PHILADELPHIA — Last week, a local Indiana chapter of Moms for Liberty attracted attention for quoting Adolf Hitler in its newsletter. After the local paper reported the story, the group added additional “context” but kept the quote. Eventually, after it faced even more scrutiny, the organization removed the quote and apologized in a statement posted to its Facebook group.
That, however, was a big mistake, according to advice at the Moms for Liberty national conference’s media training session Friday.
“Never apologize. Ever,” said Christian Ziegler, the chairman of the Florida Republican Party. “This is my view. Other people have different views on this. I think apologizing makes you weak.”
He advised the attendees to instead make it clear that the Hitler comment was “vile” but to immediately pivot to make the point that Hitler indoctrinated children in schools and that that’s what Moms for Liberty was fighting against. Ziegler warned that any apology would become the headline, so that should be avoided.
You read that right. He said to not apologize for quoting Hitler. That’s what we’re dealing with now.
This is indicative of a shitty rhetorical strategy. Really, the only way to hold someone accountable when they use this strategy is to insist on continuing to talk about your main issue, not whatever they want to say.
So, if they pivot to making a point against Hitler’s indoctrination of children, then take it back to their use of a Hitler quote that makes that point relevant in the first place.
I may be butting into a topic I don’t understand. I don’t know much about these Moms for Liberty except that I thing I’ve heard that they support trump.
The quote in question is: "He alone, who OWNS the youth, GAINS the future.”
It’s pretty ambiguous in its meaning and intent. In the context where it was used: advocating for parents to have more control over their children’s education: aka decentralize control of children.
But let me point you to a less catchy but far more horrifying quote:
I rarely agree with or endorse or agree with violence. But the rise of the far-right shitbirds has really led me to believe that perhaps General Sherman really should’ve gone all the way to the sea.
If I learned anything from playing Civilzation, even when you win a neighboring city over to your side with culture or trade alone, they’re always going to be a problem. It’s better to just raze the whole damn thing to the ground and start over in the same spot.
It has 2 upvotes and I’m the only downvote …
You talk about bad faith actors using shitty strategy to derail the debate. They’re affirming that parents should have more control over their children’s education, they unwisely used a Hitler quote without enough context in one of their publication and now that’s all you want to talk about.
I haven’t looked into it but I’m pretty sure that the greater context here is that these parents don’t want their kids to be taught that “it’s ok to be gay” and “kill the trans” is a bad thing to say. They probably won’t say it publicly, but that’s what I suspect is really going on.
And if I see them on the fediverse making these kinds of statements I might call them out on it. If I see them accusing the other side of acting in bad faith by acting in bad faith themselves, I might call them all on it. And if I see them almost directly calling for armed conflict, you bet your ass I’ll DEFINITELY call them out on it.
But guess who it is that I see acting in bad faith right now? You.
And guess who it is that I see kinda, “but really just joking”, advocating for armed conflict / quasi genocide? Someone on this thread getting upvoted that I won’t even give the respect of directly responding to.
You know there are entire instances devoted to people who love right wing pieces of shit, maybe join one of those and be happy
I can barely tolerate the unhinged comments I find here. I don’t think I would survive over there.
Is it too much to ask to have people try and be sensible. Show some kind of respect for the truth. And not try to set the whole world on fire?
“I may be butting into a topic I don’t understand. I don’t know much about these Moms for Liberty except that I thing I’ve heard that they support trump.” I mean, it doesn’t take that much effort to go to wikipedia, but here, I’ve even done it for you:
Mom’s for Liberty is so much worse than what you’re implying here. They’re not some innocent gathering of parents who don’t want certain things taught in schools. They’re an astroturf, highly GOP connected, right wing campaign that has supported many things like anti-vax propaganda, book bans, anti-LGBT legislature, and the rest of the “normal” GOP stuff. They have an extensive history of getting caught calling for violence against those they disagree with. They have 3 separate sections on Wikipedia about the different people they have been caught threatening with violence.
From the very few references to them I’ve seen, that’s exactly what I assumed them to be.
That doesn’t excuse the behavior I see in this thread. By not addressing their points from a charitable perspective, you’re playing right into the astroturfer’s hands.
If you have real evidence to present of their true agenda, then present it. Otherwise, fight their presented agenda directly and advocate against their hidden agenda indirectly.
But most importantly there’s a comment on here jokingly kinda calling for armed genocide with as of writing SEVETEEN upvotes. There’s something deeply wrong with this community and that’s what I object to the most.
But guess who it is that I see acting in bad faith right now? You.
Yeah, can you explain this a bit more?
From my perspective, I only said don’t let them change the issue being discussed because…well…that’s what’s being discussed, not their self-aggrandizing goals. And I offered a strategy to do that.
In contrast, you’re associating me with some quote about killing “far-right shitbirds” because…why? I’m not seeing the logic of the association between me and that quote or about how I’m acting in bad faith.
I accidently replied as a top comment here: https://kbin.social/m/politics@lemmy.world/t/133199/-/comment/522700
