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Google Listed 'Nazism' as the Ideology of the California Republican Party (gizmodo.com)

Less than a week ago, if you searched for the California Republican Party on Google, you might have read that the political party's ideologies included conservatism, market liberalism, and nazism. The latter listing has since been removed, and Google is blaming the results on Wikipedia "vandalism." From a report: Vice first reported the inclusion of "Nazism" under ideologies in Google's knowledge panel -- the box that shows up to the right of search results. It's unclear how long the term had been there, but the tech giant removed it after being notified by the publication. "We regret that vandalism on Wikipedia briefly appeared on our search results," Google tweeted on Thursday in response to California congressman and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. "This was not the the result of a manual change by Google. We have systems in place that catch vandalism before it impacts search results, but occasionally errors get through, and that happened here."

17 of 490 comments (clear)

  1. Clickbait Nonsense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Some jerk edited the Wikipedia page. Google served the information without knowing the content. Once discovered, the page and Google presentation were corrected.

    In other extremely important breaking news, it was discovered that a Facebook billboard had "penis" spray painted across it. Users are outraged that the company would display such language in their marketing material.

  2. Re:There are real issues [Re:Heil Hillary as manda by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is just the "no true Socialism" thing again. Of course the Socialists acted as authoritarian fascists, they have to get the money from SOMEWHERE. If you're going to tell me "oh, they can just print it" then I'll invite you to Brazil or Zimbabwe.

    Anyhow, the Nazis were all about taking the wealth of the 1%ers, they just happened to identify those as Jews as there were a lot of Jewish bankers, given that most gentiles didn't want anything to do with usury for a very long time.

  3. Not known how long it was there? by qe2e! · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If only Wikipedia had some kind of freely available edit history log, you could find out.

  4. Re:There are real issues [Re:Heil Hillary as manda by king+neckbeard · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Is North Korea a Democratic Republic, or does the name someone adopts not always indicate what they are?

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  5. Re:There are real issues [Re:Heil Hillary as manda by Layzej · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Well...

    California’s 2018 U.S. Senate election attracted nationwide attention in April 2018, not long after the publication of a poll showing that little-known Republican and committed neo-Nazi Patrick Little had 18 percent of support among likely primary election voters, second to incumbent Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein with 39 percent.

    In the SurveyUSA poll, Little — who describes himself as a “white nationalist” — had greater support than four other candidates in the state’s open primary, which candidates of any party (or none) can enter. These included outgoing California Senate President Kevin de Léon, a Democrat, and businessman Rocky de la Fuente, a Republican.

    If those poll numbers were to hold, Feinstein and Little would advance from the primary as the two top candidates and contest the general election in November. The Republican party would be represented in a national race by a candidate who advocates a future United States “free from Jews” and has repeatedly and unreservedly expressed anti-semitic and white nationalist views during his campaign.

    But this is not limited to California:

    Little is the third Republican candidate for national office during the 2018 electoral cycle to have expressed openly anti-semitic and racist views.

    In March, former American Nazi Party leader Arthur Jones ran unopposed in the GOP primary for Illinois’ Third U.S. Congressional District, and will represent the party in November’s general election.

    In Wisconsin’s First U.S. Congressional District, one of the Republicans seeking to replace retiring House leader Paul Ryan in November is Paul Nehlen, who has described himself as “pro-white” and frequently expresses virulently anti-semitic sentiments on social media.

    In February 2018, Nehlen was permanently banned from Twitter after posting a racist cartoon in reference to the actor Meghan Markle — whose mother is black — after her engagement to Prince Harry was announced.

  6. Re:There are real issues [Re:Heil Hillary as manda by ooloorie · · Score: 4, Insightful

    false, nazis were corporate fascists

    You seem to think that sticking the term "corporate" something means that it is right wing; that is false. Both state corporatism and state capitalism are left wing ideologies; that is, the "corporation" is very much a tool of left wing ideologies, used to control free markets. Right wing ideologies are free market ideologies.

    hilarious the people that only believed what came out of Hitler's mouth compared to what he and the Nazis actually did

    What the Nazis actually did is what leftists in general do: they tightly regulated businesses, highly taxed unearned income, controlled prices and wages, engaged in massive redistribution, massively expanded government welfare systems, provided free education, oppressed and controlled the churches, regulated news media to promote what they considered truth, categorized people into desirable/undesirable, implemented free healthcare and mandated fitness, stimulated the economy through government spending, promoted environmentalism an a return to nature, promoted sustainability, and oppressed their critics. That is, in most policies, European fascists were just like leftists. And until the horrific crimes of European fascists in the 20th century came to light, American leftists were quite laudatory of European fascists.

    No, they were not socialists

    Nazis were indeed "not socialists", but they were most certainly leftists and ideologically very close to socialism and progressivism.

