WW2 Comparison of Leaders

[Anddenex]

I have a friend who recently wrote this, 

 

 

As a self proclaimed WW2 expert, I can say with great confidence that it is INTELLECTUALLY LAZY AND RECKLESS to compare any modern day leader to Adolf Hitler and and political party to the Nazis. There is absolutely no comparison to the scope of what damage the Nazis did. Hitler was born out of some very unique circumstances in post WW1 Germany, that have an extremely low likelihood from ever happening again. So, once again. There is virtually no way to accurately spin modern day political leaders and political parties as being equal to the Nazis!

 

Yay or Nay?

[Vort]

I'll go with Nay. The specific factors that resulted in WWII were unique, just as the specific factors that resulted in YOU were unique. Every situation is unique. That does not mean that people don't fill roles. Hitler himself may have been the result of a bunch of unlikely factors, but you can bet that megalomaniacal tyrants aren't rare, and will always arise when conditions allow.

[Crypto]

What a person is doing is more important that the situation they are in.

That quote seems to have this backwards.

[char713]

The same things that happened to allow Hitler and the holocaust to "succeed" are happening every day all over the world today. The foundation of any contempt, followed by persecution that leads to systematic extermination is the de-humanization of a particular group. The unborn are thought of this way, as are many different races, religious groups, etc. We have many modern examples of governments and leaders sanctioning acts of persecution and violence. to say that it can't happen again is foolish, because it already has, several times.

And anyone who thinks the economic conditions that led to the unrest in pre and postwar Germany are unlikely to ever happen again are frankly, delusional. We have already experienced similar periods of inflation, which we weathered "thanks to" the federal reserve, but things are only going to fall even further the next time.

[Anddenex]

My sentiments are pretty much the same as all of yours.  

[SpiritDragon]

 

As a self proclaimed WW2 expert, I can say with great confidence that it is INTELLECTUALLY LAZY AND RECKLESS to compare any modern day leader to Adolf Hitler and and political party to the Nazis. There is absolutely no comparison to the scope of what damage the Nazis did. Hitler was born out of some very unique circumstances in post WW1 Germany, that have an extremely low likelihood from ever happening again. So, once again. There is virtually no way to accurately spin modern day political leaders and political parties as being equal to the Nazis!

 

I can agree with the intellectual laziness when it comes to simply throwing out there that certain leaders or parties are like them (the Nazis and Hitler) without having any explanation as to why (or at least a decent one), however I categorically deny the idea that there is absolutely no comparison between modern/future leaders and Hitler or said leaders accompanying party. After all isn't the recurring lesson of history how it repeats itself. I'm sure that no one thought the Nazis and Hitler would be as crazy and stupid as they were until after it hit the fan. I would dare say it is more reckless as it were not to look for similarities and make comparisons.

[SpiritDragon]

One quick modern example is simply to look at ISIS/ISIL whatever you want to call them. Now I don't much care if they are on the political right like Fascists or the left like communists - either way they seem to be looking for some form of totalitarian/dictatorship power to enforce the rules they wish to and cleanse out all opposition. This is very much how Hitler operated. Interestingly enough they both hate(d) the Jews as well.

 

I can see how some could argue that radical Islamists are not really a political entity, and while I'd politely disagree, I would point out that at the very least they have an ideology of a superior population group (Islamic instead of Aryan), they enforce their rules through terror in occupied territory(SS Gestapo), they recruit young children and indoctrinate them to their cause (like Hitler's youth), they appear to be just as genocidal when given the opportunity, and they are power hungry and expansionist... is this comparison intellectually lazy? I submit it is only to the point that I don't want to be typing here for hours and nobody wants to read that much anyway - but I didn't just bandy about the term Nazi or call someone Hitler without having actual points of comparison. Is it a reckless comparison? I don't see how other than it could inflame some radical Islamists, who are already hot-headed and dangerous any way.

Edited August 27, 2015 by SpiritDragon