By Craig McDermott, crossposted from Random Musings
With internet-based political discussions (and real world ones, too), there is a “law” called “Godwin’s Law”.
The definition, according to UrbanDictionary.com –
A term that originated on Usenet, Godwin’s Law states that as an online argument grows longer and more heated, it becomes increasingly likely that somebody will bring up Adolf Hitler or the Nazis. When such an event occurs, the person guilty of invoking Godwin’s Law has effectively forfieted [sic] the argument.
Basically, a “Nazi” or “Hitler” analogy is used when a person involved in an argument wants to associate something they disagree with to what was recognized as perhaps the greatest evil of the 20th century.
Thanks to the push back over the use of that tactic (basically, the users lose all credibility), desperate debaters started searching for another over-the-top analogy to use, one that hadn’t developed the rhetorical baggage of the “Nazi” analogy.
Apparently, they have found one.
America’s “Peculiar Institution“, slavery.