My very minor status as an authority on Adolf Hitler comparisons stems from having coined “Godwin’s Law” about three decades ago. I originally framed this “law” as a pseudoscientific postulate: “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.” (That is, its likelihood approaches 100 percent.)
… We had the luxury of deriving humor from Hitler and Nazi comparisons when doing so was almost always hyperbole. It’s not a luxury we can afford anymore.
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What’s arguably worse than Trump’s frank authoritarianism is his embrace of dehumanizing tropes that seem to echo Hitler’s rhetoric deliberately. For many weeks now, Trump has been road-testing his use of the word “vermin” to describe those who oppose him and to characterize undocumented immigrants as “poisoning the blood of our country.” Even for an amateur historian like me, the parallels to Hitler’s rhetoric seem inescapable.
You’re right that the subjects don’t have equal weights in reality. But at the time of Godwin’s Law becoming a thing, the idea of fascism being an okay thing seemed about as ridiculous in the general public eye. We as a society do seem to forget the lessons from the past, or maybe some things hide and give the appearance of being gone.
In the U.S. I blame the underlying racism and “heritage” of the southern states (that spread to other states) which never really disappeared thanks to the fumbling of the Civil War resolution, but lay waiting for decades for new opportunities. It’s no wonder that neo-Confederatism and neo-nazi seem to be found in similar places, ironically often wrapped in an American flag.
Complacence is part of the problem. There’s a great 1943 video called “Don’t Be a Sucker” that unfortunately is still timely in its message.
Yes - i think people forget and the younger ones mostly don’t even relate, it’s already on history books and too abstract.