Social media users debate tweet comparing racism in U.S. with Nazi Germany
A prominent journalist stirred up controversy Sunday night with a tweet comparing the United States’ racial past with Nazi Germany.
Jemele Hill of The Atlantic praised the new book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson, which compares the United States’ and Nazi Germany’s treatment of minorities. Hill’s tweet echoed the same comparison.
Been reading Isabel Wilkerson’s new book, “Caste,” and if you were of the opinion that the United States wasn’t nearly as bad as Nazi Germany, how wrong you are. Can’t encourage you enough to read this masterpiece.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) August 23, 2020
In response to criticism, Hill went on to write that the United States’ history of “racialized slavery” and “racial terrorism” served as inspiration for the Third Reich.
Historians have documented Nazi leaders’ interest in and appreciation of the American South’s race-based laws and social structures.
Some respondents accused Hill of making a false equivalency between recent events in the United States and Nazi tactics.
Just the basic fact that you have a huge platform/make a solid living shitting on the President and haven’t been locked in a labor camp says this is the complete opposite of nazi germany.
Grow up.
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) August 23, 2020
Other Twitter users countered this criticism, claiming that the United States is following the same trajectory as Germany in the mid-1930s, though not yet reaching the point of erecting death camps.
Talk show host Chip Franklin reinforced this point by tweeting out a call for examples of commonalities between Nazi Germany and the United States today. The post gained thousands of comments pointing out parallels, including unidentified security forces abducting protesters and officials’ attacks on the media.
The right is flipping their shit over the comparison of the US being similar to Nazi Germany.
Let’s prove a point.
Name something in common with the US now and early Nazi German, then pass it on.
— Chip Franklin (@chipfranklin) August 24, 2020
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30