Opinion: History, likes, and an editorial we’re doomed to repeat

History has to be more than a weapon we wield against political enemies.

The now former deputy leader of the BC Green Party recently found himself mired in controversy after adding a dash more toxicity to the radioactive sludge that is social media.

Dr. Sanjiv Gandhi liked a tweet that referred to B.C.’s provincial health officer as Queen Bonnie “Mengele” Henry, thus invoking the infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele and the sadistic medical experiments he conducted on prisoners at Auschwitz.

Gandhi has since stated he didn’t mean to like what he called an: “extremely inappropriate” post. Instead, he meant to boost an open letter that was critical of B.C.’s healthcare system.

We certainly hope that’s true. And it’s entirely possible Gandhi never meant to engage with that disgusting tweet in the first place. But not engaging isn’t enough.

Politicians have to reject, repudiate or debunk Nazi comparisons and other ugly propaganda, even – or maybe especially – when those comparisons are made by their political allies.

Besides trivializing the tragic, that type of Good vs. Evil language renders further conversation – as well as any chance of mutual understanding – impossible. After all, one of the chief characteristics of evil is that it can’t be reasoned with.

An American lawyer named Mike Godwin coined Godwin’s Law: the rule that any online argument, given enough time, descends into a Hitler comparison.

Maybe this incident is a reminder to spend a bit less time online. It might also be a good idea to spend more time learning history and less time wielding it.

Please don’t make us repeat that.