  7. Re:We're not socialists! by Ichijo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Capitalism works best (as in, markets work most efficiently in solving the basic economic problem) when market failures (monopolies, asymmetrical information, negative externalities, etc.) are corrected. This requires government.

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  8. Re:There are real issues [Re:Heil Hillary as manda by Moryath · · Score: 5, Informative

    See, it's stupid bullshit repeated by crossburners like this that causes so many problems.

    The word is not "national socialists". German language commonly merges words for new concepts. The word they used was "nationalsozialistische". All one word, which dumbasses who don't speak German well try to split apart in order to translate poorly. The word itself accurately translated would come closest to "national social order" or "national social control". The party rhetoric focused around ideas of racial purity ("völkische bewegung" and "volksgemeinschaft", e.g. "race movement" and "race community" from the german word "volk" referring to a specific ethnic group).

    What they MEANT is the same thing that Repugnant Klan radio hosts and politicians like Michael Savage and Donald Trump mean when they shout "blood and soil", "borders language culture", and other racial supremacist jargon. They're a bunch of fucking nazis.

  9. Re:There are real issues [Re:Heil Hillary as manda by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Much like the modern ANTIFA "anti-fascist" thugs are anything but anti-fascist.

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  10. Re:Very short lived vandalizm by JonathanP.Bennett · · Score: 4, Informative

    Not so much. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/ind... seems to be the edit that showed up on Google. It was up for a week before fixed.

  11. Re:There are real issues [Re:Heil Hillary as manda by Moryath · · Score: 4, Informative

    Meanwhile back in reality:

    "Bannon, the former chief strategist in the Trump administration, has expressed his enthusiasm for the alt right, a loose network of individuals and groups that promote white identity and reject mainstream conservatism in favor of politics that embrace implicit or explicit racism, anti-Semitism and white supremacy. Alt right adherents oppose multiculturalism, immigration and often claim that there is a Jewish conspiracy to advocate for “white genocide.” These messages are often delivered via social media, using “ironic” memes and/or slogans.

    Bannon “proudly” told a Mother Jones reporter at the 2016 Republican National Convention “we’re the platform for the alt right,” referring to Breitbart News, which he headed at the time. ...
    When President Trump named Bannon as his chief strategist, numerous well-known white supremacists celebrated the appointment. David Duke called the selection of Bannon “excellent,” adding that Bannon was “basically creating the ideological aspects of where we’re going.” Peter Brimelow, who runs the racist site VDare, said that the Bannon hire was “amazing.”

    Jared Taylor of American Renaissance, Brad Griffin of Occidental Dissent, and Rocky Suhayda of the American Nazi Party predicted that Bannon would help hold Trump to his campaign promises on immigration. ...
    While still at the helm of Breitbart, Bannon made a number of comments about the West being at war with Islam. At a speech at the Vatican in 2014, he said, “We are in an outright war against jihadist Islamic fascism.” During 2015 and 2016 broadcasts of the Breitbart News Daily radio show, he called Islam “the most radical religion in the world” and alleged that “Islamist sympathizers had infiltrated the U.S. government and news media,” according to an article in USA Today."

      https://www.adl.org/resources/...

  12. Re:There are real issues [Re:Heil Hillary as manda by ichimunki · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Seriously bringing up that bullshit about Hillary and Byrd? Give us a break... he clearly repudiated the entire philosophy of the KKK back in the early 50's, when Hillary was still in Kindergarten. Read your own link, troll.

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  13. Re:There are real issues [Re:Heil Hillary as manda by BlueStrat · · Score: 4, Informative

    I didn't "accuse others", I gave a long list of Nazi policies that coincide with leftist policies and the historical close connections between fascists and leftists.

    You are exactly correct with your original post and the points you made there.

    When Mussolini took power and turned Italy fascist, Lenin congratulated him. They are both at their core a Marxist/Leninist ideology, differing only that by either the state owning factories, railways, etc outright, or under fascism, the entities already in charge were simply placed under government control.

    Those who disagree can compare for yourselves the Nazi's own 25 point declaration of their platform against any socialist regime's core principles you'd like. If you are being intellectually honest in the slightest one would have to recognize the obvious and glaring similarities in the majority of principles declared if one simply puts them all into contemporary terms, but yet people insist otherwise.

    http://www.historyplace.com/wo...

    Strat

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  14. Re:There are real issues [Re:Heil Hillary as manda by another_twilight · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The Wikipedia entry states "The majority of scholars identify Nazism in both theory and practice as a form of far-right politics"

    Hitler claimed to be neither left, nor right wing and criticised both, while using elements that were, at the time, both left and right.

    Yes, Wikipedia isn't authoritative, but that quote has a couple of attestations. If you'd like to argue otherwise, I'd like to see a similar (or better) standard of evidence to support your claim. Your argument and list of traits you consider left is a mix of traints common with some politically left organisations and some authoritarian organisations (some of which are left). It ignores traditionally right elements of the Nazis (like nationalism and anti-liberalism). It's unbalanced and superficial.

