Quote:
Originally Posted by octothorp
I think this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but IMO there's a big difference between making a joke about nazis, which is totally fair game and has a proud comedic tradition, vs. saying the most offensive thing you can about Jews; it doesn't seem like the nazis are the punchline here as much as the Jews are. It doesn't really work as satire because actual nazis try to package fascist and anti-semitic ideas as viral memes in much the same way. At some point the line between fascist viral memes and satires of those same memes disappears, which is what the fascists want. I'm sure in many corners of the internet they're cheering the fact that a video with the repeated line 'gas the jews' has been seen (and apparently laughed at), and now defended by so many people. It lowers the bar for what they can get away with saying and posting. They love the defense "it's just a joke!" to whatever racist or anti-semitic vitriol they spew.
I can accept that this was probably intended as a private joke with no ill-will that got out of hand and should be sentenced with that in mind; but I also wouldn't want to see courts set a precedent that allows 'just a joke' as a defense to what would otherwise be hate speech.
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The neo-nazis will probably gain more from this conviction than right to make the video. It'll fit into their persecution complex, and they'll be able to use this as an example of how Jews control the media and courts.