Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Dick Tater

Captain Kirk looks pained. "We all know from our history - Genghis Kahn, Napoleon, Hitler, Zednorb of Vilvus 5..." It's a science fiction trick: Put in two or three real examples, and then toss in some ridiculous futuristic/galactic sounding topper to give it some context. How evil was Napoleon? Hitler? At least as awful as Zenorb of Vilvus 5.
Out here in what amounts to real life, New York Jets running back Kevan Barlow apologized Wednesday to 49ers coach Mike Nolan for comparing him to Adolf Hitler in a newspaper interview: "He walks around with a chip on his shoulder, like he's a dictator, like he's Hitler." To be fair, it's possible he was referring to Jeff Hitler, of the Barstow, California Hitlers and not the leader of the Third Reich. The "dictator" part is a bit of a giveaway, but still it's possible that he meant no real offense.
It's just that comparing someone to Hitler is so tired. President Pinhead and Rudolph Guliani have been compared to Hitler. Bill Clinton and Yasser Arafat have been as well. Lyndon B. Johnson was likened to Hitler by Yugoslavian president Tito after air raids in Vietnam. Chicago Mayer Richard Daley claimed that Richard Nixon asking for an election recount was "Hitler type" propaganda. I found no reference to the baby blue helmets descending on the crowds in Chicago in 1968, but I'm sure the comparisons were made to Daley's oppressive use of force at the Democratic National Convention.
To be fair, Barlow called back to apologize for his outburst. "I was kind of harsh on him, saying he's a dictator. That's bad. Saddam Hussein is a dictator," he told the paper. "I was speaking on emotion." It's too easy. It's too obvious. Next time make your connection to Zednorb of Vilvus 5.

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