Nazi analogies

{{silver}}
[[File:Laroucheobamahitler.JPG|thumb|right|165px|''Argumentum ad 
[[Lyndon LaRouche|Laroucheum]]
 Hitlerum''.]]
{{logic}}
{{cquote| I wonder if there will come a time when Nazis will become primarily known for the ridiculous analogies people make using them and not genocide.|||rupucis<ref>[https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/12/radioheads-thom-yorke-compares-youtube-business-model-to-nazi-art-theft/?comments=1&post=30216927 I wonder if there will come a time when nazis will become primarily known for the ridiculous analogies people make using them and not genocide.] comment by rupucis (Dec 1, 2015 1:17 PM) ''Ars Technica''.</ref>}}

'''Nazi analogies''' are [[fallacy|fallacies]] that use the extremely negative perception that [[Hitler]] and [[National Socialism]] (Nazism) have in the modern world to boost someone's opinions.

*'''''Reductio ad Hitlerum''''' is, basically, the premise that "everything Hitler supported must be bad and everything Hitler was against must be good". Hitler's opinions serve as the sole parameter to judge something's desirability or morality. The reason this is idiotic is because Hitler wore clothes, so by this logic wearing clothes makes one a [[Nazi]]. He was also a strong supporter of animal rights making everybody who DOESN'T abuse their pets Nazis as well.
*'''Godwin’s Law''', itself a response to ''reductio ad Hitlerum'', asserts that the longer an online discussion grows, the greater are the odds of someone mentioning Hitler or the Nazis. It is something one can verify by oneself and that demonstrates how common such analogies are. Godwin only heard of Leo Strauss' coining of the fallacy four decades after he himself had proposed it.<ref name=godwin>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/12/20/godwins-law-trump-hitler-comparisons/ Yes, it’s okay to compare Trump to Hitler. Don’t let me stop you.] by Mike Godwin (December 20, 2023 at 2:57 p.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

Those are also known by other names, such as '''''argumentum ad Nazium''''' (a pun on ''[[argumentum ad nauseam]]'') or "playing the Hitler/Nazi Card".

==Origins==
[[File:Mike Godwin - VOA - September 2017-square-bluebackground.jpg|thumb|left|165px|Mike Godwin in 2017]]
{{cquote|‘Who was it that said: "Whenver{{sic}} somebody starts mentioning Nazis on [[Usenet|USENET]], you know the discussion has gone on too long"?'.. I said it. Godwin's Rule of Nazi Analogies: As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.|||Michael Godwin in 1991, one of his earliest invocations<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary'', "Godwin's Law" entry (2012) Third edition. The quote is from the group rec.arts.sf-lovers on August 18, 1991.</ref>}}
''Reductio ad Hitlerum'' was coined in 1951 by [[neoconservative]] progenitor [[Leo Strauss]],<ref>"The Social Science of Max Weber" by Leo Strauss" (1951) ''Measure: A Critical Journal 2(2):204-230.</ref><ref>''Natural Right and History'' by Leo Strauss (1953) University of Chicago Press.</ref>{{rp|42-43}}
{{cquote|Unfortunately, it does not go without saying that in our examination we must avoid the fallacy that the last decades has frequently been used as a substitute for the ''[[reductio ad absurdum]]'': the ''reductio ad Hitlerum''. A view that is not refuted by the fact that it happens to have been shared by Hitler.}}

Godwin's Law was formulated by attorney Mike Godwin, former general counsel for the [[Wikipedia|Wikimedia Foundation]], in the 1990s, and states:<ref>[https://www.wired.com/1994/10/godwin-if-2/ Meme, Counter-meme] by Mike Godwin (10.01.94; 12:00 pm) ''Wired''.</ref>
{{cquote|As an online discussion grows longer, the [[probability]] of a comparison involving [[Nazi]]s or [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] approaches one.}}

==How it works==
[[File:Godwin.jpg|thumb|right|thumb|200px|[[Jonanism|''Everyone I Don't Like is Hitler'']]: If only we hadn't all grown up with this book.]]
{{cquote|It's like Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, except there's just one degree, and Kevin Bacon is Hitler!|||Lewis Black<ref>''What Makes Us Smart: The Computational Logic of Human Cognition'' by Samuel Gershman (2021) Princeton University Press. ISBN 069120571X.</ref>{{rp|105}}}}

When a Hitler or Nazi comparison is made, it may be an [[extended analogy]] fallacy.<ref>[https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/tools/lp/Bo/LogicalFallacies/84/Extended-Analogy Extended Analogy] ''Logically Fallacious''.</ref>
{{syl
|2=Hitler's [[final solution]] would have put an end to [[overpopulation]]. 
|4=Person X wants to use [[birth control]] to solve the problem of overpopulation.
|5=C|6=Therefore person X is like Hitler.
}}

Or it could be an ''[[ad hominem]]'' attack such as saying, "You are just like Hitler and therefore whatever you are arguing for is wrong," without having any reasoning behind how this conclusion was reached. 

With the increase in the number of [[media]] for online discussion, Godwin's Law is now applied to any online discussion — be they mailing lists, message boards, forums, chat rooms, blog comment threads, or [[wiki]] talk pages.

