In the early 20th century, one man manipulated German culture to justify a regime of terror: Joseph Goebbels.
Goebbels, the propaganda mastermind of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime, used mass media, literature, theatre and other forms of cultural dispersal to condition the masses into believing that ethnic cleansing and aggressive warfare were not only acceptable, but preferable ambitions for the German people.
Psychologically, Goebbels devised the “Big Lie” technique, which asserts that if an audacious lie is repeated often enough, no one will dispute it because they cannot believe that anyone would distort the truth to such an extent.
For example, Germany consistently attributed their loss in World War I to lack of public support and patriotism from certain groups, primarily the Jews, rather than to any military failures. This “stab-in-the-back” mentality helped legitimize Hitler’s policies in the minds of the masses. The impact of Goebbels’s power resulted in the persecution and murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust.
So when Jerry Brown, Democratic nominee for California governor, likened his opposition, Republican Candidate Meg Whitman, to Goebbels in late May, he received criticism for belittling the horrors of Goebbels’ bloody legacy.
In a private conversation with a reporter during a morning jog, Brown said, “I'll be a child molester. She'll have people believing whatever she wants about me. It's like Goebbels. Goebbels invented this kind of propaganda."
Brown later explained that he was trying to describe the nature of Whitman’s attack advertising blitz on the Californian electorate. Whitman’s camp spent a record-breaking $90 million—the majority from her own pocket— during the Republican primary alone.
Whitman’s actions aren’t quite on par with Goebbels’ though.
Assuming the conversation was off the record, Brown never expected for his remarks to hit the public, but has since faced condemnation for his callousness.
The Anti-Defamation League, an American organization that combats anti-Semitism, wrote a statement saying: “The use of Nazi references to underscore a political point is inappropriate and offensive under any circumstance. Comparisons to Nazis trivialize the extent of the Nazi regime’s crimes against humanity, diminish the suffering of survivors, and offend those who understand the profound evil that Nazism represented.”
"Well, I'm sorry,” Brown replied. “I talked to the people at the Holocaust center, and they completely understand."
Brown was referring to the Simon Wiesenthal Center, based in Los Angeles, where he briefly spoke with Rabbi Marvin Hier. Hier said Brown expressed regret at referencing Goebbels and at having his comments taken out of context.
Brown has not apologized publicly.
