# Ted Turner obviously never heard of Godwin's law **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 26, 2005, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719 "2005-01-26T06:17:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/1 "2005-01-26T06:17:14Z")
I ws just sitting here browsing the 'Dope with the news on (FOX 5 in Las Vegas) when I hear a Ted Turner comment on why CNN has lost ground to FOX News. I believe the clip came from ‘Face to Face with Jon Ralston’, a local news interview show. This is not an exact quote as it went by pretty quick but he said something along the lines of: Ralston: “Why do you think CNN hasn’t regained ground lost to FOX?” Ted: “It’s like back in Nazi Germany…there was only one offical news service.”\* Yeah, Ted, them folks at FOX are all Nazis and Bush is out to get you and CNN. What a fucktard. Slee \*The quote isn’t exact but he _did_ compare the situation to Nazi Germany . ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/2 "2005-01-26T06:20:12Z")
I loved Fox’s response! To wit: A FOXNEWS spokesperson responded: “Ted is understandably bitter having lost his ratings, his network and now his mind – we wish him well.” 😃😃😃😃😃 ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/3 "2005-01-26T07:08:25Z")
He’s also lost so much money that he’s delayed payments on the billion dollars he _“donated”_ to charity. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/4 "2005-01-26T07:13:09Z")
Can we get a link? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/5 "2005-01-26T07:14:07Z")
Ted is basically right. Fox News is pretty much a government propaganda outlet and they do do goosestep like nazis. It’s also true that Bush (and Fox) want to squelch any sort of independent news reporting. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/6 "2005-01-26T07:53:42Z")
I never understood Godwin’s Law. There a some times where a comparison to Nazi Germany/Hitler are apt. Of course people overuse it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the comparison without being a zealot. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/7 "2005-01-26T08:32:31Z")
**brickbacon** is correct. But- Ted Turner is still a moron. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/8 "2005-01-26T10:06:54Z")
> [@Starving Artist](#): > > I loved Fox’s response! > > To wit: > > A FOXNEWS spokesperson responded: “Ted is understandably bitter having lost his ratings, his network and now his mind – we wish him well.” Very funny! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/9 "2005-01-26T10:07:57Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Ted is basically right. Fox News is pretty much a government propaganda outlet and they do do goosestep like nazis. > > It’s also true that Bush (and Fox) want to squelch any sort of independent news reporting. Was it a government propaganda outlet when Clinton was president? ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/10 "2005-01-26T11:18:02Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > I never understood Godwin’s Law. There a some times where a comparison to Nazi Germany/Hitler are apt. Of course people overuse it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the comparison without being a zealot. Though you pretty much have to avoid it now, however apt, because it triggers a discussion like this, which DETRACTS from your point. We need to learn some other regimes to compare things to, which cloud the issue with feelings a lot less. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/11 "2005-01-26T12:55:48Z")
Ted Turner and Paris Hilton are conclusive proof that wealth and intelligence have nothing to do with each other. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/12 "2005-01-26T12:57:49Z")
> [@Shade](#): > > Though you pretty much have to avoid it now, however apt, because it triggers a discussion like this, which DETRACTS from your point. We need to learn some other regimes to compare things to, which cloud the issue with feelings a lot less. But the whole point of making the comparison in the first place is to arouse violent emotion and undermine rational thought. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/13 "2005-01-26T13:11:46Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Ted is basically right. Fox News is pretty much a government propaganda outlet and they do do goosestep like nazis. > > It’s also true that Bush (and Fox) want to squelch any sort of independent news reporting. Even assuming this is true, it doesn’t answer the question of why their ratings are falling so dramatically. Did I miss the stromtroopers at evert streetcorner, spot-checking peopple’s houses to make sure FoxNews and NOTHING ELSE was on? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/14 "2005-01-26T14:15:04Z")
> [@Shade](#): > > Though you pretty much have to avoid it now, however apt, because it triggers a discussion like this, which DETRACTS from your point. True. A regime could invade Poland and start rounding up Jews into camps, and you’d still have people shouting “Godwin’s Law!” (and misunderstanding it to mean that somehow the comparison is invalid) if you compared it to Nazi Germany. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/15 "2005-01-26T14:29:23Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > But the whole point of making the comparison in the first place is to arouse violent emotion and undermine rational thought. The whole point of Fox News is to arouse violent emotion and undermine rational thought. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/16 "2005-01-26T14:33:19Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Was it a government propaganda outlet when Clinton was president? Just a GOP propaganda outlet. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/17 "2005-01-26T14:37:21Z")
> [@Shade](#): > > Though you pretty much have to avoid it now, however apt, because it triggers a discussion like this, which DETRACTS from your point. We need to learn some other regimes to compare things to, which cloud the issue with feelings a lot less. The problem there is that there is no other regime which carries all the connotations of Hitler/Nazis. I mean you could pick and choose piecemeal - the British for concentration camps, the Turks for genocide, the Mongols for willy-nilly conquering - but a valid comparison to the Nazi regime cannot really be made to anything else but the Nazis. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/18 "2005-01-26T14:38:52Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > The whole point of Fox News is to arouse violent emotion and undermine rational thought. Judging from your posts, I’d say it’s working! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/19 "2005-01-26T14:39:35Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Even assuming this is true, it doesn’t answer the question of why their ratings are falling so dramatically. Did I miss the stromtroopers at evert streetcorner, spot-checking peopple’s houses to make sure FoxNews and NOTHING ELSE was on? I didn’t get the impression that he was saying that was _why_ CNN’s ratings were down, just that he was making a joke that the only cable news source left happened to be the administration’s personal proaganda outlet. Personally, I think CNN’s ratings are down because they don’t dumb it down as much as Fox does. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719/20 "2005-01-26T14:50:45Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Personally, I think CNN’s ratings are down because they don’t dumb it down as much as Fox does. CNN doesn’t dumb it down? CNN’s ratings are down because they provide all the “in-depth” reporting of FOX, but without all the entertaining demagoguery. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-obviously-never-heard-of-godwins-law/286719.md?page=2)