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> Can we safely assume that people who literally march in solidarity with neo-Nazis Are we talking about anyone who's done so here? If not, why bring them up?

tptacek 9y ago
I answered that question directly one comment prior. Is the question I just asked hard to answer? I am not building to an indictment of James Damore, if that's what you're wondering.
- leereeves 9y ago
  If you're asking about "the alt-right", you'll first have to define it. As far as I know, that's not some duly constituted group - it's an insult used against a wide variety of people ("everyone to the right of Bernie Sanders") by their political adversaries. And the intention of the insult is to encourage exactly what happened here - to associate people like James Damore with people like those marching in Charlottesville.
  - tptacek 9y ago
    That's specifically not the question I asked. I wasn't asking about "the alt right". I deliberately removed "the alt right" from the question to avoid a pointless debate about what "the alt right" is. One of the very first things I wrote here said not only that I don't have evidence that Damore is part of "the alt right" ---- one of his enthusiastic supporters did --- but to reject the logic that would assign him to any such group. Conservatives are not neo-Nazis. I'm not a conservative, but I have plenty of conservative friends, and I actually enjoy talking to them about policy more than to my fellow liberals. So, again, I'm just interested in the principles here. Could you check out those two questions I asked upthread and give me a quick take on them? Thanks!
    - leereeves 9y ago
      I think we've strayed too far off topic here. Since you've confirmed we're not talking about James Damore or even "the alt-right", I'm pretty sure nothing we're discussing is on-topic anymore.
      - tptacek 9y ago
        Ok, but then I'm going to suggest that it is effectively impossible to compare anyone to a Nazi on the Internet, even if they are actual neo-Nazis. I think that's a weird outcome but I believe that's where we're at.
        leereeves 9y ago
        I don't know how you came to that conclusion from my statement that such a discussion is off-topic here...
        tptacek 9y ago
        Well, I guess because it's not off topic? Here's what happened on this thread (all paraphrased): 1. "This firing was so dumb that it's going to drive lots of people into the arms of the alt-right". 2. "That's useful for the left because it allows them to call people Nazis without invoking Godwin's law". 3. "That's not what Godwin's law says, and regardless, the Nazi/alt-right comparison isn't frivolous. And here we are. My stake in this discussion isn't about Damore, who, for the third time, I don't believe is an alt-right figure (much as the alt-right would love to claim him as one). Rather, it's in challenging the trope that some accusations --- racism, Naziism, maybe communism? --- are so outré that they can't be made. That creates a safe space for people to actually be Nazis.
        leereeves 9y ago
        Your points 1 and 3 are about the alt-right...but you just said you weren't talking about the alt-right. How is Charlottesville relevant again?

tptacek 9y ago

I answered that question directly one comment prior. Is the question I just asked hard to answer? I am not building to an indictment of James Damore, if that's what you're wondering.

leereeves 9y ago
If you're asking about "the alt-right", you'll first have to define it. As far as I know, that's not some duly constituted group - it's an insult used against a wide variety of people ("everyone to the right of Bernie Sanders") by their political adversaries. And the intention of the insult is to encourage exactly what happened here - to associate people like James Damore with people like those marching in Charlottesville.
- tptacek 9y ago
  That's specifically not the question I asked. I wasn't asking about "the alt right". I deliberately removed "the alt right" from the question to avoid a pointless debate about what "the alt right" is. One of the very first things I wrote here said not only that I don't have evidence that Damore is part of "the alt right" ---- one of his enthusiastic supporters did --- but to reject the logic that would assign him to any such group. Conservatives are not neo-Nazis. I'm not a conservative, but I have plenty of conservative friends, and I actually enjoy talking to them about policy more than to my fellow liberals. So, again, I'm just interested in the principles here. Could you check out those two questions I asked upthread and give me a quick take on them? Thanks!
  - leereeves 9y ago
    I think we've strayed too far off topic here. Since you've confirmed we're not talking about James Damore or even "the alt-right", I'm pretty sure nothing we're discussing is on-topic anymore.
    - tptacek 9y ago
      Ok, but then I'm going to suggest that it is effectively impossible to compare anyone to a Nazi on the Internet, even if they are actual neo-Nazis. I think that's a weird outcome but I believe that's where we're at.
      - leereeves 9y ago
        I don't know how you came to that conclusion from my statement that such a discussion is off-topic here...
        tptacek 9y ago
        Well, I guess because it's not off topic? Here's what happened on this thread (all paraphrased): 1. "This firing was so dumb that it's going to drive lots of people into the arms of the alt-right". 2. "That's useful for the left because it allows them to call people Nazis without invoking Godwin's law". 3. "That's not what Godwin's law says, and regardless, the Nazi/alt-right comparison isn't frivolous. And here we are. My stake in this discussion isn't about Damore, who, for the third time, I don't believe is an alt-right figure (much as the alt-right would love to claim him as one). Rather, it's in challenging the trope that some accusations --- racism, Naziism, maybe communism? --- are so outré that they can't be made. That creates a safe space for people to actually be Nazis.
        leereeves 9y ago
        Your points 1 and 3 are about the alt-right...but you just said you weren't talking about the alt-right. How is Charlottesville relevant again?