"I Had a Scary Dream About Trump"
"Those who do not remember history are condemned to repeat it"
Many who have tried to compare the current election cycle to history are met with an uncomfortable reality. Call Donald Trump a demagogue and face the wrath of conservatives everywhere who can't stomach a Hillary Clinton presidency (for various reasons). You'll be accused of over simplifying, or told that you're equating everyone you don't like to Hitler. Fail to address Donald Trump as such and not only will you draw ire from liberals, you'll be aiding the desensitization of this country to such foreign concepts as Donald Trump and many of his supporters.
Still, awkward as it may be to discuss, this election reeks of demagoguery. With sotto voce anti-Semitic speech from Trump and especially his supporters (many of whom represent broad coalitions of white supremacist groups from #AllLivesMatter to the actual KKK) we begin to draw some pretty strong parallel between Trump and Hitler. Trump's proposal of a Muslim ban and tests on their faith would be unlike anything the United States has ever seen, but not unlike anything the world has ever seen.
Consider the human impact of Trump, his speech, and the kind of speech he encourages. Consider whether comparing Trump and Hitler is fair, or if it's just the sort of anti-Trump propaganda any idiot could make online. Consider perhaps other historical figures more aptly compared to Donald's campaign.
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I am very tired of the argument that Trump is basically Hitler, but there is merit to it. Donald Trump supports authoritarian policies, such as throwing his opponent in prison if she loses, rounding up millions of illegal immigrants and breaking up families, banning an entire religious group from entering the country, implementing stop and frisk nationwide, asking his supporters to "monitor" political opponents at the polls, trying to crack down on the press by instituting strict libel laws, happily murdering the family members of terrorists just because they are relatives, defying the Geneva Convention, and "believe me", there are many more. These are clearly the policies of a dictator, not of a leader who believes in democratic principles. I personally don't know if Trump actually believes these things, as everything seems to be a show to him. Nonetheless, it is highly disturbing that a decent amount of Americans seem to support these extreme positions. His actions are making the hatred of others more widespread and his calls for violence have actually led to violence at rallies. Personally, I think the worst human impact of his campaign is the effect it is having on young Americans. Many in this generation, who just started following politics in this election, will think that Trump's behavior is normal and that is how politics should be. The impact on the young generation could lead to Trump's ideas becoming more mainstream as the young people inspired by him grow older.
ReplyDeleteAgree. Tragic. Incalculable.
DeleteI have to say that I agree with the Trump/Hitler comparison. Hitler was a great public speaker, and that's how he rose to such popularity, and brainwashed everyone into going along with him. Now, while Trump may not really have the "best words" as he claims he does, he is still quite popular thanks to his past TV shows, movie cameos, and more. Both men can be viewed as being highly discriminatory, especially towards certain races and religions. So, yes, while the comparison is anti-Trump, it is still accurate to a degree. Trump rallies are already known for being crazy places to begin with, so why shouldn't his speeches follow suit if he becomes President? Who's to say he wouldn't create a salute? Who's to say he wouldn't really try to exterminate, or at least remove as many Muslims as possible? It's a scary possibility that Trump presidency could in many ways act as a modern day Hitler reign.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately America has seen things similar to Trump in the past, especially during World War II. Japanese internment camps banning Jews to enter America are just two I can think of off the top of my head. We’ve has Trump-y moments in our past, but we’ve managed to overcome them; whether that may mean hiding the facts or reversing mistakes we have in some ways gotten passed this parts of our history, gluing the glass together but some truly fixing it. Trump would be one BIG mistake, possibly not capable of fixing. Some may say comparing him to Hitler is just rhetoric, but if he can be compared, and examples can be given as to how he is remotely similar, he’s too similar. JFK, Jefferson, and Lincoln, just three of our best Presidents (according to lists I found online), are never compared to Hitler. Even our worst Presidents and our “average” Presidents can’t be compared, and this is no coincidence.
ReplyDeleteTrump has said things only nationalistic fascists would say with little to no repercussions for his words. He has motivated his followers to become violent and has unapologetically said blatantly racist things in front of thousands, with the hopes of uniting and empowering his followers. He’s spewed negative rhetoric about other races and lower socioeconomic statuses. It’s too easy to draw parallels between Trump and Hitler, and for that reason, among others, people should not support him and he should not be a viable candidate. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck.
I'm not a Muslim, but I am a Jew. I am also a woman. All of these characteristics mean that I am part of groups that have been targeted one way or another. Because of this, my family and I have had similar conversations as those in this article. The parallels to Hitler are uncanny and certainly not unfair. I honestly cannot think of another leader that is comparable to Hitler the way that Trump is. Overall, I understand the scared and concerned nature of the family in this article, however thankfully it is unlikely that any of Trump's Hitler/Nazi-esque plans will come to fruition.
ReplyDeleteTo quote Louis C.K:
ReplyDelete“Please stop it with voting for Trump, It was funny for a little while. But the guy is Hitler. And by that I mean that we are being Germany in the ’30s. Do you think they saw the sh*t coming? Hitler was just some hilarious and refreshing dude with a weird comb over who would say anything at all.”