Traditionally in many [[Internet]] discussion forums, it is the rule that once such a comparison is made, the discussion is effectively finished and whoever mentioned Hitler or the Nazis has [[Cohen's Law|automatically lost the debate]], though it is considered sort-of acceptable if one immediately says "Pardon me for invoking Godwin's Law." The blogosphere has only heightened the prevalence of Godwin's Law, with Nazi references being dropped across the [[political spectrum]], such as the liberal [[Daily Kos]],<ref>[https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/18/2182012/-House-Republicans-now-own-Robert-F-Kennedy-s-antisemitism House Republicans now own Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s antisemitism] (July 18, 2023 at 1:58:04p PDT) ''Daily Kos''. The article makes the stretch from RFK Jr. making an antisemitic remark to him being a Nazi.</ref> [[right-wing]] [[religious]] strongholds such as [[Bill Donohue]]'s [[Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights|Catholic League]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20050611233741/https://www.catholicleague.org/05press_releases/quarter%202/050525_motherteresa.htm "Mother F—king Teresa" Courtesy of Viacom] (May 25, 2005) ''Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights'' (archived from June 11, 2005). Regarding Penn & Teller, "This is no comedy&nbsp;— it is Nazi propaganda right out of the Leni Riefenstahl school of filmmaking."</ref> and [[intelligent design]] advocates like the [[Discovery Institute]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090131090915/http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233050208055&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull The wages of whining] by David Klinghoffer (Jan 29, 2009 14:05 | Updated Jan 31, 2009 0:51) ''The Jerusalem Post'' (archived from January 31, 2009). Klinghoffer, a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, "In ''Mein Kampf'', an influential best-seller, he relied on the language of Darwinian biology to declare a race war against the Jews."</ref>

Compared to other known blog-based laws, such as [[Poe's Law]], Godwin's Law is quite well known in more mainstream areas.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10618638 Is it ever OK to call someone a Nazi?] by Andrew McFarlane (14 July 2010) ''BBC News''.</ref> Just to prove it, the law even has its {{wpl|Godwin's Law|own Wikipedia article|.}} In 2012, it was added to the Oxford Dictionary,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140730081310/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Godwin's-law Godwin's law] "Oxford Dictionaries'' (archived from July 30, 2014).</ref> which means that in 500 years' time, it will be reviewed by completely mystified college arts majors.

==When the analogy is applicable==

Godwin's Law does not dispute the validity or otherwise of references or comparison to Hitler or the Nazis. As such a comparison or reference may sometimes be appropriate in a discussion, Godwin has argued that overuse of the Nazi comparison should be avoided as it waters down the impact of any valid usage. In its purest sense, the rule has more to do with ''completely losing one's sense of proportion'' rather than just mentioning Nazis specifically.<ref>As [https://web.archive.org/web/20011102104006/http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/nyysit/3.4.html#godwin Nyysiopas, luku 3 Nyysietiketti, Mitä ei pidä tehdä: Hitler-kortin käyttö] by Jukka Korpela, Tampere University of Technology (archived from November 2, 2021). "Joka tapauksessa useimmat fiksut ihmiset luultavasti pitävät Hitler-kortin pelannutta automaattisesti häviäjänä. Syynä on, että Hitler-kortin käyttö osoittaa niin vakavaa suhteellisuudentajun häiriötä, että mitään sen pelanneen aiemminkaan esittämää ei pidä ottaa vakavasti. Sama koskee Stalin-korttia ja muita vastaavia." 

Translation:"In any case, most smart people will probably automatically consider someone who played the Hitler card to be a loser. The reason is that the use of the Hitler card shows such a serious disturbance in the sense of proportion that nothing presented by the person who played it before should be taken seriously. The same goes for the Stalin card and the like." </ref><ref name="Ars">[http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/09/no-nazi-comparisons-sounds-like-something-hitler-would-say.ars No Nazi comparisons? Sounds like something Hitler would say! The strange history of Godwin's Law, and what it means for our own duties to …] by Nate Anderson (9/1/2011, 5:05 AM) ''Ars Technica''.</ref> The law was initiated as a counter-[[meme]] to flippant comparisons to the Nazis, rather than to invoke a complete ban on comparisons. As Godwin himself wrote in 2008:<ref>[http://www.jewcy.com/arts-and-culture/i_seem_be_verb_18_years_godwins_law I Seem To Be A Verb: 18 Years of Godwin's Law] by Mike Godwin (April 30, 2008) ''Jewcy''.</ref>
{{quotebox|When I saw the photographs from [[Abu Ghraib]], for example, I understood instantly the connection between the humiliations inflicted there and the ones the Nazis imposed upon death camp inmates — but I am the one person in the world least able to draw attention to that valid comparison.}}

Additionally, Godwin made an appearance in [[Glenn Greenwald]]'s ''Salon'' comments section in 2010 to confirm, as Greenwald put it in a column titled <em>The odiousness of the distorted Godwin's Law</em>:<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110918160814/http://letters.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2010/07/01/godwin/permalink/d9c9180de9d0fce57c2f3b5329785fbd.html Letters to the Editor: The odiousness of the distorted Godwin's Law] by Glenn Greenwald (July 1, 2010 10:27 AM ET) ''Salon'' (archived from September 18, 2011).</ref>
{{quotebox|Godwin himself appears in comments (authenticity confirmed via email) to explain that his "law" sought to discourage frivolous, but not substantive, Nazi analogies and comparisons.}}

