Quote (IceMage @ May 30 2018 06:38am)
I have no idea what crypto-nazi even means. You lumped in casual racists on the minority side, but not on the white side.
Another thing that hurts debate is the defensiveness and/or dismissiveness when discussing racism, or particular issues that effect minorities. Anything that triggers whitey is dismissed as identity politics.
Crypto-nazi was the granddaddy of the modern 'ur racist!' shrieks. It was the accusation thrown at conservatives, that they secretly supported fascism whether they knew it or not- impugning motives. Rather than attacking the argument, attacking the person and their motives.
It was right at the center of that rather memorable moment of the 1968 campaign, which has been written about at length since;
https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/buckley-vidal-and-the-queer-questionImpugning motives is utterly antithetical to debate. You can be defensive or offensive or a skycuckoolander when it comes to any issue and still make coherent arguments and deconstruct an opponent's arguments, but once it turns into name-calling and accusing someone else of holding beliefs they don't hold, there's nowhere a debate can go. Call someone a liar or call them a racist or nazi or crypto-nazi, and its the abrupt end of any reasoned debate. Its why its literally banned in the senate, after a fistfight in 1902.