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> I don't think it is reasonable to say Generative AI is a bigger threat than basic forgetfulness. Misinformation is a real, serious threat. > I mean really.

> I don't think it is reasonable to say Generative AI is a bigger threat than basic forgetfulness. Misinformation is a real, serious threat. > I mean really. This is a nonissue. Hitler and Goebbels aren't unique evils and there isn't any point remembering them as people; at this point they are more rhetorical symbols then people. Genocidal maniacs aren't at all uncommon in history (the records suggest Ghengis Khan literally erased entire countries if he felt they were inconvenient to him - and his title is "Great" because he won and enough time passed). I was born and raised in a city where one of the largest concentration camps was built and run by Germans. Members of my family were murdered by Germans following orders of Hitler and told that it was necessary to do so by Goebbels. Then Russians came and repurposed the camp to imprison people who fought Germans and ruled the place for close to 50 years by proxies. I have no desire to see genAI or "works of art" showing Hitler or Goebbels as innocent or even likeable characters. Holocaust was a real thing. The fact that other genocides happened before and after does not change the reality or the legacy of it. Hitler puppets saying he was innocent are not just denying the facts, they are prepping people for another round of persecutions, and not just Jews. If you think it's ok to think Hitler or Goebbels are irrelevant, or that what they did doesn't matter then you are paving the way you will be sent down on to a camp yourself.

roenxi 2y ago
> If you think it's ok to think Hitler or Goebbels are irrelevant, or that what they did doesn't matter then you are paving the way you will be sent down on to a camp yourself. Just taking a feel of the political winds but - if I'm sent to a camp in my lifetime it will probably be by people calling me a Nazi. Assuming an internal group does it. It is a favoured insult right now. Although the odds are still comfortably low as far as I can tell. And this is the issue. Privileging a hate-cult of Hitler and Goebbels is a distraction from the actual problems which are policies, capabilities and incentives. It doesn't seem to be an effective barrier to hate - in fact philosophically it encourages it over more useful focuses.
- surfingdino 2y ago
  Calling someone a Nazi is the the favourite thing Nazi copycats do. Reminding of what Hitler and lots of Germans (and Austrians) did is not practicing cultish behaviour, it is a vaccine against those who want a repeat of what had happened.
  - blueflow 2y ago
    Yes, but no. People who are unable to morally reason will go "I'm not a Nazi so what i do is justified" and then do the same bad shit all over again. Ignoring the lessons about Hitler and Goebbels because they are convinced they are better. Very focused on fighting the baddies that they never question if they are just another sort of baddies themselves.

roenxi 2y ago

> If you think it's ok to think Hitler or Goebbels are irrelevant, or that what they did doesn't matter then you are paving the way you will be sent down on to a camp yourself. Just taking a feel of the political winds but - if I'm sent to a camp in my lifetime it will probably be by people calling me a Nazi. Assuming an internal group does it. It is a favoured insult right now. Although the odds are still comfortably low as far as I can tell. And this is the issue. Privileging a hate-cult of Hitler and Goebbels is a distraction from the actual problems which are policies, capabilities and incentives. It doesn't seem to be an effective barrier to hate - in fact philosophically it encourages it over more useful focuses.

surfingdino 2y ago
Calling someone a Nazi is the the favourite thing Nazi copycats do. Reminding of what Hitler and lots of Germans (and Austrians) did is not practicing cultish behaviour, it is a vaccine against those who want a repeat of what had happened.
- blueflow 2y ago
  Yes, but no. People who are unable to morally reason will go "I'm not a Nazi so what i do is justified" and then do the same bad shit all over again. Ignoring the lessons about Hitler and Goebbels because they are convinced they are better. Very focused on fighting the baddies that they never question if they are just another sort of baddies themselves.