Godwin said in 2017 that it's OK to call the [[alt-right]] Nazis, because many of them use Nazi symbols and express support for Nazi [[ideology]].<ref name=indy2017>[https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/godwins-law-mike-godwin-internet-hitler-charlottesville-virginia-donald-trump-a7892171.html Mike Godwin: Man who devised internet Hitler law says, 'Call these Charlottesville s***heads Nazis': 'By all means, compare these s***heads to the Nazis. Again and again. I'm with you.'] by Andrew Griffin (August 14, 2017) ''The Independent''.</ref> He wrote in 2016:<ref name=indy2017/>
{{quotebox|To be clear: I don't personally believe all [[rational]] discourse has ended when Nazis or the [[Holocaust]] are invoked. … But I'm pleased that people still use Godwin's Law to force one another to argue more thoughtfully.}}

In 2023, Godwin also said [[Donald Trump|Trump]] is acting like Hitler:<ref name=godwin/>
{{quotebox|But when people draw parallels between Donald Trump's [[2024 U.S. presidential election|2024 candidacy]] and Hitler's progression from [[fringe]] figure to Great Dictator, we aren’t joking. Those of us who hope to preserve our [[democratic]] institutions need to underscore the resemblance before we enter the twilight of [[American]] democracy.}}

[[Historian]] Timothy Snyder goes further, writing that when there is a [[taboo]] on comparing someone to Hitler who is actually acting like Hitler (i.e. Trump and [[J. D. Vance]]), it becomes a shield for the perpetrator, such that "…the more Trump resembles Hitler, the safer the man is from criticism on this point."<ref>[https://snyder.substack.com/p/trumps-hitlerian-month Trump's Hitlerian Month: A September to Remember] by Timothy Snyder (Sep 29, 2024) ''Substack''.</ref>

==Schizofascism==
Snyder has coined the word 'schizofascism' to refer to actual fascists who make Nazi analogies or fascist accusations against other people.<ref name=unfreedom>''The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America'' by Timothy Snyder (2018) Tim Duggan Books. ISBN 0525574468.</ref>{{rp|145}} As an example, fascist [[Russian]] politician [[Aleksandr Dugin]] has blamed Ukrainian [[Jews]] for the Holocaust,<ref name=unfreedom/>{{rp|145}} which is just literally [[Blaming the victim|adding insult to injury]].

Russian [[propaganda]] has used schizofascism extensively since the 2014 invasion of Crimea, the Russian-sponsored coup attempts in [[Ukraine]], and the Russian-backed insurrection in eastern Ukraine.<ref name=unfreedom/>{{rp|145-148}} During this time, Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]], head of a regime labeled as crypto-fascist,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Ri6uez6FGVsC ''Putinism: The Slow Rise of a Radical Right Regime in Russia''] by Marcel Van Herpen (2013) Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1137282800. Page 107: "Putin is too shrewd to let himself and his regime be labeled 'fascist,' but this does not mean that his regime is not developing traits of a fascist regime. […] In this case a regime must be labeled crypto-fascist […]."</ref> defined Ukrainian opponents of Russian incursions as fascists.<ref name=unfreedom/>{{rp|147}} In February 2022, Putin called for the "de-nazification" of Ukraine,<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/24/putin-denazify-ukraine/ Putin says he will ‘denazify’ Ukraine. Here’s the history behind that claim.] by Miriam Berger (February 24, 2022; Updated February 25, 2022 at 1:44 p.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> just prior to the full-scale invasion of the country ([[Euphemism|euphemistically]]-called "special military operation") in March 2022, in which Putin gave de-nazification as a justification for his war of aggression, despite Ukraine's [[Democracy|democratically]]-elected president ([[Volodymyr Zelenskyy]]) being ethnically Jewish.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2022/03/01/1083677765/putin-denazify-ukraine-russia-history Putin's claim of fighting against Ukraine 'neo-Nazis' distorts history, scholars say] by Rachel Treisman (March 1, 20223:02 PM ET) ''NPR''.</ref> Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov went further stating, "I could be wrong, but Hitler also had Jewish blood.{{efn|He is. See [[Adolf Hitler#Childhood]] for a brief discussion of this unsubstantiated claim.}} [That Zelensky is Jewish] means absolutely nothing. [[Argument from authority|Wise Jewish people]] say that [[Internalized discrimination|the most ardent anti-Semites are usually Jews]]."<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-61296682 Israel outrage at Sergei Lavrov's claim that Hitler was part Jewish] (May 2, 2022) ''BBC News''.</ref>

Further, writer and [[antisemite]] {{wpl|Alexander Prokhanov}} compared Russia's failed 2014 coup in Odessa, Ukraine to the Holocaust.<ref name=unfreedom/>{{rp|170,184-185}} {{wpl|Alexander Zaldostanov||,}} leader of the {{wpl|Night Wolves}} motorcycle gang, made similar pronouncements at the same rally as Prokhanov.<ref name=unfreedom/>{{rp|184-186}} {{wpl|Vladimir Antyufeyev||,}} who has been in leadership positions in self-declared fascistic [[puppet state]]s within [[Moldova]] ([[Transnistria]], founded in 1990/1991) and within Ukraine ([[Donetsk People's Republic]], founded in 2014), claimed that Russia was at war with fascists who were aligned with an international [[Freemason]] conspiracy.<ref name=unfreedom/>{{rp|175}}

