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But why do you think getting elected and then ending democracy is an exclusively Nazi pre-disposition, when it's mostly been communists doing that, and why do y

But why do you think getting elected and then ending democracy is an exclusively Nazi pre-disposition, when it's mostly been communists doing that, and why do you think it was free speech that led to Hitler when free speech is the first thing people like him get rid of? Democracy and freedom of speech are the primary bulwark against people like that, not the cause of it!

pluma 9y ago
It's not nazis who are the problem, it's populism. Populism exploits an inherent vulnerability in democratic systems. If you value freedom of speech above all, you allow for populism to thrive. Note that while Germany does censor specific nazi symbolism to prevent a direct repeat of its own history, the constitution is actually written in a way that is not simply aimed against nazism but to uphold human dignity. If you allow for humans to be dehumanised in political speech, for in-group/out-group rhetoric to be pushed to such limits that other humans are portrayed as subhuman or inherently worthless or evil, it doesn't matter whether you're a nazi or a communist or an anarchist. Saying free speech is important because Hitler got rid of free speech is a false equivalency. It's like saying free trade is important because Stalin got rid of free trade. It's not either one or the other. You don't have to allow people to incite hatred in order to protect a society's freedom.