    The Nazis were fascist. Fascism is authoritarian.

    That authoritarian governments arise from politically left parties is obvious (just as it is obvious that they also arise from politically right parties). That authoritarian governments share common traits should be obvious. Identifying authoritarian traits in politically left governments and comparing those to authoritarian traits in the nazis and declaring the nazis politically left is lazy, dishonest or ignorant.

    Politically left fascism kind of exists, mostly as a criticism of the extreme left, but it's a new term and not well defined - mostly it seems to be used as an epithet.

    Frankly, both ends of the political spectrum tend to look pretty similar when they get extreme enough and it would be charitable to think that this is where most people are getting confused.

    TL:DR
    Nazis are usually considered 'far right'. They claimed to be syncretism of left and right and criticised both while taking elements from both. They were fascist and authoratarian (redundant). Observing that the authoritarian 'far left' and nazis have something in common is obvious. Arguing that this makes nazis left is shallow.

  15. Re:There are real issues [Re:Heil Hillary as manda by another_twilight · · Score: 5, Informative

    You are exactly correct with your original post and the points you made there.

    Except that he avoids traditionally 'right' elements of the Nazis, irgnores that the Nazis claimed to be neither left, nor right but a syncretism of both (and hence have elements that are both traditionally left and traditionally right), listed elements that are authoritarian and by the association with authoritarian-left claims the Nazis were left.

    When Mussolini took power and turned Italy fascist, Lenin congratulated him.

    And Hitler both criticised and praised Stalin. Because, you know, Nazis are hard to define on a single axis of left and right.

    They are both at their core a Marxist/Leninist ideology

    Sure, if you ignore what that means, ignore Hitler's criticism of same and the elements of Nazism that are traditionally right.

    Those who disagree can compare for yourselves the Nazi's own 25 point declaration of their platform against any socialist regime's core principles

    *sigh*. OK. I'll reference by number for brevity.

    1. is right (nationalism)
    2. is neither (world recognition, lifting of sanctions)
    3. is neither or right (demand for land)
    4-6. is far-right (citizenship tied to race)
    7. is left-ish (state provided opportunity for livlihood - note this is a weaker left than traditional communist/socialist left where the state provides the livlihood, not just the opportunity.)
    8. right-ish (limitations on immigration. Traditionally right, and linked to the far-right racism, above, but given the period and the context may not have been as right as it now looks. Certainly not traditionally left)
    9. neither or weakly left (equality of citizens. Weakly left because of statement about obligations. Better seen as authoritarian IMHO)
    10. far-left (citizens must be productive and have an obligation to the state)
    11. left (breaking of unearned income and abolition of debt slavery. Again, I'm moderating this from 'far-left' because of the historical situation. Definately not right)
    12. unknown/arguable (abolition of war profiteering. Left if you consider any interference in a free market left. Neither if you consider production through war is frequently nationalised even by capitalist/free-market countries, right if you consider the merging of state and corporation esp. in war production)
    13-14. far-left and far-right (nationalisation of industry. Corporatism or communism arrive at the merging of state and corporation from different directions but the same outcome)
    15. left (age welfare)
    16. unique-right-ish (creation of middle class (right), seizing of assets (left) for loan to small business (right-ish))
    17. left-ish (removing land speculation, and allowing for expropriation)
    18. extremist (death to certain classes of criminal)
    19. neither (rule of law)
    20. left-ish (education)
    21. left-ish (abolition of child labour, provision of health and sporting facilities)
    22. right or neither (national army)
    23. neither or far-right (citizenship and the press)
    24. neither or far-right (freedom of religion and/or promotion of Christianity)
    25. authoritarian (centralised power)

    I make about 9-10 right, anything from weakly right through far right. I make about 11 left with similar caveats. Then there's a few that don't fit even within those fairly broad catch-alls. We can argue specifics and there are some I'll accept could go either way, but that's my point.

    Nazis borrowed from both left and right, criticised both, were fascist and hence authoritarian. Calling them 'left' is true, but only partly so and is just as true to call them 'right, more true to call them 'far right' and better to add an extra axis and start adding an authoritarian adjective.

    If you are being intellectually honest

    About that ...

  16. People, hear me out by Evtim · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Synopsis: The division is not left/right; that is the wrong way of approaching the situation. Instead it is individualism versus tribalism.

    Here is the story:

    Stand and face (let’s say) North. Put your hands together and extend them pointing towards N. Now, open them 90 degrees each until they cut 180-degree arc. Your hands just described the spectrum of regular, let us call it sane (enough) politics. Quadrant I (looking top down) is the right wing, quadrant II is the left wing. You might color them if you like. Let’s say the left is red and the right is blue. Now, what about quadrant III and IV? Those are populated with people who have taken either side to the extreme.