{{wpl|Ginni Thomas||,}} wife of [[US Supreme Court]] Justice [[Clarence Thomas]], while herself plotting to overturn a democratic election,<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/ginni-thomas-emails-show-she-urged-wisconsin-lawmakers-to-oveturn-2020-election Ginni Thomas emails show she urged Wisconsin lawmakers to oveturn 2020 election] by Scott Bauer (Sep 1, 2022 2:49 PM EST) ''Associated Press'' via ''PBS''.</ref> referred to the "fascist left"{{efn|Given that fascism is right-wing by nature, this is [[Oxymoron|a contradiction in terms]]. Left-wing ''[[totalitarianism]]'' can and does exist, but left-wing ''fascism'' cannot and does not exist.}} and "[[transsexual]] fascists".<ref>[https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/01/31/is-ginni-thomas-a-threat-to-the-supreme-court Is Ginni Thomas a Threat to the Supreme Court? Behind closed doors, Justice Clarence Thomas’s wife is working with many groups directly involved in controversial cases before the Court.] by Jane Mayer (January 21, 2022) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

Trump has also utilized schizofascism multiple times, referring to his political opponents as fascists despite being a fascist himself by his actions and [[rhetoric]] (including cozying up to actual fascists).<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/12/trump-rally-vermin-political-opponents Trump calls political enemies ‘vermin,’ echoing dictators Hitler, Mussolini] by Marianne LeVine (Updated November 13, 2023 at 10:54 a.m. EST; Published November 12, 2023 at 5:45 p.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Another level of [[irony]] is that he has claimed that the [[far-right]] is not a major issue (yet fascism is far-right by its very nature) and instead refers to leftists as fascists.<ref>[https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/the-maga-movements-links-with-the-global-far-right-were-on-full-display-at-trumps-latest-party The MAGA Movement’s Links With The Global Far Right Were On Full Display At Trump’s Latest Party] by Hunter Walker (December 13, 2023 12:18 p.m.) ''Talking Points Memo''.</ref>

"Schizofascism is an example of what [[philosopher]] Jason Stanley calls 'undermining propaganda': using a concept to destroy that concept. Here anti-fascism is being used to destroy anti-fascism."<ref name=unfreedom/>{{rp|315-316}}<ref>''How Propaganda Works'' by Jason Stanley (2015), Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691164428.</ref> The intent of the undermining propaganda is generally in the furtherance of [[fake news]],<ref>[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opis-2019-0014/html?lang=en Fake News and Propaganda: A Critical Discourse Research Perspective] by Iulian Vamanu (2019) ''Open Information Science'' 3:197–208. doi:0.1515/opis-2019-0014.</ref>{{rp|203}} including but not limited to [[Poisoning the well|attempts to stain the credibility of one's opponents]] and [[Ideological patrolling|maintaining the ideological purity of one's followers]].

==Stormfront and other corollaries==
{{cquote|This is exactly how [[Nazi Germany]] was started! A bunch of layabouts with nothing better to do than to cause trouble!|||[[John Cleese]] as Basil Fawlty<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160510133203/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/lists/Fawlty-Towers-20-of-Basils-best-rants/ Fawlty Towers: 20 of Basil's best rants] by Oliver Smith (27 November 2015 • 12:00am) ''The Telegraph'' (archived from May 10, 2016).</ref>}}
A number of corollaries have been proposed since the introduction of Godwin's Law.

In a hilarious instance of cosmic symmetry, a similar law applies to [[neo-Nazi]] boards such as [[Stormfront]]: as the discussion grows longer, the probability of someone calling their opponent a [[Jew]] approaches one. (For another version, replace Stormfront with [[Conservapedia]] and Jew with [[liberal]].)

Another example of a corollary, and an early example, is called "Sircar's Corollary," which is: ''"If the Usenet discussion touches on [[homosexuality]] or [[Heinlein]], Nazis or Hitler are mentioned within three days.”'''<ref name="Ars"/>

Another corollary was proposed by "Buddy Larson" in the comments to a post by the [[libertarian]] Volokh Conspiracy blog (alleging that [[gun control]] caused [[Pogrom|Kristallnacht]]) in November 2010:<ref>[http://volokh.com/2010/11/09/nazism-firearm-registration-and-the-night-of-the-broken-glass/ Nazism, Firearm Registration, and the Night of the Broken Glass] by David Kopel (November 9, 2010 6:12 pm) ''The Volokh Conspiracy''. ''Caveat lector''.</ref>
{{quotebox|As an online discussion of an original post concerning Nazis or Hitler grows, the probability of observing a laboured and unwarranted retreat or appeal to Godwin's Law (of laboured, unwarranted retreat to Nazi or Hitler references) approaches one.}}

A corollary for [[feminist]]s is:
{{quotebox|As an online discussion about [[sexism]] continues, the probability of a woman who speaks out being called a [[feminazi]] approaches 1.<ref>[http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Godwin%27s_Feminist_Corollary Godwin's Feminist Corollary] ''Geek Feminism Wiki'' (2013).</ref>}}

==Other versions==
[[File:1984-Big-Brother.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Frederic Guimont's portrayal of Big Brother, based on a 1932 election poster for Hitler]]
A number of different [[Internet laws]] have been proposed which basically mirror Godwin. '''Arken's Law''' states:<ref name="arken">[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=arken%27s+law Arken's Law] (October 31, 2004) ''Urban Dictionary''.</ref>
{{cquote|A discussion is over when present society is compared to [[George Orwell]]'s Oceania in the book ''[[1984]]''.}}

The exact history of Arken's Law is debatable,{{efn|[[User:Sophie Wilder|Sophie Wilder]] did some research and found no references to a user named "Arken" on talk.atheism which turned up no results, and the only source to be the Urban Dictionary (existing as early as 2004).}} but it is claimed that Arken's Law has its roots in the days of Web 1.0 and earlier (such as Usenet). Any accusations of [[Big Brother]]ism, utilizing [[newspeak]], practicing [[doublethink]], [[Thought Police|thought policing]], sending updates down the [[memory hole]], or belonging to the Anti-Sex League would all be invocations of Arken's Law.

