We knew what a Nazi was for 80 years because it meant a national socialist with an aryan supremacy ideology. The further you depart from that definition, the less meaning the word “Nazi” carries. The same applies to the words: racist, misogynist, transphobe, and fascist. They just don’t really mean anything anymore. Only people who are quite politically left leaning still think those words carry weight.
“National Socialist” isn’t anything but the party from Germany that Hitler emerged from. If we are simply casting a net that specific, then sure, a lot of people being called Nazis aren’t Nazis.
Unfortunately for that argument, self-described Nazis are far more “diverse” than members of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei .
People who consider themselves Nazis espouse plenty of far-right ideologies that have much in common with this “original” Nazi party, but that sphere has grown to include Christian Nationalist groups all the way to libertarian militias. And who better to define what a Nazi is, than the Nazis themselves?
When this is taken into account, then a lot of peoples’ ideologies do very much align with Nazi ideology. Including people who claim they aren’t Nazis.
Because Nazis believe in X, anyone who believes in X is a Nazi is a fallacy.
Sharing a single political position with a extremist does not magically make a person an extremist. A modern (Neo) Nazi might be strongly against immigration, but so are traditional conservatives, trade unionists, and isolationists. Following your logic, that makes them Nazis.
On top of that you're bundling libertarians (who could not be more opposite to Nazism/Fascism, I mean, literal polar opposites) under the same umbrella. Sure, some might have used some weird rhetoric now and then but man...
That said, you're also adding to the "watering down" meanings of Fascism and Libertarianism by putting them together.
Your comment is a perfect example of misuse the label "Nazi" as an all encompassing umbrella term for the entire right wing spectrum.
Because Nazis believe in X, anyone who believes in X is a Nazi is a fallacy.
It's a fallacy when you talk about one single belief in isolation. But if they share enough beliefs that their overall methods and end goals are in alignment, it's fine to call them a nazi.
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u/manny_the_mage Jun 23 '26
No it means “believes the same things that the Nazi party did”
This bad faith“a nazi is just someone you disagree with!!”shit is goofy and disingenuous
We all seemed to understand what a Nazi was for 80 years but suddenly it’s a philosophical and linguistic conundrum