Joking aside, comparing Donald Trump to Hitler isn't too far off, but a distinction must be made. Trump's speeches contain a lot of the same techniques Hitler used to rally Germany after being screwed over by WWI and the Treaty of Versailles. Trump during his speeches lacks emotional constraint, constantly promises to rebuild the once great nation, and uses groups such as Mexicans and Muslims to blame for what our nation has become. But unlike Hitler, Donald Trump's a lot of talk with no actions to back himself up. And unlike Hitler, if Trump somehow does come into a level of power, he could never carry through with his "political stance."
I agree with Ian. Trump uses a lot of the same tactics that Hitler used to get in power. This can be seen in his speeches where he relies on spreading hatred. There are certainly a lot of similarities, but I think the biggest difference between the two will be that Hitler had unlimited power to exercise his will. Even if Trump does become president, there are checks and balances from the other two branches of government so he cannot order the mass genocide of millions of innocent people as Hitler did.
DeleteThe Trump Hitler comparison is actually very eerie, and truthful to the most part, but there are a few differences. Trump can speak about a wall and this and that, but most of his ideas and policies most likely wouldn't end up coming to fruition. Not only would it have to be passed and signed, but the fact that he most likely won't win the presidency helps too. However, his hateful speeches directed at certain groups, and his disregard for those who don't support him has put him on the same level as one of the worst men ever.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's fair to say that Trump is Hitler. It's certainly fair to compare him to Hitler and look at the many similarities. But, you also have to look at the significant differences. Trump and Hitler both have similar ideas about racial groups and they both have a lot of passion mixed in with their political motives. But, Hitler knew what to do with the power he had and Trump doesn't know where to start. Trump is not being taken seriously by probably half the country and the majority of the rest of the world, so I don't think any of his ideas will be accepted. Also, we obviously have learned from history if we're comparing these two people. We are looking for signs to stop history from repeating itself. Therefore, I believe that Trump would be stopped if things got too obvious and could ultimately never truly "be" Hitler.
ReplyDeleteAs numerous people before me have already stated, it might be a bit of an oversimplification to draw Trump to Hitler, one of the worst people in history. While the easy connection to be made is that Trump and Hitler both targeted a specific religious group and threatened them to a level of basic rights, one significant difference that I see is that Hitler was already known for political destabilization in Germany in the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, which Trump has never come close to in any of his actions. While his words scare me, nothing that Trump has actually done has had any effect that would be similar to circumstances like this. While I can see similarities between the two figures, I still feel as if Trump is lacking a few traits and actions to back up this comparison. Let's just hope he doesn't get elected so we don't have to experience the results.
ReplyDeleteThis comparison is too easy to make and too easy for Trump allies to throw away. For this argument to have any lasting impact, Trump needs to be compared to someone else. What Hitler did was too extreme. I have to agree with Brooke that to do what Hitler did takes a certain kind of crazy. Trump is crazy but not like that. Personally, I prefer the comparison of Trump to Silvio Berlusconi, former Prime Minister of Italy.
ReplyDeleteI think comparing Trump to Hilter is an extreme, but I also feel that much of America is easily prone to believing what they read. I can't exactly compare Trump to anything I've heard before, though. I agree that comparing Trump to being "literally Hitler omg" is getting irritating. We get it. You don't like him. Neither do we. Now, I'm not saying Trump is a good, caring individual. I personally see him as a hateful, stubby fingered man. Presidentially, he can't do much without Congress, and I can't see Congress allowing him to sign into law the death of millions. He may do his best to remove Muslims and restrict minorites, but as a nation it's unlikely that we ever reach the level of horror that Hitler achieved.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Analiese in that the Trump comparison to Hitler is easily dispensable. Although it may have merit, we cannot compare him to possibly the worst man in history without it being thrown out the window. Even though he has similar policies, he has not served his term(s?) yet, and we cannot make such a stark and horrible comparison without at least a little solid evidence of action. I found an interesting comparison to an American President. This was due to his appeal to nationalists, his isolation from his party, his fiery temper, and his sexual misconduct. He was compared to John Tyler. John Tyler is widely considered to be one of the worst presidents we've had, so it is not particularly good that this is the group he's drawing comparisons to. However, as I read about how Tyler was fiery and how he demanded his party aligned to him, I could not help but see where the comparison came from.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure someone out there has modeled an equation for the likelihood someone will be compared to Hitler or the Nazis in relation to the length of an argument. Calling someone "literally Hitler" is such a common thing that it is usually devoid of real meaning ("Usually", being the key word). Despite this, Trump is exhibiting tendencies similar to the likes of public manipulators like Hitler. His generalizing and subsequent blaming of minority groups as the cause of the country's problems is not unlike Hitler did with the Polish, Jews, etc. during his time coming to power, and it's always important to note when someone owes their position of power in any way to a cult-of-personality. A more apt comparison of Mr. Trump would be to Boris Johnson, the former London mayor. Johnson and trump both accuse immigrants of being a root of their respective countries problems, and have a tendency to exaggerate and appeal to peoples' pathos more often than logos.
ReplyDeleteHonestly as I am coming so far into the past to answer this I am not sure if I am still in the second marking period, but this is an interesting discussion and I want my opinion heard! So here goes: I do not think that comparing Trump to Hitler is fair. Sure Trump is vulgar and crude, but he is no Hitler. I guess I don't know at this point if Trump is or isn't truly, terribly evil. I don't know if he has an agenda to murder all the Muslims and Mexicans. But if Trump does, I am confident that our political system would not allow him to initiate such a drastically evil agenda.
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