Researchers from the University College London attempted to formulate ''reductio ad Hitlerum'' into a [[Bayesian]] framework, presenting [[evidence]] that this is pretty much exactly how people processed the argument:<ref>[http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lagnado-lab/publications/harris/Harris_Hsu_Madsen_2012.pdf Because Hitler did it! Quantitative tests of Bayesian argumentation using ''ad hominem''] by Adam J. L. Harris, Anne S. Hsu & Jens K. Madsen (2012) ''Thinking & Reasoning'' 18(3):311-343. doi:10.1080/13546783.2012.670753.</ref>
<center><math>P(good|Hitler)=\frac{P(good)P(Hitler|good)}{P(Hitler)}</math></center>

===Pre-Nazism===
Before Hitler was a thing, the typical point of comparison for worst person in the world appears to have been the [[Pharaoh]] of the [[Biblical]] book of [[Exodus]] (the pharaoh's identity is uncertain, and he may be fictional, which makes it a weaker rhetorical comparison), although the likes of [[Judas Iscariot]], [[Pontius Pilate]], [[Oliver Cromwell]] (for the [[Irish]]), [[Napoleon Bonaparte]], and King George III (for Americans), were occasional references.<ref>[http://www.slate.com/articles/briefing/explainer/2011/10/hank_williams_jr_firing_who_was_the_rhetorical_worst_person_in_h.html Before Hitler, Who Was the Stand-In for Pure Evil?] by Brian Palmer (Oct 04, 20115:51 PM) ''Slate''.</ref> Calling something [[Dark Ages|medieval]] also seemed to work. However, those don't seem to have been used in an earlier version of Godwin's Law, possibly because the internet did not exist.

