his position of power, such as “Camp” Nazi or “Web” Nazi, and indicates an authoritative “my way or else” style. I was always curios of the use of “Czar.” As in “drug czar.” Certainly this should not be used even casually for any U.S. govt. agency leader. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-people-nazis/80303.md?page=2)