Inflammatory Rhetoric ... A Quiz
Sunday June 25, 2006
A member of the US Politics Forum points us to an online quiz comparing quotes from Ann Coulter and Adolf Hitler. I have a knee-jerk negative reaction to comparisons between Hitler and any current political figure (and no bones about it, Coulter is a political figure).
But rather than shut down the thread -- I checked out the quiz. To say that I was surprised would be an understatement (even though I got 10 of the 14 quotations correct). Here's a sampling (to see which is Coulter and which is Hitler -- either use Google or take the quiz):
What passes for paid political commentary can very easily be confused with rhetoric from someone the West almost universally views as a demonic dictator. Her example flies in the face of my efforts to maintain a community where folks can disagree on ideas in a respectful manner. What a model Coulter makes.
Back Story
I was appalled at a 2004 Republican 87-second-long “Webmercial,” where footage of a vocal Hitler "is overlaid with the words 'sponsored by MoveOn.org' while the ad’s opening screen says 'The Faces of John Kerry’s Democratic Party.'" In 2004, MoveOn sponsored a contest -- two of the 1,100 entries contained comparisons to Hitler. After learning about the spots, MoveOn removed them. [Please spare me any comments suggesting that "liberals" are the first to officially sanction use of the Hitler card in debate about this Administration.]
I don't know why I'm surprised that Coulter's rhetoric so closely matches Hitler's. As FAIR pointed out in January 2004, "however hyperbolic, comparisons to Hitler and fascism are not unknown in the American political debate. Rush Limbaugh has routinely called women's rights advocates "femi-Nazis," and references to "Hitlery Clinton" are a staple of right-wing talk radio. Republican power-broker Grover Norquist on NPR (10/2/03) compared inheritance taxes to the Holocaust."
An Emotional Distraction
Hate talk is hate talk. It should have no place in legitimate political dialog in this country.
The fact that it does have a place says something ... I'm not sure what, but it ain't good ... about acceptable political discourse and the state of media in America. Maybe it's as simple as sowing FUD or "Look, over there!" distraction.
After all, it's a lot easier to call someone a liar than it is to talk intelligently about serious issues -- issues that have no easy solutions. Issues like the burgeoning debt and deficit spending, inflationary pressure, immigration, the cost of health care and the potential for Medicare to bankrupt the country in my lifetime, our role in the world ...
But rather than shut down the thread -- I checked out the quiz. To say that I was surprised would be an understatement (even though I got 10 of the 14 quotations correct). Here's a sampling (to see which is Coulter and which is Hitler -- either use Google or take the quiz):
"The truth is another hateful "bourgeois institution."... liberals always seem to be enthusiastically defending liars. Lying is their most cherished human activity."The lack of civility in modern political discourse is something that bothers the heck out of me. Don't believe me? Go visit the US Politics Forum and see the whines from members when we enforce rules about personal attacks and intentionally inflammatory rhetoric. For the uninitiated, that means we frown on arguments based on personal attacks, instead of on reason. We enforce the apparently novel concept called "discuss the idea, not the poster."
"The foremost connoisseurs of this truth regarding the possibilities in the use of falsehood and slander have always been the liberals..."
What passes for paid political commentary can very easily be confused with rhetoric from someone the West almost universally views as a demonic dictator. Her example flies in the face of my efforts to maintain a community where folks can disagree on ideas in a respectful manner. What a model Coulter makes.
Back Story
I was appalled at a 2004 Republican 87-second-long “Webmercial,” where footage of a vocal Hitler "is overlaid with the words 'sponsored by MoveOn.org' while the ad’s opening screen says 'The Faces of John Kerry’s Democratic Party.'" In 2004, MoveOn sponsored a contest -- two of the 1,100 entries contained comparisons to Hitler. After learning about the spots, MoveOn removed them. [Please spare me any comments suggesting that "liberals" are the first to officially sanction use of the Hitler card in debate about this Administration.]
I don't know why I'm surprised that Coulter's rhetoric so closely matches Hitler's. As FAIR pointed out in January 2004, "however hyperbolic, comparisons to Hitler and fascism are not unknown in the American political debate. Rush Limbaugh has routinely called women's rights advocates "femi-Nazis," and references to "Hitlery Clinton" are a staple of right-wing talk radio. Republican power-broker Grover Norquist on NPR (10/2/03) compared inheritance taxes to the Holocaust."
An Emotional Distraction
Hate talk is hate talk. It should have no place in legitimate political dialog in this country.
The fact that it does have a place says something ... I'm not sure what, but it ain't good ... about acceptable political discourse and the state of media in America. Maybe it's as simple as sowing FUD or "Look, over there!" distraction.
After all, it's a lot easier to call someone a liar than it is to talk intelligently about serious issues -- issues that have no easy solutions. Issues like the burgeoning debt and deficit spending, inflationary pressure, immigration, the cost of health care and the potential for Medicare to bankrupt the country in my lifetime, our role in the world ...
See Ann Coulter Attacks 9/11 Widows, Senator John Kerry on How to Irk Ann Coulter and Honor 9/11 Widows, Opinion: Time Magazine Dignifies Hatred, Ann Coulter and Vietnam, DNC04: Coulter's Demise?
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