Comparing two things is different from equating them. It's not offensive to compare Stalin to anything, including those things you hold sacred. It doesn't imply they are equal in all respects, and any inference to that effect on your part is in error.
> Comparing two things is different from equating them.
True, obviously.
> It's not offensive to compare Stalin to anything,
False.
> including those things you hold sacred. It doesn't
> imply they are equal in all respects, and any inference
> to that effect on your part is in error.
When you compare X to Hitler, or Stalin, or Pol Pot, or the devil, you're necessarily invoking an element of offense to make your broader point. Rightly or wrongly, those figures are inexorably bound to offend. It's not possible to simply assert that away.
