http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-january-24-2011/24-hour-nazi-party-people
This Daily Show segment was shocking enough just in its content matter. Comparing people to the Nazi's is an extreme claim to make for obvious reason. But to me the most shocking part of this segment is the fact that the people on Fox News were able to make the claim that they were outraged by the words of Congressmen Steve Cohen and then went further and claimed that they NEVER used the comparison. Jon Stewart may have presented the clips countering the claims of the Fox News people in a comedic way, as per usual, but that doesn’t make the clips any less real.
What is even worse about the situation is the fact that the people would say things to the effect of “I didn’t call him a Nazi, I called him *something completely synonymous with Nazi actions*”. This is an absurd tactic to make listeners compare politicians from the other side with some of the worst figures in history.
Using rhetoric to make false connotations is not doing your civic duty. By using rhetoric in this way you are deceiving people in order to get them to side with you as opposed to actually having a grounded argument. Strong rhetoric is necessary in some cases, but manipulative rhetoric never is.
So true! It always seems like they are "beating around the bush," though most people know exactly what he/she may be implying. Thank you for posting, as it is necessary to realize that our civic duty is not to make false connotations, but to have a grounded point and stick with it.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame how they have to stoop to awful tactics rather than preparing a well written speech that expresses their thoughts and opinions clearly and precisely. I love Jon Stewart =P Thanks for the funny clip!
ReplyDeleteI agree!. It amazes me how low somepeople with go to get people to agree with them. I thought low blows were for high school. I wish there was a way to make people tell the truth all the time or atleast make a statement and stick with it. thanks for posting this
ReplyDeleteI agree. Calling someone something about the same as Nazi is really bad, especially for newscasters since they're supposed to be delivering the news, not delivering their opinions, and especially not in such a terrible way. If they said it on tv, it's going to be out there.
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