{{anchor|Evil Nazi things}}

==Evil Nazi things: ''Reductio ad Hitlerum exempla''==
The Nazis were eclectic and often self-contradictory (e.g. some were pro-[[fraktur]] font and some were anti-fraktur font). What follows is a list of things which, by the logic of ''reductio ad Hitlerum'', at least some Nazis were in favor of and which someone later thought was therefore evil (or the converse things that Hitler hated which therefore someone thought was good):
{{collist|2|
*[[Abortion]] and the [[Terri Schiavo case]]: [[Mike Johnson]], "The prevailing judicial philosophy is no different than Hitler's. Because the life of an unborn child (or a disabled{{efn|Schiavo was already clinically [[dead]], not [[disabled]].}} Terri Schiavo, or the elderly or infirm) may be difficult or inconvenient or even costly to society now means it can be terminated. This disregard for life has been fostered by the courts. During business hours today, 4,500 innocent American children will be killed. It is a holocaust that has been repeated every day for 32 years, since 1973's [[Roe v. Wade]]."<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-mike-johnson-editorial-on-abor/134127100/ Schiavo case advances 'culture of death'] by Mike Johnson (April 1, 2005) ''Shreveport Times'' via ''Newspapers.com''. Page 13.</ref><ref>[https://www.theshakedown.documented.net/p/new-speaker-of-the-house-equated New Speaker of the House Equated Reproductive Rights with Holocaust: Editorial uncovered by Documented reveals Johnson's extreme views on abortion.] by Jamie Corey (Oct 26, 2023) ''Documented''.</ref>
*Anti-[[smoking]]: "Nicotine Nazis strike again"<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2736555/ "Nicotine Nazis strike again": a brief analysis of the use of Nazi rhetoric in attacking tobacco control advocacy] by Nick K. Schneider & Stanton A. Glantz (2008) ''Tobacco Control'' 17(5):291–296. doi:10.1136/tc.2007.024653.</ref>
*[[Atheism]]: [[Pope]] [[Benedict XVI]], "Even in our own lifetime, we can recall how Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common humanity to many, especially the Jews, who were thought unfit to live. I also recall the regime’s attitude to Christian pastors and religious who spoke the truth in love, opposed the Nazis and paid for that opposition with their lives. As we reflect on the sobering lessons of the atheist extremism of the twentieth century, let us never forget how the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of society and thus to a “reductive vision of the person and his destiny”."<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11332515 Row after Pope's remarks on atheism and Nazis] (16 September 2010) ''BBC News''.</ref><ref>[https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2010/september/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20100916_incontro-autorita.html Address Of His Holiness Benedict XVI] (16 September 2010) ''Libreria Editrice Vaticana''.</ref>
*[[Books]], since Hitler had a library of about 1200 books,<ref>''Hitler's Library'' by Ambrus Miskolczy (2003) ''Central European University Press''. ISBN 9789633867075.</ref><ref>[https://library.brown.edu/collatoz/info.php?id=145 Books from the Adolf Hitler Library] ''Brown University Library''.</ref> and even wrote two himself (''[[Mein Kampf]]'' and unpublished sequel<ref>''Hitler's Second Book: The Unpublished Sequel to Mein Kampf'' by  Gerhard L. Weinberg (2003) Enigma. ISBN 1929631162.</ref>)
**Not liking books, since the Nazis also [[Book burning|burned plenty of them]]
*[[Capitalism]] and pro-market policies — Early on, to gain the support of the lower middle class, the party's political strategy focused on a Marxian rhetoric against big business, bourgeoisie, and capitalism; later on, however, to gain the support of business leaders, the main focus shifted to antisemitic and anti-Marxist themes.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McDonough |first1=Frank |title=Hitler and the Rise of the Nazi Party |date=2003 |publisher=Pearson/Longman |isbn=978-0582506060}}</ref>
*Cheap cars, as Volkswagen (literally "People's Car") was created in Nazi Germany<ref>{{wpa|Volkswagen#1932–1938: People's Car project}}</ref>
*[[Christianity]]<ref>[https://www.historytoday.com/archive/nazism-and-christian-heritage Nazism and the Christian Heritage: Robert Carr draws uncomfortable parallels between Christianity and Nazism] by Robert Carr (December 2003) ''History Review''.</ref>
*[[European Union]]: [[Boris Johnson]] on [[Brexit]], "Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods."<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/14/boris Boris Johnson: The EU wants a superstate, just as Hitler did] by Tim Ross (15 May 2016 • 10:22am) ''The Telegraph''.</ref> [[Gerard Batten]] of [[UKIP]], "But there is a closer link.  In 1942 when the German’s still thought they were going to win the war they produced a report entitled the Europaische Wirtschafts Gemeinschaft – which translates as the European Economic Community."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160521224518/http://gerardbattenmep.co.uk/2016/05/16/boris-hitler-and-the-european-union/ Boris, Hitler and the European Union.] (May 16, 2016) ''Gerard Batten MEP'' (archived from May 21, 2016).</ref>
*[[Evolution]] — see [[Hitler and evolution]]:<ref name=rennie>[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ben-steins-expelled-review-john-rennie/ Ben Stein's ''Expelled'': No Integrity Displayed. A shameful antievolution film tries to blame Darwin for the Holocaust] by John Rennie (April 9, 2008) ''Scientific American''.</ref> [[Institute for Creation Research]], "The Darwinian worldview was critical, not only in influencing the development of Nazism and communism, but also in the rise of the ruthless capitalists that flourished in the late 1800s and early 1900s."<ref>[https://www.icr.org/article/454/ Darwin's Influence on Ruthless Laissez Faire Capitalism] by Jerry Bergman (March 01, 2001) ''Institute for Creation Research''.</ref>
*[[Gun control]] — Neal Knox, regarding the {{wpl|Gun Control Act of 1968}} sponsored by Senator Dodd, "But a person close to Dodd — who must remain nameless even today — told me at the time that Dodd was very upset by the reigstration bills and had told him: "<nowiki>'</nowiki>''That's a Nazi bill.''<nowiki>'</nowiki>"{{efn|Italics in original}}<ref>''The Gun Rights War'' by Neal Knox (2009) MacFarlane Press. ISBN 0976863308.</ref>{{rp|286}} There was strict gun control during the Weimar Republic, but when the Nazis came to power, they loosened regulations for party members, but banned gun ownership for Jews and others considered undesirable.<ref>{{wpa|Nazi gun control argument}}</ref> [[Historical revisionism]] can enable ''reductio ad Hitlerum''.
*[[Homophobia]] — Widely practiced during the regime. See {{w|persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany}}
