Self-censorship can be a trap in a lot of circumstances. Sometimes people hesitate to speak on a topic simply because somebody else reacts very violently to the subject.

Several times in the past here on the HabitableZone we went through a period of wrenching debate about a sensitive subject that seems to have resulted in a mirror-image to "we can't mention Christmas" self-censorship. Sometimes debate strays into topics in which "Nazis" and "Republicans" are mentioned in the same post, and many Republicans take great offense to it. Sometimes their anger is justified--simply calling somebody a Nazi is a deep insult, and heavy-handed attempts to draw parallels between Republican beliefs and Nazi beliefs are...well, simply heavy-handed thinly-veiled insults.

But sometimes the anger suppresses legitimate intellectual inquiry. Joseph Goebbels was a master propagandist, and so is Karl Rove. Comparing their skill at their chosen profession doesn't necessarily make them ideological soulmates. I would say that propaganda techniques are a subject of major importance these days, so the subject of Republican propaganda shouldn't be offlimits because they're using classic techniques first developed by the Nazis. So does Madison Avenue--space travel wasn't the only technology the US brought home from Germany at the end of the war.

I know I'm reluctant to stray into those areas, and I suspect other people are around here. I had to think for a minute recently while writing a post, before writing about the resemblance of Republican Hugh Hewitt's campaign strategy book "Painting the Map Red: The Fight to Create a Permanent Republican Majority" to Main Kampf. I wasn't writing with a broad brush, but very particularly about the similar reliance on scapegoating a group as a justification for power. A demagogue is a demagogue, whether they try to whip up hatred for Jews or for Democrats.

Even more important, I think, is to be aware of techniques that others have used in the past to undermine a democracy, and to be on guard against them in the present day. The Nazis came to power by exploiting procedural loopholes in the German democracy and packing the legislature, so it's prudent be sensitive to actions that suggest somebody's trying to take over our own legislature. Gerrymandering districts, "backlash insurance", strong Party discipline, control of campaign financing...we ought to be suspicious of that sort of behavior even if those doing it today just hate to be reminded that Nazis once did it too. Especially when they're so bold as to declare their intention to install their Party permanently in power. How is it possible to be so clueless about democracy and still wrap yourself in the flag and salute the apple pie?

I've been censoring myself in this area, and upon reflection, I shouldn't have. There are ways to discuss sensitive issues without having it descend into a flame war, although it's like walking on eggshells. But some topics cry out to be addressed.