# Who was Hitler before Hitler/ **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 20, 2008, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-hitler-before-hitler/446128 "2008-04-20T16:37:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-hitler-before-hitler/446128/21 "2008-04-21T16:17:14Z")
The answer is obvious. Hitler was Hitler before Hitler was Hitler. He just wasn’t Hitler yet but he was still Hitler. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-hitler-before-hitler/446128/22 "2008-04-21T16:20:11Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] The answer is obvious. Hitler was Hitler before Hitler was Hitler. He just wasn’t Hitler yet but he was still Hitler. [/QUOTE] But if you compare Hitler with Hitler, is that a Godwin situation, or not? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-hitler-before-hitler/446128/23 "2008-04-21T16:32:11Z")
As far as evil goes, well Nero has one of the most famous books ever written about him, “The Revelation of St. John”. Heh, as far as crazy person, I think Tom Cruise has leagues to go before he can take the title from Michael Jackson. Why Pontius Pilate? He was just the governor of a province, his wickedness was in not seeing that one crazy rabbi was any better than another. Other than that, I don’t know of anything that really qualifies him as out of the ordinary wicked. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-hitler-before-hitler/446128/24 "2008-04-21T19:59:00Z")
[QUOTE=mswas] As far as evil goes, well Nero has one of the most famous books ever written about him, “The Revelation of St. John”. [/QUOTE] The Beast might have been Nero or Domitian – scholars aren’t sure. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-hitler-before-hitler/446128/25 "2008-04-21T20:36:34Z")
I don’t think Napoleon counts, because though many saw him as a monster of imperialism, many others considered him a an enlightened ruler and law-giver - he was as often respected as reviled. The same is not true for Hitler. Most of the true-life Hitler types were too obscure, at least in the West, to be as memorable (for example, Tamerlane would make a pretty good pre-Hitler figure, but he’s relatively obscure). ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-hitler-before-hitler/446128/26 "2008-04-21T21:04:58Z")
[QUOTE=Alessan] Maybe you do - you just don’t see it in cartoons, because it wouldn’t be very funny. [/QUOTE] Weellll . . . [it can be if it’s done right.](http://www.ibras.dk/montypython/episode12.htm#4) ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-hitler-before-hitler/446128/27 "2008-04-22T03:18:47Z")
[QUOTE=Alessan] Napoleon was never stereotyped as a “crazy person”, but rather, people who \*thought \* they were Napoleon were a stereotype for crazy people. There’s a difference. . [/QUOTE] Of course. I thought I made that clear in my post. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-hitler-before-hitler/446128/28 "2008-04-22T03:52:32Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] The answer is obvious. Hitler was Hitler before Hitler was Hitler. He just wasn’t Hitler yet but he was still Hitler. [/QUOTE] Sounds like a Teutology. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-hitler-before-hitler/446128/29 "2008-04-22T03:53:55Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Sounds like a Teutology. [/QUOTE] 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-hitler-before-hitler/446128/30 "2008-04-22T16:07:54Z")
[QUOTE=mswas] Why Pontius Pilate? He was just the governor of a province, his wickedness was in not seeing that one crazy rabbi was any better than another. Other than that, I don’t know of anything that really qualifies him as out of the ordinary wicked. [/QUOTE] Perhaps he meant Judas Iscariot? ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-hitler-before-hitler/446128/31 "2008-04-22T16:28:52Z")
[QUOTE=Student Driver] Perhaps he meant Judas Iscariot? [/QUOTE] The Romans, overall, had no real reason to kill of Jesus. The temple priests did, though ironically they were claiming this in part because of fear of what the Romans would do if they felt threatened. Judas, in fact, seems to have betrayed Jesus partly because Jesus _wasn’t_ saying, “Hey, let’s kill all the Romans and break free.” Pilate was basically doing the easy thing and not making waves. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-hitler-before-hitler/446128/32 "2008-04-22T16:44:29Z")
[QUOTE=smiling bandit] Judas, in fact, seems to have betrayed Jesus partly because Jesus _wasn’t_ saying, “Hey, let’s kill all the Romans and break free.” [/QUOTE] I always thought it was because Judas was pissed over “The poor you shall always have with you.” ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-hitler-before-hitler/446128/33 "2008-04-22T16:44:58Z")
[QUOTE=BarnOwl] Who is today’s stereotypical crazy person - here in the USA and elsewhere, perhaps? [/QUOTE] As of about 5 years ago, a friend of mine would frequently take Jesus, God and Elvis bowling. Could be any number of each of those. Gender and race need not be an issue when applying. (He was a social worker, working with the mentally ill homeless. Those are the names he most often talked about.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-hitler-before-hitler/446128.md?page=1)