*[[Homosexuality]] — despite the previous item, there is a myth that [[Nazism and homosexuality|Nazis were pro-homosexual]] because one of them, Ernst Röhm, was gay.<ref>{{wpa|Nazism and homosexuality}}</ref> In [[homophobe]] [[Dinesh D'Souza]]'s revisionist film ''Death of a Nation'', Hitler is not only portrayed as supporting or at least being indifferent to homosexuals, but also as being left-wing… somehow.<ref>[https://www.mediamatters.org/dinesh-dsouza/dinesh-dsouzas-lazy-ugly-propaganda-film Dinesh D'Souza's lazy, ugly propaganda film: ''Death of a Nation'' is a disgusting farce, even by D’Souza standards] by Simon Maloy (08/09/18 11:03 AM EDT) ''Media Matters for America''.</ref> In fact, the Nazis killed huge numbers of homosexuals, including Röhm himself.
*Indian religions ([[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]] and [[Jainism]]), hence the ubiquitous use of the swastika (or Hakenkreuz)<ref>{{wpa|Religious views of Adolf Hitler#Hitler on Ancient Indian religions}}</ref>
*[[Islam]]<ref>{{wpa|Religious views of Adolf Hitler#Hitler on Islam}} Hitler also made private and public statements expressing admiration for what he perceived to be the militaristic nature of Islam and the political sharpness of the Prophet Muhammad.</ref><ref group=note>…Okay, there are some legitimate arguments that can be made against Islam, but we don't want to go into [[Islamophobia|that can of worms]].</ref>
*[[Japan|Japanese people]]<ref>{{wpa|Religious views of Adolf Hitler#Speer on Hitler's religious beliefs}}</ref>
*Movies, as the Nazis produced many of them (e.g. most notoriously ''{{wpa|Triumph of the Will}}'')<ref>{{wpa|Category:Films of Nazi Germany}}</ref>
*[[Occultism]] and [[Magick]]<ref>{{wpa|Occultism in Nazism}}</ref>
*People who have health problems<ref>{{wpa|Health of Adolf Hitler}}</ref>
*[[Same-sex marriage]] — Patriarch Kirill, the head of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodox Church]], compared the legalization of same-sex marriage to the laws of Nazi Germany, because in his view, both destroyed the traditional family.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20181219130940/https://ria.ru/20170529/1495279242.html Патриарх сравнил законы о гей-браках с законами фашистской Германии] (May 29, 2017) ''RIA Novosti'' (archived from December 19, 2018) "Принимаемые в ряде стран Запада законы о разрешении гомосексуальных браков полностью порывают с нравственной природой человека и вызывают такое же возмущение людей, как в свое время и законы фашистской Германии". Translation: "The laws adopted in a number of Western countries to allow homosexual marriages completely break with the moral nature of man and cause the same indignation of people as the laws of fascist Germany did in their time."</ref><ref>[https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2017/05/29/head-of-orthodox-church-compares-homosexual-marriage-to-nazism-a58108 Head of Orthodox Church Compares Homosexual Marriage to Nazism Head of Orthodox Church Compares Homosexual Marriage to Nazism] (May 29, 2017) ''Moscow Times''.</ref> It's ironic because Nazi Germany defined a traditional family that Kirill would probably agree with, ''[[Kinder, Küche, Kirche]]''.
*[[Socialism]] — you can't spell "national socialism" without "socialism",<ref>[https://www.snopes.com/news/2017/09/05/were-nazis-socialists/ Were the Nazis Socialists? We look into the burning (at least for some) question of whether members of the National German Socialist Workers' Party were accurately classified as "socialists".] by David Emery (5 Sep 2017) ''Snopes''.</ref> although Hitler had the left-leaning Nazis, the Strasserites, purged in the {{wpl|Night of the Long Knives||.}} [[Marjorie Taylor Greene]] claimed that the [[Democratic Party]] is "now a national socialist party" just like the "National Socialist German Workers’ Party".<ref name=solender/>
*Vaccine verification and [[face masks]] during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]: Marjorie Taylor Greene said that they are "Nazi practices" similar to yellow stars forced upon Jews by Nazis.<ref name=solender>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2021/07/08/heres-what-marjorie-taylor-greene-has-compared-to-nazi-germany/ Here’s Everything Marjorie Taylor Greene Has Compared To Nazi Germany] by Andrew Solender (Jul 9, 2021, 09:57am EDT) ''Forbes''.</ref>
*Wealthy people: Billionaire {{wpl|Tom Perkins}} complained to the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' that the [[Occupy Wall Street|Occupy movement]] and the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' are [[demonizing]] rich people: "I would call attention to the parallels of Nazi Germany to its war on its 'one percent,' namely its Jews, to the progressive war on the American one percent, namely the 'rich.' From the Occupy movement to the demonization of the rich embedded in virtually every word of our local newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, I perceive a rising tide of hatred of the successful one percent."<ref>[https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/01/26/266685819/billionaire-compares-outrage-over-rich-in-s-f-to-kristallnacht Billionaire Compares Outrage Over Rich In SF To Kristallnacht] by Elise Hu (January 26, 20144:10 PM ET) ''NPR''.</ref>
*[[Zionism#Comparing Zionism and Nazism|Zionism]]
}}
[[File:Anti-Gay-Protester Boston 2007.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Making one of these types of analogies can make a person look really stupid.]]
[[Jonah Goldberg]] (yes, [[Jonanism|that Jonah Goldberg]]) in his book ''Liberal Fascism'' likely reached maximum ''reductio ad Hitlerum'' in a single paragraph, hitting so many topics at once that one could call him "''Der Führer''" of ''reductio ad Hitlerum'' (but one shouldn't):<ref>''Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Change'' by Jonah Goldberg (2009)‎ Forum Books. ISBN 0767917189.</ref>{{rp|19}}
{{cquote|Or consider the explosion of health and [[New Age]] crusades in recent years, from the war on smoking, to the obsession with [[animal rights]], to the sanctification of [[organic food]]s. No one disputes that these fads are a product of the cultural and political [[left]]. But few are willing to grapple with the fact that we've seen this sort of thing before. [[Heinrich Himmler]] was a certified animal rights activist and aggressive promoter of "[[Naturopathy|natural healing]]." [[Rudolf Hess]], Hitler's deputy, championed [[homeopathy]] and [[herbal medicine]]s. Hitler and his advisers dedicated hours of their time to discussions of the need to move the entire nation to [[vegetarianism]] as a response to the unhealthiness promoted by [[capitalism]]. [[Concentration camp|Dachau]] hosted the world's largest [[Alternative medicine|alternative and organic medicine]] research lab and produced its own [[Raw honey|organic honey]].}}

