Solid.
I’m seeing “neoliberal” used that way in Progressiveland blogs. Heck, “centrist” is taking on the same “You’re just a poopyhead!” aura lately.
Yes. Yes, some of the protesters in Charlottesville were wearing German WWI regalia (not like serious reenactors), shouting Seig Hiel or Seig Trump, chanting anti-Jewish and other racist slogans, and/or holding their right arms out stiffly from their shoulders. Watch some of the videos, these people are scary.
My grandmother’s cousins in Germany witnessed the original Blood & Soil marches back in the '30s. I’d like to ask them (or their children & grandchildren) what they’d think of the events in Charlottesville this weekend and Trump’s response. But I can’t do that. Those cousins never had children or grandchildren. They don’t have graves either. At least my grandmother didn’t live to see this.
Godwin’s Law was created as a commentary on the tendency of posters to fall back on Hitler metaphors, however tenuous, given enough time. But it would be pretty silly to equates actual discussion of neo-Nazis to Godwin’s Law.
John Oliver says Trump’s behavior was an example of a “Reverse Godwin’s Law”: When you’re dealing with actual Nazis, if you fail to call them Nazis you lose the argument.
octopus: people very much have objected to calling actual Nazis Nazis. They’ve rejected comparing white supremacists to Nazis. Maybe you don’t get around online, but I see it all the time. Godwin’s law itself is often used to try and derail discussion of actual Nazi-like attributes.
Same thing happened when people were legitimately describing the similarities between Trump and Hitler. Everyone acted like it was the same thing as when someone called Bush Hitler because they were upset at him.
Having this guy say this gives you a directly citable quote to combat this when it happens. If it’s a thoughtful comparison and not just an emotional overreaction, it can be valid.