When did everybody become either a communist or a fascist?

How is it that everybody is apparently an authoritarian set upon the destruction of America?

I don’t know when it happened, but apparently there is not a single Democrat or a single Republican that is not striving to make America autocratic.

You cannot escape from a talking head that is calling somebody a Nazi or a socialist-pinko-whatever. It’s nauseating, to say the least, and it really needs to stop.

Now, it would be easy for me to say that this is entirely Fox News’ doing. Guys like Bill O’Reilly love to shout out inflammatory insults that gather attention. He is one pithy guy, I suppose.

To suggest that it’s just Fox, though, would be grossly unfair, since people on the left do it, too.

It’s most troubling to me because of how inaccurate it all is since pretty much no major party person can be described in such polarizing terms. There isn’t a single person whose goal it is to be super left or right wing. How could you possibly get elected while being that polarizing?

The laziness that is required to call somebody a Nazi or a Commie is bountiful. It takes no thought whatsoever. It’s not creative and it’s not useful.

In fact, it’s insulting to our collective intelligence. This is because it’s such a base insult. Any 10 year old can tell you that Nazis are pretty terrible.

Maybe some take this seriously and if that is the case, there is no hope for them.

However, I do think that most do not buy into the legitimacy of the statements and the fact that people still use the terms like they are accurate is insulting.

I know that the insults are partly used to gather attention, which I think may be even scummier.

Either way, if you call somebody such a term, there is nothing else to say, because how could you possibly talk to somebody who thinks you are that extreme.

Commentators and politicians throw around the terms like they’ve just said the most intelligent thing in history. In reality, they have done nothing more than call somebody an idiot.

I have another problem with this that may actually annoy me more. Somehow, people are both Nazis and communists. Obama has been called both. In fact, he’s been called both by O’Reilly before.

It’s a wonder that I have any hair left. This doesn’t work! You cannot possibly be both! You cannot be far left and far right in the same person.

I understand that this is just a matter of definition, but it perfectly illustrates how little thought is being put into the use of these words.

Also, don’t tell me that they are just describing how authoritarian they think they are being and that both words will work for that, because then you are defending people who have a complete
disregard for logic.

If you want to stand-up for garbage-spewing toilet monsters, then by all means do it. See how little thought went into that last insult? Maybe I’ll get hired as a pundit somewhere. The only difference is that I’m at least close in my characterization.

I understand that Jon Stewart has been talking about this for ages and even had his Rally to Restore Sanity, but, I, for one, don’t think that we necessarily have to calm down. Believe me, it would be nice, but I know that won’t happen.

However, we need to be more constructive in what we say. Words have to become conversation starters, not enders.