Brown-baiting
 Brown-baiting(ad hominem, enemy image)   | |
|---|---|
| Harassing an individual or group by making claims of associations with National Socialism and fascism, often as a form of guilt by association and/or ad hominem, no matter how far-fetched. |
Brown-baiting (compare red-baiting) is harassing an individual or group by making claims of associations with National Socialism and fascism, often as a form of guilt by association and/or ad hominem.
Antecedents
During the Cold War, people who were interested in a number of issues were red-baited, smeared as agents of the Kremlin or in best case "useful idiots", with an intention to discredit the validity of the political opponent and the opponent's logical argument by accusing, denouncing, attacking, or persecuting the target individual or group.[1] The issues at the time could range to socialist beliefs, to things such as civil rights, peace activism or seeking to nuance one-sided corporate media presentations.[2]
Godwin's law
Brown-baiting can be seen as a more coercive variation of Godwin's law, an Internet adage asserting that as an online discussion grows longer (regardless of topic or scope), the probability of a comparison to Nazis or Adolf Hitler approaches 100%.[3]
References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100221204126/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red-baiting
- ↑ https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/educational-resources/age-of-eisenhower/mcarthyism-red-scare
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120829094739/http://w2.eff.org/Net_culture/Folklore/Humor/godwins.law
