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Are you comparing Trump to Stalin and Mao? (Also, there was no EU when Hitler, Mussolini, etc. were around, and the EU is not a monolithic bloc with a meaningf

Are you comparing Trump to Stalin and Mao? (Also, there was no EU when Hitler, Mussolini, etc. were around, and the EU is not a monolithic bloc with a meaningful identity today either.)

ClumsyPilot 5y ago
I think credit must be given to hundreds of people and institutions that have limited and restricted more of trump's crazy ideas, often at the cost of their careers. Who knows what he would do if he was an absolute dictator. Power corrupts and messes with your head.
CamperBob2 5y ago
If you'll (re-)read the post, you'll find that a key point is that Trump is not in their league at all. He would probably be better compared to Berlusconi. Trump won't be the last of his breed, of course. (Also, there was no EU when Hitler, Mussolini, etc. were around, and the EU is not a monolithic bloc with a meaningful identity today either.) Given the relatively short time that's elapsed since the last world war started by Europeans, I think this amounts to a special pleading.
- ben_w 5y ago
  Eh, given what the EU is and isn’t, I think associating the EU with WW2 dictators is akin to associating Mercosur with Juan María Bordaberry. Continent of Europe, sure, I agree: even within EU member states, Poland and Hungary are currently worrying me. It’s just that painting the border around the EU feels like the wrong level of distinction for me, given the EU isn’t really a country, it just sometimes has country-like power delegated to it by its members. (And yes, this also applies upthread to the attempt to divide the world into [civilised <=> EU] => [!EU <=> !civilised]).
- eecc 5y ago
  Ah, Berlusconi… Mussolini… I have this vaguely whimsical conjecture (that fills me of shame, I’m myself Italian) that Italy is a country of “forerunners”. If you look back, many of the behaviors and characters that animated our tormented history have become models for followers in other countries: the Roman Empire, Mussolini, Berlusconi…
  - CamperBob2 5y ago
    Good point there. We tend to forget that Hitler took notes from Mussolini, and not the other way around.

Are you comparing Trump to Stalin and Mao? (Also, there was no EU when Hitler, Mussolini, etc. were around, and the EU is not a monolithic bloc with a meaningful identity today either.)

ClumsyPilot 5y ago

I think credit must be given to hundreds of people and institutions that have limited and restricted more of trump's crazy ideas, often at the cost of their careers. Who knows what he would do if he was an absolute dictator. Power corrupts and messes with your head.

CamperBob2 5y ago

If you'll (re-)read the post, you'll find that a key point is that Trump is not in their league at all. He would probably be better compared to Berlusconi. Trump won't be the last of his breed, of course. (Also, there was no EU when Hitler, Mussolini, etc. were around, and the EU is not a monolithic bloc with a meaningful identity today either.) Given the relatively short time that's elapsed since the last world war started by Europeans, I think this amounts to a special pleading.

ben_w 5y ago
Eh, given what the EU is and isn’t, I think associating the EU with WW2 dictators is akin to associating Mercosur with Juan María Bordaberry. Continent of Europe, sure, I agree: even within EU member states, Poland and Hungary are currently worrying me. It’s just that painting the border around the EU feels like the wrong level of distinction for me, given the EU isn’t really a country, it just sometimes has country-like power delegated to it by its members. (And yes, this also applies upthread to the attempt to divide the world into [civilised <=> EU] => [!EU <=> !civilised]).
eecc 5y ago
Ah, Berlusconi… Mussolini… I have this vaguely whimsical conjecture (that fills me of shame, I’m myself Italian) that Italy is a country of “forerunners”. If you look back, many of the behaviors and characters that animated our tormented history have become models for followers in other countries: the Roman Empire, Mussolini, Berlusconi…
- CamperBob2 5y ago
  Good point there. We tend to forget that Hitler took notes from Mussolini, and not the other way around.