roronoa79 wrote:
Godwin's Law tells us that the longer an internet conversation continues, the more likely someone will play the Hitler card. So what I'm wondering is who was the go-to figure for cliched political comparisons before the H-man? This goes back before the internet, but would this have had to have been before 1939 or 1945?
The Hitler card is such a widespread cliche bc it's used by both sides (conservatives accusing statist liberals, liberals accusing nationalist conservatives), but I'm struggling to think of a comparable figure that either side could condemn the other for being similar to. Obviously this differs from place to place but the figures that come to mind for me would be the likes of Robespierre, George III (if you're American), Andrew Johnson, Napoleon, Lenin, Oliver Cromwell, Nero, Mary Queen of Scots etc.
<flippant mode activated>
No idea,
Well, actually I do.
See below.
But let me first transgress.
I'm autistic,
It's my job.
Godwin's Law isn't applicable in every case.
There are valid comparisons with Hitler or the Nazi regime, without the conversation "Degenerating".
It depends on the context.
Here you go:
Gengis Khan,
Attila the Hun,
Stalin,
Putin,
Xi Jinping,
And of course:
Meow Tse Tung.