
Testing Godwin's Law - severe_jazz
http://www.buzzfeed.com/hamzashaban/godwins-law-is-put-to-the-test#.boNeAdKjB
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breadbox
The article (if not the actual test) appears to make the comon mistake of
misinterpreting the second half of Godwin's Law. People often read it as
saying that once Nazis are invoked, the conversation ends. What Godwin's Law
actually states is that the _useful_ part of the conversation ends.
Conversation of course continues, if anything more heatedly than before, but
it can be safely ignored by all third parties as having no useful substance.

At least that's how people seemed to understand Godwin's Law back in the
Usenet days.

(Of course, the dynamic would be different nowadays, when Godwin's Law has
been part of the "received wisdom" for decades.)

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chias
I have not heard of Godwin's Law implying that (useful?) conversation after
the comparison ceases, but rather simply as: "As an online discussion grows
longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches
1".

I've never liked Godwin's Law much, because it's trivial. Another way of
stating the identical concept is: "it is not impossible to make a comparison
involving Nazis or Hitler". The version you describe would at least have
_some_ non-trivial component to it, but e.g. on its Wikipedia page I don't see
any reference to usefulness of subsequent conversation.

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itistoday2
_> Either redditors are learning to ignore offensive, Hitler-mentioning
trolls_

It is ridiculous to suggest that any mention or comparison to Hitler or Nazis
is automatic troll.

These were important historical events, and it is essential we keep talking
about them and always remember what happened.

If someone or something leads to Nazis or Hitler, that needs to be pointed
out, not shot down. Otherwise, we end up with Hitler and Nazis.

~~~
digi_owl
Sadly these days it seems that anyone disagreeable is a "troll".

The thing about hitler/nazi comparisons is that it is more likely than not to
be a "shooting twee-twee bird with AA cannon" comparison. So out of proportion
to the topic that even hyperbole do not start to cover it.

But then the internet age seems to have lost all sense of nuance. There is no
like or dislike, only love or hate, etc. And don't "you" dear claim
indifference, that is going to really fan the flames.

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pcl
FTA:

 _That’s a staggering amount of Hitlers and Nazis in various forms, but it’s
still a relatively low frequency — 1 out of every 1,500 submissions — which
Hoppe believes discredits Godwin’s Law. But a few other findings surprised
him: Hoppe found that comments on a Reddit post typically peak within hours of
an item’s submission, regardless of whether or not they fall victim to
Godwin’s Law, and that Nazi references often crop up early in the commenting
lifespan of a post. “What this means is that conversations keep going,” he
said. If playing the “Hitler card” in an online conversation really does
effectively end it, as Godwn’s law assumes, Hoppe’s analysis should have shown
that Reddit’s Nazi references come toward the end of a thread. Instead, he
found the opposite._

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hawleyal
Shit post

