# THat Old Usenet or Whatever RUle re. Nazi

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-old-usenet-or-whatever-rule-re-nazi/172394>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 1, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-old-usenet-or-whatever-rule-re-nazi/172394 "2003-05-01T15:39:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-old-usenet-or-whatever-rule-re-nazi/172394/1 "2003-05-01T15:39:08Z")

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What, please is that old rule according to which once people start calling others “Nazis”, the whole thread goes down the chute  
very quickly?\*

I wouldn’t quite know what to serch for and I am in a hurry to go off and exercise the “if voting changed anything, they would abolish it” thing.

- Reason for question - not trouble with this site, but on another on which I am moderator.

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**Author:** ![Odieman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a87d85/32.png) [@Odieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odieman)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-old-usenet-or-whatever-rule-re-nazi/172394/2 "2003-05-01T15:40:49Z")

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Godwin’s Law

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**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-old-usenet-or-whatever-rule-re-nazi/172394/3 "2003-05-01T15:43:23Z")

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oh how FAST! 🙂  
Thank you! Now I just have to see what are my chances of knocking the concept into people’s heads.  
Many thanks.

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**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-old-usenet-or-whatever-rule-re-nazi/172394/4 "2003-05-01T16:00:08Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Celyn \*  
> \*\*Now I just have to see what are my chances of knocking the concept into people’s heads. \*\*

Huh, that’s just what Hitler said.  
🙂

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**Author:** ![dylan\_73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@dylan\_73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dylan_73)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-old-usenet-or-whatever-rule-re-nazi/172394/5 "2003-05-01T16:56:58Z")

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Details [here](http://cbbrowne.com/info/godwin.html). Note the [exception](http://www.eff.org/Net_culture/Folklore/Humor/godwins.law):

> [@](#):
>
> Quirk’s Exception:  
> Intentional invocation of Godwin’s Law is ineffectual.

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**Author:** ![bugg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecae2f/32.png) [@bugg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bugg)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-old-usenet-or-whatever-rule-re-nazi/172394/6 "2003-05-01T20:08:43Z")

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Godwin’s Law is that as a discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one. That’s a little different from what the OP asked for, but what the OP asked for is (in my opinion, mistakenly) regarded by many to be Godwin’s law.