This year I have heard so much about Hitler and Nazis, I feel like I should receive an honorary doctorate in German Studies. In the past, the only way you could encounter this much Hitler talk would be if you were binge-watching the History Channel. Ladies and gentlemen, I have been reliably informed by the mainstream media and social media alike that President Trump is Hitler. And not just Hitler- Trump is literally Hitler.
Godwin’s Law states that if an online debate goes on long enough, someone will make a comparison to Hitler.
One of the corollaries to Godwin’s Law is that once a comparison to Hitler has been invoked, the debate is basically over and the side that resorted to Hitler is officially the loser.
If you need to stoop to Hitler to win your argument, you have basically abandoned reason and logic, conceded facts and history, and effectively covered your ears and shouted, “La La La, I can't hear you because you are Hitler. It is the Final Solution for those who can’t play nice with others on the playground of ideas.
Since the election of President Trump, Liberals/Democrats/Progressives have had to step up their game. In the past decade, their go to move has been to demonize their opponents by labeling them racists, misogynists, and homophobes. Unfortunately for the Left, they have ridiculously over-played those cards and now they have lost their power. So the next logical step of course is… Nazis.
According to the Left, President Trump isn’t the only Nazi. Conservative Christians, Civil War heroes, the Founding Fathers, and especially non-Hillary Voters - all literally Hitler. You can be Hitler too - just disagree with a Liberal. It doesn’t even take much - believe in freedom of speech, believe you have a right to own a gun, believe that the unborn are people, believe that nations have borders that should be protected, and voila, you are literally Hitler.
The Left and its media were giddy with excitement about Charlottesville because actual Nazis showed up. Real literal Nazis. Never mind that bona fide Nazis are a pathetic little gaggle - the media could now play the Hitler Card in spades, and boy they sure did.
To be fair, there are several neo-Nazi groups in the United States. The National Socialist Movement (NSM), with about 400 members in 32 states, is currently one of the largest neo-Nazi organizations in the United States. That’s right, 400 members in 32 states. But to hear the media spin it, America is just crawling with Nazis goose-stepping across our land, arm in arm with rabid Ku Klux Klansmen. They. Are. Everywhere. Those of us that choose to live in reality know better.
In the meantime, hate-filled domestic terrorist organizations like Antifa and Black Lives Matter receive glowing coverage from the media. These darlings on the Left love to strangle free speech through violence and intimidation. They get people fired for “thought-crimes.” They de-platform people by getting them kicked out of organizations and exerting pressure until speaking engagements are canceled. With help from Google, YouTube, and Twitter, they silence people on social media. They even fight to erase individuals from history by getting statues and references to them removed. Wait, who are the literal Nazis again?
Keep Godwin’s Law in mind the next time a pundit or politician or professor invokes Hitler, it means they have already lost the debate. When everybody is Hitler, nobody is Hitler. Not even Hitler.
Paul Rivers