Hitler was right

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"Hitler was right" and "Hitler did nothing wrong" are controversial statements and internet memes either expressing support for Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler or trolling.[1][2] The ironic or trolling uses of the phrase allow actual neo-Nazis to maintain plausible deniability over their neo-Nazi views.[3]

History and usage[]

Colin Jordan, leader of the British National Socialist Movement argued in a 1962 speech titled "Hitler was right". Some witnesses recalled seeing banners stating "Hitler was right".[4][5] In the early 1960s, Canadian neo-Nazi activist David Stanley distributed "Hitler was right" leaflets.[6] In Germany in the 1960s neo-Nazis were convicted for distributing "Hitler was right" leaflets.[7]

On June 29, 2011, a user posted on 4chan Hitler Did Nothing Wrong[8] and the phrase has continued to be used since January 30th, 2012.[9] After the statement went viral, the site was pulled and accompanied with an apology, but the site quickly went back for a while.[8] The meme was originally on Mountain Dew's 2012 campaign, where on August 2012, 4chan users attacked a third-party sponsored Mountain Dew campaign called "Dub the Dew"[10] on the contest with the name Hitler Did Nothing Wrong, which was a failure. The write-in contained Nazism, the statement as well as the Holocaust joke to climb to the top of the list, and the company shut down the contest.[11] Adweek compared the incident to another recent campaign hijacked under similar circumstances, where musician Pitbull was sent to perform in Kodiak, Alaska, in a Walmart promotion.[12][13][14] An analysis by USA Today found that Teespring was selling T-shirts reading "Hitler Did Nothing Wrong" and one with an image of Bill Cosby paired with the slogan "drinks on me ladies".[15] After the huge controversy, an American Clothing website still continues to sell T-shirts with Nazi Slogans.[16]

During the 2014 Israel–Gaza war, BBC journalist Tala Halawa tweeted "#HilterWasRight" and asserted that Israel is "more Nazi than Hitler". She was fired for these tweets.[17]

In 2016, Microsoft chatbot Tay was trained by internet users to state "Hitler did nothing wrong" and "Hitler was right I hate the Jews". It was taken offline because of these statements.[18][19][20]

People tweeting "Hitler was right" has been cited as an example of fascism on social media.[21] A 2017 ProPublica investigation revealed that Facebook allowed advertisers to target users using antisemitic ad categories including "Hitler did nothing wrong".[22]

In 2018, conspiracy theorist Steve West won the Republican primary for a district in the Missouri State House after stating "Hitler was right". The Missouri Republican Party did not endorse West.[23] United States Rep. Mary Miller was criticized for stating at the 2021 United States Capitol attack that "Hitler was right on one thing. He said, 'Whoever has the youth has the future.'”[24]

The Anti-Defamation League stated that it found 17,000 tweets using a variation of the phrase "Hitler was right" posted between 7 and 14 May 2021 during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis.[25]

References[]

  1. ^ Sanchez, Barbara (2020). "Internet Memes and Desensitization". Pathways: A Journal of Humanistic and Social Inquiry. 1 (2).
  2. ^ Demsar, Vlad; Brace-Govan, Jan; Jack, Gavin; Sands, Sean (2021). "The social phenomenon of trolling: understanding the discourse and social practices of online provocation". Journal of Marketing Management. 37 (11–12): 1058–1090. doi:10.1080/0267257X.2021.1900335. S2CID 233651571.
  3. ^ Condis, Megan (2019). "Hateful Games: Why White Supremacist Recruiters Target Gamers and How to Stop Them". In Reyman, Jessica; Sparby, Erika M (eds.). Digital Ethics: Rhetoric and Responsibility in Online Aggression. doi:10.4324/9780429266140. ISBN 978-0-429-26614-0. OCLC 1111420242. S2CID 189982687.
  4. ^ Bland, Benjamin (2017). "The life and times of an underground Führer". Patterns of Prejudice. 51 (5): 477–479. doi:10.1080/0031322X.2017.1389000. S2CID 149345921.
  5. ^ Cohen, Joshua (2020). "'Somehow Getting Their Own Back on Hitler': British Antifascism and the Holocaust, 1960–1967". Fascism. 9 (1–2): 121–145. doi:10.1163/22116257-09010004. ISSN 2211-6257. S2CID 234386121.
  6. ^ Kayfetz, Ben (1979). "Neo‐Nazis in Canada". Patterns of Prejudice. 13 (1): 29–32. doi:10.1080/0031322X.1979.9969490.
  7. ^ Brennan, James T. (1965). "Review of Die Verfassungsgerichtsbarkeit in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland". The American Journal of Comparative Law. 14 (3): 529–531. doi:10.2307/838465. ISSN 0002-919X. JSTOR 838465.
  8. ^ a b "When internet polls are hijacked". March 21, 2016 – via www.bbc.com.
  9. ^ Weill, Kelly (October 7, 2019). "Is 8chan Plotting Return With Ridiculous Rebrand?" – via www.thedailybeast.com.
  10. ^ Rosenfeld, Everett. "Mountain Dew's 'Dub the Dew' Online Poll Goes Horribly Wrong" – via newsfeed.time.com.
  11. ^ Romano, Aja (May 10, 2016). "Boaty McBoatFace and the history of internet naming fiascos". Vox.
  12. ^ "Pitbull performs in Kodiak". New York Daily News. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  13. ^ Kiefaber, David. "Mountain Dew Soda-Naming Contest Crashed by Pranksters". Adweek. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  14. ^ "Web pranksters hijack restaurant's Mountain Dew naming contest". New York Daily News. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  15. ^ Weise, Elizabeth. "'Rope. Tree. Journalist': Walmart yanks lynching T-shirt made by controversy-steeped Teespring". USA Today.
  16. ^ "'Hitler did nothing wrong' t-shirts still on sale - The Jewish Chronicle". Archived from the original on 2019-10-14.
  17. ^ "BBC journalist fired for 'Hitler was right' tweet blames 'pro-Israel mob'". Times of Israel. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  18. ^ Malhotra, Hersh (2017–2018). "Artificial Intelligence: A (Semi-Intelligent) Overview". International In-House Counsel Journal. 11: 1.
  19. ^ Zemčík, Tomáš (2021). "Failure of chatbot Tay was evil, ugliness and uselessness in its nature or do we judge it through cognitive shortcuts and biases?". AI & Society. 36 (1): 361–367. doi:10.1007/s00146-020-01053-4. ISSN 0951-5666. S2CID 225313255.
  20. ^ "Microsoft Pulls Robot After It Tweets 'Hitler Was Right I Hate the Jews'". Haaretz. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  21. ^ Fuchs, Christian (8 December 2017). "Fascism 2.0: Twitter Users' Social Media Memories of Hitler on his 127th Birthday". Fascism. 6 (2): 228–263. doi:10.1163/22116257-00602004. ISSN 2211-6257.
  22. ^ Julia Angwin, Madeleine Varner, Ariana Tobin. "Facebook Enabled Advertisers to Reach 'Jew Haters'". ProPublica. Retrieved 3 December 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ "Republican who said 'Hitler was right' wins state house primary vote". The Independent. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Illinois Congresswoman Says 'Hitler Was Right on One Thing'". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  25. ^ Cohen, Mari (27 May 2021). "A Closer Look at the 'Uptick' in Antisemitism". Jewish Currents. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
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