Rebuttal to "English Downfall" (Kairos 13.2: Disputatio section text)

[ilatolarobabilly]

...and if I have to define good taste, you don't have it.

[iforget]

Those clips from The Downfall are hilarious. I believe that when you laugh, you mock and humiliate the memory of a mass murderer. Agreed? PS OP: I am deeply sorry for your loss.

[kafkaz13]

Oh, come on, Steve. Yes, it's a common meme, even written about in the mainstream press, but it's not as if Kairos contextualized it at all. It seems self-indulgent and whiny to me.  The poor little misunderstood technorhetoricians and writing studies enthusiasts? Please. This is a pretty privileged group, and even though I can thoroughly relate to the frustrations, I think revdj has been by far the better rhetorician, here: words matter, and context does, too.

[kafkaz13]

I totally agree with you, revdj. This vid was a disappointment to me.

[english328]

Really? Why not? Seems to me they are using the Nazis to make a joke about a real situation in academia-- the job market-- and they are casting lit folks as the Nazis. How is this one significantly different?

[revdj]

I've seen those videos. They are not doing what this one is.

[english328]

I see your point, but before you get too up in arms, you might want to do a search for "hitler downfall meme." You'll see this chunk of video has been used with all kinds of stuff. You might want to comment on those videos too.