Monday, July 17, 2006

Stupid Nazi Analogies Nos. 3,452,564 and 3,452,565

These two are from the right:

Phil Orenstein writes "Heil, Professor!" at FrontPageMag.

Paul Mirengoff writes "Dr. Goebbels, Call Your Office" at Powerline, and then foolishly defends it here.

For the millionth time, do not call people Nazis unless they are, you know, Nazis.

4 comments:

Stephen said...

I didn't read the second one, but the first guy is talking about Nazis and Nazism.

Tom said...

The first one is borderline. I'll admit that I might have been tainted on that one because the link came from the Phi Beta Cons National Review blog and they clearly took the implication from it that today's professors were indoctrinating students much like Nazi professors did.

If it makes you feel better we can call this a preemptive thumbs down on any potential Nazi analogies that might stem from that article.

Anonymous said...

While I completely agree with your stated sentiment...the first article barely relates to this issue, as you have admitted, while the second one only mentions Nazis laterally....

"In terms of the style of its propaganda, this is a party in which Joseph Goebbels would feel at home."

I hardly find this statement to be in the same league as the "Bush is Hitler" or "Hillary is a Fascist" crowds that we both deplore...

Not to mention that he is talking about the style of Goebbels, not Nazism or Fascism directly....

Kind of like saying "take 'em out back and shoot 'em" is a knock on Stalin, not the SU or Communism per se....

Tom said...

Nope, sorry, I'm an absolutist on this issue. The first one is in many ways a thoughtful and very well-researched essay on Nazi professors, but the author opens himself up to the analogy by his conclusion and the platform at FrontPageMag. He should have known this and disavowed any comparisons.

The second one is a disgusting and idiotic comparison. Joseph Goebbels, a dedicated Nazi and one of the most despicable human beings ever to walk the planet, would not feel at home in the Democratic Party in any sense whatsoever. The propaganda style of Democratic Party, no matter what anyone might think of the party overall, in no important way resembles what made the Nazi propaganda machine the Nazi propaganda machine.