09-01-2021, 01:17 PM
(09-01-2021, 02:30 AM)Dill Wrote: One can “criticize” anything or anyone without reference to “Nazis, Taliban or ISIS,” sure.
Outstanding! Then doing so should be no problem going forward.
Quote:The goal is understanding, not “division” and “demonization.”
You're not saying anything new here. I don't think there was anyone who didn't understand what your stated objective was. The problem is you don't understand how your stated goal and reality do not intersect, at all. You say you may make such comparisons with good intentions, and I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that this is the case. However, the real world ramifications of such comparisons are radically different then your stated goal. They do not increase understanding and they absolutely increase division and demonization. When one's actions cause a polar opposite results to that intended it would behoove said person to reexamine said practice and analyze why such unintended results were achieved.
I'm saying this with the intent of being non-confrontational, because I think you're on the cusp of realizing why these comparisons are such a poor idea. I work, especially within the past few years, with a lot of academics and advocates interested in criminal justice reform. They largely, with some notable exceptions, have good intentions and genuinely want to make things better. The problem, and it always, always comes up, is that they have zero real world experience of how their proposed ideas will actually impact society in the real world. When they get the opposite result or their stated goal they always react with bewilderment, despite our informing them that exactly what happened would happen and why. To state it in one sentence, they understand theory, they do not understand people.
How does this tie into you and your Nazi/Taliban comparisons? You state you make them to draw attention to what you believe are alarming trends in our country/democracy. You attempt to highlight behavior you believe to be analogous to that exhibited by these awful groups with the intention of ensuring we never go down the same road. The problem is, and will always be with such comparisons, is that the average person doesn't get the nuance, they see "X" group they don't like is comparable to Nazis/Taliban. Most people don't want to engage in deep thought about ideological differences, they're in group "A" and the people they disagree with are in group "B". When someone makes an argument comparing group "B" with Nazis or Taliban the only thing they internalize is group "B" are Nazis or Taliban. I've provided two very obvious examples from major public figures in this thread, and digging up numerous other examples would be childishly simple.
So, seeing as your stated goal is rarely, if ever, achieved in large numbers and your exact opposite intention is much more like the default interpretation than an aberration one must conclude that such comparisons, well intentioned on your part though they may be, are inherently destructive, polarizing and inflammatory. I could end with a statement about the road to hell and all, but I trust you, and anyone else reading, get the point.
