yey bette eae eee Rs)

¢ War of the words: cultural appropriation

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¢ Crying wolf
Vegans should be more understanding

b C) b that not everyone can become vegan
..and that's everything!

 

Crying
wolf veryone | Don't

whoneedsaood = File @ 9s HITLER!

can just yell tragedy?

Matthew Fraser The Emotional Child's

Opinions Editor

ometimes people are so terrified that G U i ed e t o

words fail them; they are so distraught
that they are reduced to shaking. Be it -_*
offensive tweets or uncouth politicians, a o | . tI ¢ qc i
there are times when words evade even
the most erudite speaker. At times like a a
this, people will fall back on hyperbole D 4 Ss ¢€ Uy Ss Sl Oo ni
and comparison; at worst, they will use an
unholy union of both.

This draws to mind the all too
frequent comparison of current events to
historic tragedies, namely, Hitler and Nazi
Germany. This comparison and realm of
attack is so common that it has spawned its
own adage as Godwin’s law: the idea that if
an argument online continues long enough
someone, somewhere, will eventually
compare the other side to Hitler.

Recently, Gina Carano was “cancelled”
ostensibly for her comparison of the
current treatment of conservatives to the
previous treatment of Jews. Some of her
more astute defenders pointed out after
the fact that her Mandalorian co-star Pedro
Pascal has a history of doing so as well. It’s
a frightfully common way of denigrating
anything that people don't like, and it
extends past Hitler and into any tragedy of
historic magnitude.

Conservative thought leaders
and politicians like Ted Cruz and Dan
Crenshaw are quick to call their opponents
socialists and state that their policies
will invariably lead to breadlines and
totalitarianism—quickly conjuring images
of Stalin and Russian winters to defend
the rugged individualism that they adhere
to. These accusations have run rampant
to the point that people literally protest
healthcare access as if it were delivered in
the halls of a Gulag and some would argue
they even cost Bernie Sanders a job.

So, do these historic hyperboles hurt
the people making them?

I think often enough the answer is
yes. When these comparisons are done—
particularly in the political realm—they
wear out the efficacy of these comments if
they were warranted to begin with. Usually,
comparisons to Nazi Germany open the
person making them up to accusations of
anti-Semitism. It is almost never the case
that these people are true anti-Semites but
comparing trivial actions to the murder
of millions certainly carries an air of

 

  

Meme by Joey Miller on Facebook

 

belittlement. And it’s that air of disregard I refer to Trump as a neo-fascist, I must universal healthcare as socialist while calling thoughtless hyperbole. Though it feels
and historic illiteracy that so thoroughly seriously consider the potential absurdity Nordic countries socialist, young people will _ right to say it, it often ages poorly and
weakens the comparison. In fact, liberals of the definition (though I haven't changed grow to like this image of socialism. looks ridiculous in hindsight. Luckily,
have been comparing republicans (and my mind). And on the other hand, the By cheapening historic tragedies, we can compare things we don't like
conservatives’ writ large) to Hitler since favourability of socialism by American we prove ourselves incapable of making to Trump, and it'll be at least more
youth has risen with nearly 50 percent ofthe — accurate and well thought out critiques. acceptable and potentially appropriate.

at least 1964; it got so bad that Bill Maher
had to issue an apology and say about
Trump “this is different.” Even now when

Millennial and Gen Z population in favour of We also bury the real issues of the day
it. This signals that perhaps when you label under generally inappropriate and