no.38 - The Hitler Yardstick

Among Hitler's many crimes, it often goes unnoticed that he quietly lowered the bar for human behavior. He is in constant use as a yard stick. Often the very worst human beings are measured against Hitler as if there were an on-going run-off amongst the evil, soulless leaders of the world to see who is worst.

But more frequently, the rest of us get measured against him or measure ourselves. When compared with Hitler's genocidal programs, a little shoplifting, a bit of tax evasion, or an afternoon's embezzlement all seem tame.

It's a simple out. Contrast any of your petty transgressions against the man widely considered the the most evil in history and you automatically come out on top:

"Come on, I didn't share my appetizer with you. It's not like I'm Hitler!"

"Gimme a break. I drown a few Kittens in a sack and suddenly I'm Hitler?"

"All I did was invade one little oil rich country, — I'm hardly Adolph Hitler."

Even in the absence of others to argue with, one can soak alone in a tub, thinking about the orphanage they defrauded and console themselves knowing you aren't quite as evil as the leader of the Third Reich.

And then there is that 1/365.75th of the population who must suffer the comparison mearly because they arrived in the world on April the twentieth.

I know about this. My best friend growing up shared a birthday with Adolf Hitler (still does, actually). I suppose an astrologer might find this significant, but I do not. I have never seen Ralph give any sort of hate and spittle filled oratory, nor has he attempted to annex any of his neighbors (not even the Klutchnicks). Unless one considers skill at RISK to be evidence of despottery, Ralph should never have had to suffer the comparison.