On flame wars and invoking Hitler

There's an engaging debate taking place on the UF history grads mailing list about what history is and what our obligations as historians are. It's been productive and certainly interesting to read what others have to say about it. And then somebody has to go and be an asshole, make up a fake identity and start a flame war. It goes something like this: "My name is Joe Schmatz. I'm going to play list policeman and I think that you all need to find a different venue for this. Find something better to do." I give it another half day before someone invokes Hitler.