4 ms·

I’ve had a colleague straight up say everyone who isn’t standing up to Trump or agrees with any of his policies is a Nazi apologist.

andybak 9y ago
There might be element of "strategic manoeuvring" here. Some people stake a position further out than their genuine views because they are trying to influence people's behaviour. I find myself doing it occasionally albeit not consciously. It's essentially related to the negotiation strategy of starting with a low offer so you've got room to move towards your real price. Related: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window
- filesystem 9y ago
  Forgive me, but I don't think that your comparison holds any water. I don't think anyone would begin a salary negotiation by comparing their co-workers to a group that committed the most horrific genocide in human history. It's simply a cheap tactic that is used in an attempt to de-legitimize opposing viewpoints and end conversations.
tessierashpool 9y ago
But this is probably true. Trump is very very different from a mainstream Republican. In 2016, mainstream Republicans were all calling him an insane criminal. Today, psychologists are endorsing the "insane" part, his long record of legal problems arguably endorses the "criminal" part, and the Mueller investigation looks extremely likely to endorse the "criminal" part as well. Trump's father was arrested at a KKK rally. Trump brought fringe white supremacists into the White House, and the only serious mainstream politician he brought into the White House was named after multiple Civil War generals who all fought for the Confederacy. After Charlottesville, Trump defended the white supremacists who marched. I think you could argue that failing to stand up to Trump only makes you an apologist for a Nazi apologist. Beyond that, though, your co-worker is basically just objectively correct. Many mainstream Republicans have voiced the same opinion, although many of them recanted once he took office. (And many of them continued voicing this opinion regardless.)
- bzbarsky 9y ago
  > Trump is very very different from a mainstream Republican. The key part of merpnderp's quote is "or agrees with any of his policies". There are tons things that are perceived as "Trump's policies" (and some are in fact his policies) that are just mainstream Republican policies. Just don't confuse "policies" with rhetoric, because in the case of Trump he says one thing and does another all the time. Of course it's a bit odd to me that people who think he's a pathological liar (a viewpoint I can totally understand!) always act surprised when his words don't match his actions...
deleted 9y ago
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nasredin 9y ago
Nazi symphathizer is what a few of my friends think. And the third of Americans that support him... are just idiots. My friends and colleagues are more mellow than yours I guess.
abusoufiyan 9y ago
Well, that might be because, you know, Trump himself took an apologetic stance when it came to a large neo-Nazi rally that happened during his Presidency...

andybak 9y ago

There might be element of "strategic manoeuvring" here. Some people stake a position further out than their genuine views because they are trying to influence people's behaviour. I find myself doing it occasionally albeit not consciously. It's essentially related to the negotiation strategy of starting with a low offer so you've got room to move towards your real price. Related: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window

filesystem 9y ago
Forgive me, but I don't think that your comparison holds any water. I don't think anyone would begin a salary negotiation by comparing their co-workers to a group that committed the most horrific genocide in human history. It's simply a cheap tactic that is used in an attempt to de-legitimize opposing viewpoints and end conversations.

tessierashpool 9y ago

But this is probably true. Trump is very very different from a mainstream Republican. In 2016, mainstream Republicans were all calling him an insane criminal. Today, psychologists are endorsing the "insane" part, his long record of legal problems arguably endorses the "criminal" part, and the Mueller investigation looks extremely likely to endorse the "criminal" part as well. Trump's father was arrested at a KKK rally. Trump brought fringe white supremacists into the White House, and the only serious mainstream politician he brought into the White House was named after multiple Civil War generals who all fought for the Confederacy. After Charlottesville, Trump defended the white supremacists who marched. I think you could argue that failing to stand up to Trump only makes you an apologist for a Nazi apologist. Beyond that, though, your co-worker is basically just objectively correct. Many mainstream Republicans have voiced the same opinion, although many of them recanted once he took office. (And many of them continued voicing this opinion regardless.)

bzbarsky 9y ago
> Trump is very very different from a mainstream Republican. The key part of merpnderp's quote is "or agrees with any of his policies". There are tons things that are perceived as "Trump's policies" (and some are in fact his policies) that are just mainstream Republican policies. Just don't confuse "policies" with rhetoric, because in the case of Trump he says one thing and does another all the time. Of course it's a bit odd to me that people who think he's a pathological liar (a viewpoint I can totally understand!) always act surprised when his words don't match his actions...

deleted 9y ago

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nasredin 9y ago

Nazi symphathizer is what a few of my friends think. And the third of Americans that support him... are just idiots. My friends and colleagues are more mellow than yours I guess.

abusoufiyan 9y ago

Well, that might be because, you know, Trump himself took an apologetic stance when it came to a large neo-Nazi rally that happened during his Presidency...