Manipulating History Through Analogy

By Phil Robibero on 09/04/2009

In 1990 author Mike Godwin, coined the satirical term Godwin's law which states "As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches".  His prediction could have never been more accurate.  As the health care issue looms large the degrees of separation between Adolf Hitler and Barack Obama has degenerated to one; euthanasia.  But as that conspiracy is continually passed off as the truth, we must remember that this is nothing new to protest tactics.  The Bush administration also had it's fair share of conspiracy theories from 9/11 being an inside job to the military draft.  Consequentially these theories accumulated that changed Bush's image that put him in the same vein as Hitler.  Bush's face was defaced, just as Obama's is now.  It seems that today's popular truism is that if you dislike your leader, he must be Hitler.

These analogies serve as a way to instigate hyperbolic statements, but consequently trivialize the history behind Adolf Hitler.  The complexities of the rise of the Nazi party and the resulting systematic extermination of over 8 million people are completely done away with when the analogies are made.  The spread of Hitler's vices are simplified to his euthanasia programs because of Obama's so called "death panel" legislation in his health care reform bill.  With George Bush, Hitler was simplified to an aggressor and a tyrant because of his invasion of Iraq.

The history of Hitler is being manipulated to further promote an agenda.  The other atrocities he had committed are ignored in order to capitalize on his individual crimes so that relevancy can be seen between him and the criticized leader, whether it was Bush or is Obama.

It isn't just the present information that is becoming repackaged and manipulated but also the past that is being affected.  The reason is to force the past into the present to create a precedent, but of course this artificial handling is incongruous and irresponsible. The image of Hitler is changing and all the history with him. As the Usenet base continues to grow, who will be the ones who write history when those who remembered it will be gone?  In the internet age is history no longer a constant?  

They say those who win the war write the history.  That has changed to those who can write, can rewrite history and these days that's pretty much anybody. 

[Additional Photos: "Hitler Obama", roguejew.wordpress.com, 2009; "Hitler Bush", stuartwilde.com, 2004]