What’s more, Vladmir_M referenced Hitler in an argument that something bad wouldn’t be repeated until Hitler. That’s not hypothetical, that references a terrible thing in the technically true rhetorical construct of “X is/was the worst thing since/until Y” where Y is/was worse than X, possibly by orders of magnitude, but the brain associates X and Y as similar regardless, in a way that is inappropriate.
Every totalitarian terror state has been consciously inspired by the French Revolution and Red Terror—Marx invokes the red terror as a good idea, though perhaps not carried out with sufficient thoroughness.
While “X was the worst thing until Y” can inappropriately associate X and Y, there are in this case many connections and similarities between X and Y.
Critics of the French Revolution foresaw twentieth century totalitarianism in its actions and ideology:
Joseph de Maistre foretold:
The people are told by their masters:
You believe that you don’t want this law, but we assure you that you do. If you dare reject it we shall shoot you down in order to punish you for not wanting what you do want.
and then they do so
Since reference to Hitler automatically provokes irrationality, I would have said, and come to think of it I did say, that the French revolution prefigured the totalitarian terror regimes of the twentieth century.
“Every totalitarian terror state has been consciously inspired by the French Revolution and Red Terror”
Every democratic and freedom-loving state has also been inspired by the ideals of the French Revolution and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
Also everything good and everything bad in the Western World since the Rise of the Roman Empire, has been influenced from the Roman Empire. This includes the czars of Russia being called “Czars” (from Caesar), and the Senate of the United States being called a “Senate”.
Saying that a world-smashing thing helps inspire subsequent things, both bad and good, isn’t a testament to its badness—it’s a testament to its importance.
the totalitarian terror regimes of the twentieth century.
That’s the phrase you use to avoid provoking the irrationality that comes from referencing Hitler?
France’s was a case of willingness to convict nine innocents lest a guilty person go free, while a significant part of Germany’s was gratuitous—this is a qualitative difference.
While “X was the worst thing until Y” can inappropriately associate X and Y, there are in this case many connections and similarities between X and Y.
People are well trained to go instant frothing at the mouth crazy at such words as “Hitler”, “Nazi”, and “fascist”. Four legs good, two legs bad.
But such words as “totalitarian” and “terror” instead provoke the anti anti communist reflex and the anti Islamophobia reflex, where with great sophistication, calmness, maturity and civility they assure us that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.
Downvoted: If you know these words provoke irrational responses, then that’s all the more reason that you shouldn’t have used them. We’re a forum that seeks to promote rationality, not irrationality.
Every totalitarian terror state has been consciously inspired by the French Revolution and Red Terror—Marx invokes the red terror as a good idea, though perhaps not carried out with sufficient thoroughness.
While “X was the worst thing until Y” can inappropriately associate X and Y, there are in this case many connections and similarities between X and Y.
Critics of the French Revolution foresaw twentieth century totalitarianism in its actions and ideology:
Joseph de Maistre foretold:
Since reference to Hitler automatically provokes irrationality, I would have said, and come to think of it I did say, that the French revolution prefigured the totalitarian terror regimes of the twentieth century.
Every democratic and freedom-loving state has also been inspired by the ideals of the French Revolution and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
Also everything good and everything bad in the Western World since the Rise of the Roman Empire, has been influenced from the Roman Empire. This includes the czars of Russia being called “Czars” (from Caesar), and the Senate of the United States being called a “Senate”.
Saying that a world-smashing thing helps inspire subsequent things, both bad and good, isn’t a testament to its badness—it’s a testament to its importance.
That’s the phrase you use to avoid provoking the irrationality that comes from referencing Hitler?
People are well trained to go instant frothing at the mouth crazy at such words as “Hitler”, “Nazi”, and “fascist”. Four legs good, two legs bad.
But such words as “totalitarian” and “terror” instead provoke the anti anti communist reflex and the anti Islamophobia reflex, where with great sophistication, calmness, maturity and civility they assure us that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.
Downvoted: If you know these words provoke irrational responses, then that’s all the more reason that you shouldn’t have used them. We’re a forum that seeks to promote rationality, not irrationality.