==Overlap with Holocaust denial==
[[File:Del Bigtree.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Bigtree, promoting [[pseudoscience]] while flirting with Holocaust denial]]
{{main|Holocaust denial}}
Inappropriate Nazi analogies can have the effect of downplaying the Holocaust and other [[crimes against humanity]] of the [[Third Reich]]. This is particularly the case when the thing being compared to the Holocaust is not only less bad than the Holocaust but entirely unobjectionable.

For example, during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], many [[Anti-vaccination movement|anti-vaccine protesters]] took to wearing yellow stars to protest vaccine mandates. [[Antivax]] leader [[Del Bigtree]] started doing this before the pandemic.<ref>[https://www.adl.org/blog/anti-vaccine-protesters-misappropriate-holocaust-era-symbol-to-promote-their-cause Anti-Vaccine Protesters Misappropriate Holocaust-Era Symbol to Promote Their Cause] (April 5, 2019) ''ADL''.</ref> As international relations scholar Nicholas Grossman has pointed out, “This is a warped form of Holocaust denial. … [T]he core point, charitably interpreted, is that the Holocaust was public pressure in response to a voluntary choice, when it was actually the industrialized mass murder of millions just for who they were.”<ref>[https://archive.is/yFcpB This is a warped form of Holocaust denial. Might not seem like it at first, but the core point, charitably interpreted, is that the Holocaust was public pressure in response to a voluntary choice, when it actually was industrialized mass murder of millions just for who they were.] by Nicholas Grossman (4:50 PM - 12 Nov 2021) ''Twitter'' (archived from 4 Feb 2022 19:37:36 UTC).</ref>

==Criticisms==
Some, such as author [[Robert J. Sawyer]], have criticized Godwin's Law for implying the [[Holocaust]] was ''sui generis'', a unique event that can never happen again. Consequently, he argues, people will be reluctant to issue comparisons for future situations until it is too late, and even if they try, Godwin's Law will be used to falsely shoot them down.<ref>[http://sfwriter.com/blog/?p=4819 Authoritarians: An existential threat] by Robert J. Sawyer (December 18<sup>th</sup>, 2015) ''Science Fiction Writer''.</ref>

==Similar analogies==
Hitler comparisons are not the only kind of default association with negative and infamous historical figures; other people make comparisons with various other dictators such as [[Mussolini]],<ref>[https://www.wthr.com/amp/article/news/politics/trump-tweeting-mussolini-quote-its-very-interesting-quote/531-d929f6c3-45f1-4f0c-8b48-70460923c0c0 Trump on tweeting Mussolini quote: 'It's a very interesting quote'] by Evan Hoffmeyer (November 27, 2017) ''WTHR''.</ref> [[Stalin]],<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/7k6lwo/til_that_theres_a_communist_version_of_reductio/?rdt=37006 TIL that there’s a communist version of “reductio ad Hitlerum” called “reductio ad Stalinum”, where the person who commits the fallacy dismisses his or her opponent as a socialist, marxist or communist] by TARDIS40TT (c. 2017) ''Reddit''.</ref> and many others.

==The opposite==
A reverse effect happens when people's views or actions are compared to those of well-known sages or heroes, such as [[Einstein]], [[Lincoln]], etc. The basic idea is that "if you think or do like them, you will be like them". And just like Hitler, they are often promoted as the authors of false quotes or the subjects of spurious stories.

While both Hitler<ref>''Hitler: A Study in Tyranny'' by Alan Bullock (1962) Penguin Books. ISBN 0140135642.</ref><ref>''Adolf Hitler'' by John Toland (1976) Ballantine Books. ISBN 0345258991.</ref> and Einstein<ref>[http://www.ivu.org/history/northam20a/einstein.html Albert Einstein (1879-1955)] ''International Vegetarian Union''.</ref><ref>''The Ultimate Quotable Einstein'', edited by Alice Calaprice (2011) Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691207291.</ref>{{rp|453–454}} adopted a [[vegetarian]] diet at some point of their lives, two distinct pieces of information that are conveniently brought up by both proponents and critics of vegetarianism in separate occasions when they see fit, this hardly means that one would be as bad as Hitler or as intelligent as Einstein only because one does not eat meat. Citing historical examples (when backed up by proper historical evidence) can be an important part of supporting a cause, but are far from being a sufficient argument by themselves.

==See also==
{{collist|2|
*''[[Ad hominem]]''
*[[Antifa]]
*[[Axis of evil]] 
*[[Glenn Beck]]
*[[Dickwad theory]]
*[[Fascism‎#Broadness of the term "fascism"]]
*[[Gore's Law]]
*[[Hyperbole]]
*[[Irony meter#Measurable quantities|Irony meter]]
*[[Scott Lively]]
*[[Red-baiting]], often [[Shoehorning|used]] [[Horseshoe theory|conjointly]]
*[[Ben Stein]]<ref name=rennie/>
*[[Straw man]]
}}
==External links==
* {{wpa|Reductio ad Hitlerum|''Reductio ad Hitlerum''}}
*[http://www.fallacyfiles.org/adnazium.html Ad Nazium], [[Fallacy Files]]
*[http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.10/godwin.if.html Meme, Counter Meme], ''Wired''
*[http://faqs.cs.uu.nl/na-dir/usenet/legends/godwin.html How to post about Nazis and get away with it] — the Godwin's Law FAQ
*[http://www.slate.com/articles/briefing/explainer/2011/10/hank_williams_jr_firing_who_was_the_rhetorical_worst_person_in_h.html Before Hitler, who did people compare their political enemies to?] (Mostly [[Pharaoh|this guy]].)
*[http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2012/09/11/greatest-godwin-ever/ Greatest. Godwin. Ever.], Dispatches from the Culture Wars
*[http://www.reddit.com/r/godwinslaw/ /r/godwinslaw/] Godwin's law on [[reddit]]. The site of bad historical analogies.
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ReFrDc8Plk How Godwin's law demeans Hitler, hehe.] ([[Inverse stopped clock|Albeit]] using both Abu Ghraib and [[Guantanamo Bay]] as examples...)

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{Eponymous laws}}
{{logfal}}

[[Category:Ad hominem]]
[[Category:Fallacious arguments]]
[[Category:Informal fallacies]]
[[Category:Nazism]]
[[Category:Pseudo-Latin phrases]]

Categories: Ad hominem, Fallacious arguments, Informal fallacies, Nazism, Pseudo-Latin phrases