Gov. Scott Walker is not Hitler. He's also not Hosni Mubarak. The governor is not a terrorist, he is not a fascist and he's certainly no Mussolini. I could continue, but I feel the same way about such comparisons as I do about herpes; they are unsightly, unfortunate and spread like wildfire if left unattended.
Don't get me wrong—I voted against Walker. I have proudly trashed him in previous articles, and I don't support his attempt to dismantle union bargaining rights. As much as I disagree with his policies, however, I am even more disturbed by the grossly inaccurate comparisons made between Walker and other former dictators and political movements.
Protesters' signs have made sweeping comparisons between Walker and the dictators of past regimes, referring to the governor as the ""Cheese Head Pharaoh."" Harold Meyerson of The Washington Post compared the current situation to ""Mubarak's Egypt or communist Poland and East Germany."" Even the New York Times' highly respected writer Paul Krugman alluded to Rep. Paul Ryan's ridiculous comment that ""It's like Cairo has moved to Madison.""
While a worldwide public uprising against the power elite is a romantic idea, it is not a reality. These are separate incidents with completely different circumstances, tied together for the benefit of trigger-happy opinion writers and angry union members. And while I support the cause of Wisconsin's workers, such inaccuracy is insulting and disrespectful. It diminishes the protesters' arguments, earns media attention for all the wrong reasons and reduces the conversation to childish name-calling.
First, Hosni Mubarak was a dictator who imposed torture, religious discrimination and electoral fraud. He censored the press, jailed his critics and instituted one-party rule. Unless Walker starts instructing men on camels to ride into the Capitol and start whipping protestors, it's safe to say he hasn't attained Mubarak's status yet. In addition, Madison is not Cairo. Yes, both have recently had large protests against their leader, but to connect the two ignores their radically different circumstances.
Second, Walker is not Adolf Hitler. Neither is President Barack Obama for that matter. To portray either one with a Hitler mustache and compare the two is not only idiotic, it is unbelievably disrespectful. This portrayal is unfair to the governor and insults the 8 million Jews killed in Nazi concentration camps. To go into detail about why the two are incomparable would prove just as stupid as the sign itself.
The individuals who make such comparisons are just desperate for ammunition. They find the slightest similarity so that they can justify their argument. Perhaps Hitler didn't like unions. Maybe Obama's health-care system has slight similarities to Nazi Germany's social policies. But that's not the point. You could compare Walker's actions and Obama's proposals to an endless number of other leaders, both past and present. It seems the real goal is to connect the target to Hitler in order to elicit an emotional reaction—one based on unrelated issues.
What union supporters need to realize is that such comparisons lessen their own argument. Fox News is eager for material to bash protestors and portray them as violent and unreasonable. Such signs, especially coming from teachers who should know better, only feed the fire. And while you may cry foul that those making such comparisons are the minority, realize that one rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel.
Whether you support Walker or not, it is imperative that protesters argue logically, debate intelligently and strive to take the higher ground. Of all the things you can criticize Walker about, why waste paper on inaccurate and hurtful messages? Wisconsin is too intelligent and too creative to stoop so low. Throughout the protests I've seen plenty of signs reminding the governor that ""the world is watching."" Those comparing Scott Walker to Hitler, Mubarak, or any other historical dictator would do well to remember that the world is watching them, too.
Miles Kellerman is a sophomore majoring in political science. Please send feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
