Just reading up on Godwin's law. It seems to get mis-used a lot.

[urgk]

At least according to Wikipedia ;) It seems that people use it to render as useless any comparison to Hitler/Nazis, not ones in which the comparison is useful or rational.

"Godwin's law applies especially to inappropriate, inordinate, or hyperbolic comparisons of other situations (or one's opponent) with Hitler or Nazis or their actions. The law and its corollaries would not apply to discussions covering genocide, propaganda, eugenics (racial superiority) or other mainstays of Nazi Germany, nor, more debatably, to discussion of other totalitarian regimes, since a Nazi comparison in those circumstances may be appropriate. Whether it applies to humorous use or references to oneself is open to interpretation, since this would not be a fallacious attack against a debate opponent <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law>."

Here's a great link to read more about it: http://wiki.killfile.org/projects/usenet/faqs/godwin/

Fascinating.

[JuniperLea]

1. No more Soup Nazi for you!

[urgk]

2. An article in Wired by Godwin, himself.

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.10/godwin.if_pr.html

About the origin of his law as a counter-meme.

(Great Scott! Is there no word for a counter-meme? Anti-memotic? Invoculation?)

[Cirque du So-What]

3. Fuck Godwin & the horse he rode in on!

I'll make the comparison to nazis whenever & wherever I fucking well see fit, and I pay no mind to those who seek to censor opinions by invoking an abstruse dictum. Sometimes they actually DO emulate the fucking nazis, yunno.

[sufrommich]

5. Internet memes can't really censor you. nt

[urgk]

6. I think he'd agree. Compare with Nazis when people act LIKE Nazis.

That is, when they use propaganda, genocide and/or unjust military action. Go ahead, says Godwin, just don't call the guy at Kinko's a Nazi, just because he won't credit you for the accidental enlargement you had to throw away.

I happen to agree.

[Cirque du So-What]

10. Perhaps I was a bit rash concerning ol' Godwin

I also agree that gratuitous comparisons diminish the atrocities committed by that horrific regime. It does rankle, however, when someone dismisses an apt comparison just because they think any reference to Godwin's law increases their coolness.

[urgk]

11. I agree 100% with you there. That's why I posted.

you should be able to invoke "Hitler" when some pasty, crazy little sonofabitch is spitting propaganda into a microphone about the way his perverted Christianity is just cause to give the government undue sway over the lives of its citizens.

For example, I give you Glen Beck - Hitler-ish crapweasel.

On edit, that's also WHY Godwin came up with the law - he wanted to make sure if you used "Nazi" or "Hitler," it was not a throwaway term.

[Ikonoklast]

4. Nice post, Hitler.

[urgk]

8. Heh. (n/t)

[Deep13]

7. My understanding is that it applies to the perception of an argument...

...and not to the merits of the argument.

[urgk]

9. Hmmm. Pelase explain.

I don't quite understand what you mean.

(This is Godwin on Godwin's law, by the way, in case it clears anything up - "...so I created Godwin's Law and began to repeat it in online forums whenever I encountered a silly comparison of someone or something to Hitler or to the Nazis.")

[Deep13]

12. Basically, invoking Nazis ends the discussion.

It is usually seen as such an over-the-top comparison that there can be no serious response. It has nothing to do with whether or not a comparison to Hitler is actually apt, but rather that it is perceived to be hyperbole.

[urgk]

13. I see. That's why I posted this. Godwin intended it to be otherwise.

It's been mis-used. Possibly to the point where the inherent meaning has changed.

But the original intent (and this is according to THE Godwin) was to make people use it only when appropriate, not for hyperbole.