    And here is an interesting fact – since we have numerous examples throughout the 20th century of both left and right going crazy (cross culture and cross race mind you!), we have very clear record of the tactics they applied. And they are largely the same! Labor camps – check, both the Nazis and the Commies did it. Group identity – check (superior race against everyone else in one case, the proletariat against everyone else in the other). Overreach of governmental meddling in people’s lives – check. Emphasis on “morality”, “patriotism”, “national pride” – check. Cult of personality – check. Stricter control of the populous, massive secret services and surveillance programs, emphasis on “reporting the undesirables” and “catching the enemy within” – check. Vilifying all who do not belong to said groups and do not sing endlessly the party line – check. So, the color of quadrants III and IV is mostly purple. Those people come from different quadrants but they end up in the same place (while hating each other viciously of course and completely not aware that they are the two sides of the same coin).

    So, it seems to me that the actual division we must be aware of is not along the line North – South but East – West. At one end – North stands the sovereignty of the individual and the idea that all systems and ideologies are eventually oppressive so no ideology should be allowed to trump individual human rights and dignity. Equality in front of the law (or God if you will), maximum freedom for the individual to follow his/her ambitions, talents, capabilities, etc. and equality of opportunity are the hallmarks of that ideology. On the other side is the group identity and the toxic tribalism. The individual is but a cog in the great machine of the state. The party line is everything. Everyone else is an enemy. In the pursue of our goals anything goes (because we are right!). “The goals of the group and the greater ways are transcendent and (I am the one that defines them) to embrace them is to achieve enlightenment” – chairman Sheng-ij Yang.

    And that is why, for instance, at the moment in the so-called intellectual dark web people as remote in their ideology as Richard Dawkins (fireproof atheist; top dog evolutionary biologists), Stephen Fry (gay; bleeding heart liberal and fireproof atheist who argues that the church is not a force for good; renaissance man), Ben Shapiro (conservative Jew who still thinks being gay is a sin) and Jordan Peterson (quite religious in his own way, fully aware of the dangers posed by people from quadrant III and IV) are allies and speak in one voice against the disappearance of freedom of speech, the cessation of a meaningful dialog between the left and right, the forceful and violent de-platform/shutting of/attacking stints by the extremists, the mainstream media fiasco and so on.I saw it with my own eyes and could hardly stop laughing – Shapiro for example was viciously attacked by both the alt-right and the commies who claimed he is one of the “others”. What can be more revealing than that?

    Final note: we absolutely need both sides of the argument to go forward. Either extreme breeds destruction and suffering, but the

  17. Re:There are real issues [Re:Heil Hillary as manda by another_twilight · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And thank you for a civil discussion on an often heated topic.

    Fascism is authoritarian, and both the far right and far left end up as authoritarian, which makes them all share a lot of characteristics. Nazism was fascist, and had some traits that were more closely far right than far left (don't take my word for it, read the wikipedia article and follow the references). To that end, the elements I consider to be typical of the far right in the Nazis are also likely to be elements that are fascist. Elements that are far left are less likely to be classically fascist although they are just as authoritarian. I've tried to distinguish between authoritarian and things that are more definately right/left.

    I don't think I've used a nazi=fascist=far-right=nazi loop, but that's the problem with unconscious bias; it's hard to see.

    specifically;
    4-6 are citizenship and race. The right is usually focused on its own citizens, uses nationalism and in the far right can become xenophobic. I think this is a pretty clear case for being classically 'right' and then exaggerated by the far right.

    13-14 I acknowledge as being both far right and far left. It's a failure mode both can reach, although from different paths.

    23 and 24 I acknowledge can be argued to be either neither or possibly far right. I think this is a case where traits that are present in the moderate right (citizens first, and the sort of conservatism that values national culture/religion) become exaggerated by the far right but I can see an argument that sees these points as being so far removed from the concerns of the moderate right that they are qualitatively different. ... and that's all I identified as 'far right'. One that's an exaggeration the nationalism to the point of xenophobia. One that's as much far right as far left and one that's arguable.

    I'm genuinely curious, can you provide an example where you think I've used a circular definition?

    ---

    You list a number of things that the right have endorsed, but you've omitted a number as well. The right is usually nationalistic, the left usually internationalisation. The right is usually (in the modern era) conservative culturally and socially as well as fiscally, the left is usually progressive and/or liberal. Personally, I'd add that the right advocates individual rights and responsibilities, the left focusses on collective rights and responsibilities.

    Specifically the nationalism - which when distorted by extremism becomes the racism/xenophobia of the far-right and can give rise to militarism. I don't know. Maybe that's where I'm arguing circularly. The far left can be just as bloodthirsty, but it's usually classist, not racist, so I do think that racism is usually a far-right phenomenon.