Opinion: Updating Godwin’s law

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Twenty years ago, Mike Godwin of the Electronic Frontier Foundation postulated that the longer a debate continued in an online discussion group, the more likely someone would liken the other side to Hitler. Such nuclear rhetoric would invariably shut down the debate.

I’m thinking that we need to update Godwin’s observation. Not that over-the-top Nazi comparisons have gone out of vogue; they’ve just been supplemented in online debates by over-the-top accusations of socialism.

I thought about this today as I was reading the comments on Karin Klein’s post about Proposition 21, the ballot measure that would increase the registration fee for noncommercial vehicles by $18. The money would go to the state park system, which would be required to eliminate its entry fees.

The post attracted dozens of comments, and the overwhelming majority backed the fee. The response was so lopsided, I felt compelled to check to make sure the comments weren’t all coming from the same computer (they weren’t). It wasn’t until late Wednesday afternoon that reader ‘damjr’ weighed in with a detailed argument against the proposition, asserting that it would generate millions for nongovernmental conservation groups.

And then reader ‘john petro’ posted comment Nos. 67 and 68, first against the tax increase, then against the people who support it. Here’s an excerpt from the latter (the typos are his; the emphasis is mine):

After reading many comments i now understand why this state is so screwed up, most of you are as stupid as the people who run this state. I use the state parks also and want to continue to do so, but i am getting tired of the panic that our politicians create when they overspend taxpayer dollars and then threaten to close this or shut down that because they spent all the money.... It is simply unbelieveable how many of you dont mind being taxed a little more. Go to China or Russia you might feel more comfortable there.

In other words, ‘My opponents are socialists.’

Somebody with the Internet cred of Mike Godwin needs to point out this new line of demarcation so we can name it after him or her. In the meantime, I’ll just call it Trotsky’s law.

-- Jon Healey