Newsflash: Hitler is dead. In fact, today is the 63rd anniversary of his death. Alas, since World War II, Jewish discourse on absolutely every single matter of import to Jews has been crippled by the rhetoric of comparing perceived enemies and threats to Hitler. Whether it's intermarriage, Israel, matrilineal succession (i.e. "who is a Jew?"), whether Jews should retain their separateness, how America should deal with Iran, or whether we should care about Jeremiah Wright's sermons, again and again and again, Nazism and Hitlerism are invoked on every side.

In 1990, a guy named Mike Godwin noticed a similar problem in the online community Usenet. He formulated what's now known as Godwin's Law: "As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one." In the intervening eighteen years, Godwin's Law spread far beyond Usenet to became a bona fide Internet meme. It's now shorthand for any conversation riddled with useless comparisons to Hitler or the Nazis.

It's fine to be sensitive to the historical lessons of WWII, but the tragedy of Godwin's Law is that the Hitler fetish doesn't improve our understanding or insight into any problem. Instead, it diminishes our ability to discuss it. The preoccupation with Hitler and WWII prevents us from honestly considering the opposing side of any debate. We dehumanize our opponent as complicit in genocide, and isn't that very dehumanization and strawmanning and simplifying of people's motives...sort of like Hitler?

In honor of the anniversary of Hitler's death, we looked for some unexpected personalities to Godwin. It's surprisingly easy! More are on their way, so check back often.

Hitlery Rodham Clinton propels herself to power through bogus, distorted, simplified economic pandering targeted at the lowest common denominator of an electorate.

John Sidney Hitler McCain sees politics as a break in between wars and seeks to impose his country's values on the rest of world.

Santa Claus, Enemy of the Jews has at least half of the world’s children under his thumb and saturates the media with his own likeness, ideas, and philosophy.

Baraq Hitler-ssein Osama leads a frightening cult of personality.

Everyone at Columbia is accusing everyone else of Hitlerian tactics in honor of Israel's 60th anniversary.

Anthony Bourdain stereotypes minority groups as "persistent irritants" and "the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit."

Creator of Godwin's law, Mike Godwin, weighs in. 

The Tref Home In QuestionIn an Orthodox neighborhood in L.A., a Jewish mother and heiress to an exotic-lingerie fortune (who now runs the Trashy Lingerie franchise with her hubby), decided to decorate her home this holiday season with ornate Christmas decorations including two giant snow globes, illuminated angels, candy canes, and a few large Santas. Her neighbors, who are mostly Jewish, have expressed mixed feelings about her actions.

“Some people are so offended, you have no idea,” said Mary Loomis-Shrier, who has long erected the giant display on a lovely street south of Hollywood. “But some of my neighbors think it is great. Some of their kids drop their list of toys in my mailbox. I don’t care because I love it, and it is my right."

Oh, I think we have plenty of ideas as to how Jews might not make light of "inherently Christian" acts.

Any American Jew can tell you that Christmas is a schizophrenic holiday. There’s the Christmas of Santa, a six-week shopping festival in which the nation’s stores become temples where anyone with a credit card can come and worship. And then there’s the Christmas of Jesus, a day in late December that for those of us non-Christians is somewhat of a yawn. Santa Christmas is a national holiday; Jesus Christmas is a little more exclusive. Santa Christmas is all about Macy’s; Jesus Christmas is all about the hearth.

At Radio City Music Hall, they understand this split. They’ve organized their entire show around it. The Christmas Spectacular, now in its 73rd year, consists largely of a veneration of the god of toys and the magical gifts he bestows around the world, with a special emphasis on the glamour of the big city holiday season. Theirs is a Santa who loves New York City so much that he’s willing to imperil the entire Christmas operation by spending December 24th in midtown, shopping for Mrs. Claus’s favorite perfume.

The show opens with a 3D number in which Santa’s sleigh dips out of the sky and swoops over the city, passing Lady Liberty, ducking through the Washington Square arch, and finally coming to rest at Radio City. The local references return in “White Christmas in New York,” a long sequence about the virtues of snow featuring Manhattan’s weather forecasters, the skating rink at Rockefeller Center, a glowing Upper East Side department store, and a gorgeous neon city backdrop. A crowd of boys and girls in bright sweaters rush around the crowded streets in front of a store—Bloomingdales, maybe? —while in the windows, Rockettes dressed as mannequins prose and preen.

In the audience, we’re all flaneurs, observing the movement of the metropolis. You could even argue that the anonymity of the matching kickline dancers suggests the facelessness of city crowds. And in the middle of this, Santa Claus, incognito in a trench coat, carrying his wife’s perfume, reigns supreme. The message couldn’t be more clear: New York City and Christmas go together like white beards and red coats.

If you happen to think about it, you’ll notice something missing from this whole extravaganza. Not once in the hour-long show does anyone mention Jesus. You might be mulling over this as the curtain goes down, in which case your questions will soon be answered. When the applause ends, the curtain rises again. Suddenly you’re watching a totally different show, and this one appears to be directed by Mel Gibson.

There’s Mary—was she one of the mannequins?—and Joseph, and a giant glowing cloud on the LCD screen, and a bunch of wise men leading actual camels across the stage. Nobody is tap dancing. And then a screen descends from the ceiling, and a voice intones:

He was born in an obscure village

The child of a peasant woman.

He grew up in another obscure village…

He never had a family or owned a home.

He never set foot inside a big city.

Jesus, in other words, wants none of your Madison Avenue poofery. All that big city stuff that Santa loves so very much? Jesus is so much better than all that. Jesus would never go to Radio City Music Hall if he were still around, and for some reason Radio City Music Hall wants to make that very clear.

The nativity lasts for less than ten minutes, and then the audience—small-town tourists, big-city locals and all—is swept out onto 6th Avenue, home to Santa but not Jesus. Is this confusing? Hell yes. But it's also totally consistent with the American approach to Christmas. The Santa holiday is about how much we love to shop; the Jesus holiday is something else entirely.