Chess Nazi’s

Wow.... I've learned 2 new words thanks to wormrose and batgirl... frippery and bagatelle.  Oh and by the way... thanks for this thread Popinjay... we've all learned so much from it.  Perhaps the best term for this would be Chess Police... and maybe they hang out with the Forum Police eating donuts or is it doughnuts?

Unlike Batgirl, I thought the title of the thread was using "Nazi" in the trendy way as short hand for jerks who try to impose their sense of the proper on everyone else. But I'm much influenced by the Seinfeld episode featuring the incomparable Soup Nazi. ("No soup for you!!")

I agree with Batgirl that "Nazi" is not a particularly apt term here. I think the closest analogy is the self-appointed "grammar" experts who inflicted on us such rules as never splitting infinitives and never ending a sentence with a preposition. (That last, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, is a rule up with which I will not put.)

I'm not sure what phrase conveys this sort of mentality clearly.

I'm sure the Greeks have a word that would work. Those guys had a word for everything. :)

Orthodox  ( not certain if Greek or Latin)

I fail to see how Fascist is any more appropriate than Nazi.  The same argument that was made about a Nazi being a proponent of the defunct Nazi party could be made about a Fascist. 

To say that Nazi is used incorrectly nowadays--like many other words that have a specific historical context yet live on--is to believe that language is static. 

It's not.

Well expressed.. consider the word "Gay" ,changed from happy /cheery to chappies who are queries

*To say that Nazi is used incorrectly nowadays--like many other words that have a specific historical context yet live on--is to believe that language is static.*

And arbitrarily attributing meanings to a words certainly does make a language dynamic.

If the audience understands the "arbitrary" definition, the word has already evolved into something new.  I'm not saying that doesn't leave room to make ornery old guys like me wince, but facts is fax.  It's not only with language.  I see the iron cross on so many motorcycle tee shirts nowadays.  How many of those jokers understand the historical significance of that symbol?

 The Iron Cross isn't a Nazi symbol. It's just a military award and it existed long before the Nazis took power.

I'm aware that it is not a Nazi symbol.  It existed before Germany; check out some Teutonic shields.  But who remembers the 100 years war?  That's my whole point, language and symbols evolve throughout the passage of time.

I often write and assign meanings to words, or make words up, for the tantalizing word-play of it all. And the words are usually understood by context.  That doesn't mean language has morphed under my direction.  Some words, Nazi being one of them, have such a strong emotional, as well as such historical  significance that attempting to assign a flippant meaning to it, whether on purpose or through ignorance or through lack of caring, is an affront of sorts. The real fact, as I see it, is that such words must retain their original denotation and must not be lessened.  But, of course, people are free to do as they please.

Which words must retain their original meaning?  Okie was an affront to those who made the journey west in the thirties.  Who is offended by that word today?

"Nazi" will always retain its original meaning and unforgettable consequences, though word may be used in other comparitive sensesas well.

I think it is time for these chess nazis to start their own chess club. It might be fun to play them . Rolef

So, the question is: who gets to chose the words?

It depends of one's perspective, I guess.  To me, things that a reasonable person wouldn't do can generally be considered things I should avoid doing. I don't need a rule to tell me that. While everyone surely has a slightly different definition of reasonableness, I think most people have a certain amount common ground. There doesn't need to be a set of rules nor a rule-maker, just common sense and application of the reasonableness litmus test. My reasonableness test tells me Nazi yes, Okie no, but not because I think any pejorative is harmless, but because, while maybe few vicims of the Dust Bowl still remain, the tattered term, Okie, never reflected a philosophy, the result of which needs never to be forgotten, but was just an ignorant reaction to an impoverished group.

Would these Naziz please come forward and play a game.

 I seriously doubt that, got any proof of that?

CzarWithinMoons, why was that thread locked??  I didn't see anything there all that offensive.

Alekhine seems to have been rather apolitical unless the politics took a personal turn. In the aforementioned thread, likesforest pretty much summarized my own take on Alekhine... a victim of circumstances more than anything.  

I think the test lies in common usage. If the word nazi in common usage denotes the Nazis of Hitler's time, then its use is restricted to that context. If in common usage the context has been broadened to also mean an overbearing etc person, then its use in that sense is not faulty.

The other test is of course whether or not you capitalize the word - Nazi or nazi. Just like, say, God...

Stop worring popinjay, there will always be those that don't you for whatever reason, play chess and have fun with those that could care less about all that junk.....