I'm good at name calling. Really good at it. In fact, you could almost call it a talent. However, I will take a personal thing and use it. I don't use racial epithets or political terms to denigrate another human being. If I'm calling you names, I most likely have enough of just YOU, to make a damning diatribe.
The first time I was called Nazi was when I was seven years old, in second grade in Caldwell, Idaho. Lincoln Elementary, on the playground. It made me cry. Why? Because I didn't even know what it was and not one of my friends knew either, so I had been called a name I didn't understand. I was crying in frustration. I remember well, the boy who called me that name because I had a German surname. His name was Brett, and I believe I punched him in the shoulder, and then he pushed me down on my butt and then a teacher's aide came to break it up. He got in trouble for fighting with a girl, but the real trouble came when I told the teacher what he'd called me.
I can honestly say, it was the first time I have ever seen that particular look in an adult's eyes. It was anger. Mrs. Snyder stood up straight and said, "Is that so?" I nodded and she grabbed Brett and he went to the principal's office. I am pleased to say that in second grade I did not visit the principal's office one single time. First grade I lived there.
The following weekend, I visited my grandfather, who I knew had fought in World War Two, and I had no idea what that was, we were in Viet Nam, and Papa was old. So I asked him the Nazi question. I had to tell him that a boy at school had called me a Nazi but no one would tell me what one was. So, my grandfather tried to explain to me about Hitler and the Nazis. He said he hadn't fought Nazis, he'd fought Italians and been shot down over Anzio. However, he was in the Air Force and had fought in a war and I had to respect his opinion as expert.
He then explained to me that I would get a lot of flack from stupid people because of my surname. I still have a German surname, so you could say I've not let it bother me since then.
Until today.
Someone I know and respect called Trump Hitler in a post. Yeah, someone said something mean in the intarwebs, cry me a river. However, I think I reached my limits on my ability to hear awful words trivialized by people who have no argument. I invoked Godwin's Law. The first person to cry Nazi or Hitler, loses. Hitlerum in absurdum.
In the past thirty years we have manged to trivialize horrible words like Nazi, Hitler, nigger, racist, white nationalist and many others. We've made them mean nothing at all. When I learned what a Nazi was, I was so hurt that anyone would think I was that awful. They were, quite literally, fighting words. Now, if you call me a Nazi, I laugh in your face. it's not the surety of knowing I'm not, it's because I know that you have no real argument against me or what I'm saying because you're stupid and emotionally stunted.
So sure, call me what you like. I know it's not true. If it is true, I'll thank you and move on.
The first time I was called Nazi was when I was seven years old, in second grade in Caldwell, Idaho. Lincoln Elementary, on the playground. It made me cry. Why? Because I didn't even know what it was and not one of my friends knew either, so I had been called a name I didn't understand. I was crying in frustration. I remember well, the boy who called me that name because I had a German surname. His name was Brett, and I believe I punched him in the shoulder, and then he pushed me down on my butt and then a teacher's aide came to break it up. He got in trouble for fighting with a girl, but the real trouble came when I told the teacher what he'd called me.
I can honestly say, it was the first time I have ever seen that particular look in an adult's eyes. It was anger. Mrs. Snyder stood up straight and said, "Is that so?" I nodded and she grabbed Brett and he went to the principal's office. I am pleased to say that in second grade I did not visit the principal's office one single time. First grade I lived there.
The following weekend, I visited my grandfather, who I knew had fought in World War Two, and I had no idea what that was, we were in Viet Nam, and Papa was old. So I asked him the Nazi question. I had to tell him that a boy at school had called me a Nazi but no one would tell me what one was. So, my grandfather tried to explain to me about Hitler and the Nazis. He said he hadn't fought Nazis, he'd fought Italians and been shot down over Anzio. However, he was in the Air Force and had fought in a war and I had to respect his opinion as expert.
He then explained to me that I would get a lot of flack from stupid people because of my surname. I still have a German surname, so you could say I've not let it bother me since then.
Until today.
Someone I know and respect called Trump Hitler in a post. Yeah, someone said something mean in the intarwebs, cry me a river. However, I think I reached my limits on my ability to hear awful words trivialized by people who have no argument. I invoked Godwin's Law. The first person to cry Nazi or Hitler, loses. Hitlerum in absurdum.
In the past thirty years we have manged to trivialize horrible words like Nazi, Hitler, nigger, racist, white nationalist and many others. We've made them mean nothing at all. When I learned what a Nazi was, I was so hurt that anyone would think I was that awful. They were, quite literally, fighting words. Now, if you call me a Nazi, I laugh in your face. it's not the surety of knowing I'm not, it's because I know that you have no real argument against me or what I'm saying because you're stupid and emotionally stunted.
So sure, call me what you like. I know it's not true. If it is true, I'll thank you and move on.
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