Tony Hinchcliffe BAD Joke at Trump’s Rally

[What Am I]

5 minutes ago, DocWatts said:

Welp, wasn't expecting a full-blown reboot of the infamous infamous 1939 Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden as Trump's 'October Surprise' (just a week before the election, no less), but we find ourselves living in strange times. 

I may have missed the reasoning for the comparison amidst all this noise. Is it simply because a Nazi rally was also held in MSG in 1939, or is there some other factor that makes the two events similar?

Edited 3 hours ago by What Am I

[DocWatts]

1 hour ago, What Am I said:

I may have missed the reasoning for the comparison amidst all this noise. Is it simply because a Nazi rally was also held in MSG in 1939, or is there also some other factor that makes the two events similar?

The racism on display was so ugly and blatant that the public relations teams for the RNC (!!) are working overtime to backpedal from the rhetoric here. Puerto Ricans (who I remind you are American citizens) were literally referred to as 'garbage' by an RNC vetted 'comedian', reading from a teleprompter.

Mind you, this is coming on the heels of Trump literally praising Hitler, endorsing a self-described 'black Nazi' for governor of North Carolina, calling immigrants 'vermin', referring to American citizens who oppose his dictatorial plans as 'the enemy within', and openly stating that he wants to deploy the military against United States citizens.

Short of Trump stepping on stage in front of a swastika and calling for a final solution to the 'illegals' problem, it's hard to think of how the historical parallels could be made any more blatant at this point.
 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by DocWatts

[What Am I]

19 minutes ago, DocWatts said:

The racism on display was so ugly and blatant that the public relations teams for the RNC (!!) are working overtime to do damage control. Puerto Ricans (who I remind you are American citizens) were literally referred to as 'garbage' by an RNC vetted 'comedian', reading from a teleprompter.

Mind you this, is coming on the heels of Trump literally praising Hitler, endorsing a self-described 'black Nazi' for governor of North Carolina, calling immigrants 'vermin', referring to American citizens who oppose his dictatorial plans as 'the enemy within', and openly stating that he wants to deploy the military against United States citizens.

Short of Trump stepping on stage in front of a swastika and calling for a final solution to the 'illegals' problem, it's hard to think of how the historical parallels could be made any more blatant at this point.

Well, you have made a better case for the comparison than what I was aware of before asking the question, but I still think it's a little hyperbolic and opportunistic. I think the use of that comparison is meant to strategically shift people's perspectives before an upcoming election, and that's allowing exaggeration to play a part. If we're really talking about the Nazis, they did some serious shit. But I guess I do see where the rally opened the door to allow the comparison in the first place. They have themselves to blame for making it possible.

[DocWatts]

23 minutes ago, What Am I said:

Well, you have made a better case for the comparison than what I was aware of before asking the question, but I still think it's a little hyperbolic and opportunistic. I think the use of that comparison is meant to strategically shift people's perspectives before an upcoming election, and that's allowing exaggeration to play a part. If we're really talking about the Nazis, they did some serious shit. But I guess I do see where the rally opened the door to allow the comparison in the first place. They have themselves to blame for making it possible.

What people should keep in mind is that the apt historical comparison at this point is the rhetoric and tactics the Nazis were using to destroy Weimer democracy in the early 1930s, while they still had some constraints on their behavior (just like American fascism is working to subvert the constraints that are imposed upon them by American democracy).

It's unfortunate that the type of folk-history that's common here in the 'States mostly mostly glosses over how the Nazis were able to subvert democracy, with most of the focus going to the horrific things they did while they were in power (which is obviously very important, but less instructive for where we're at now).

(To that end, I would HIGHLY recommend 'The Death of Democracy: Hitler's Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic' by Benjamin Carter Hett as a resource for anyone who wants an in-depth account of this).

Edited 2 hours ago by DocWatts

[PurpleTree]

54 minutes ago, DocWatts said:

The racism on display was so ugly and blatant that the public relations teams for the RNC (!!) are working overtime to backpedal from the rhetoric here. Puerto Ricans (who I remind you are American citizens) were literally referred to as 'garbage' by an RNC vetted 'comedian', reading from a teleprompter.

I mean to be fair i think he never said that Puerto Ricans are garbage. He just said (from what i heard) he thinks the garbage island (which does exist) is named Puerto Rico. 

[What Am I]

33 minutes ago, DocWatts said:

What people should keep in mind is that the apt historical comparison at this point is the rhetoric and tactics the Nazis were using to destroy Weimer democracy in the early 1930s, while they still had some constraints on their behavior (just like American fascism is working to subvert the constraints that are imposed upon them by American democracy).

It's unfortunate that the type of folk-history that's common here in the 'States mostly mostly glosses over how the Nazis were able to subvert democracy, with most of the focus going to the horrific things they did while they were in power (which is obviously very important, but less instructive for where we're at now).

(To that end, I would HIGHLY recommend 'The Death of Democracy: Hitler's Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic' by Benjamin Carter Hett as a resource for anyone who wants an in-depth account of this).

Your knowledge of history certainly blows mine away. I was always a dunce in that area and never had the interest needed to actively pursue it.

If there's parallels between the modern US and the Nazis from the time before they committed their atrocities, it'd probably be more effective in changing minds for those similarities to be highlighted more often. I only ever hear the simplistic "Trump is Hitler" kind of talk.

A cautionary warning might be taken more seriously if it was better understood what occurred during that time period where the Nazis were considered mostly benign, at least in comparison to what they eventually became.