Drive By Thoughts “Grammar Nazi”

So I’ve heard this phrase become pretty common. Grammar Nazi. Example “I don’t want be a grammar Nazi, but…” Now, this post has nothing to do with my grammar, which I KNOW is not good. What struck me about this phrase was “how should you feel about casually call yourself a Nazi?”

I personally think there is a huge value to being aware of the root of certain words and names. As well as not letting the meaning or history of them be diluted.

I am not going to give you a history lesson, but if you’ve ever looked into Hitler and the Holocaust, you know that millions of people, where murdered under that Nazi name. The title Nazi does have a universal use. It’s not like the word…”dictator” that is not exclusive to a certain people. You can have dictators from any ethnicity with any and all types ethics. Nazi is the name of a specific people with a specific ideology. An ideology that caused a dark, dark part of history.

Personally, I don’t think a lot of the people are remembering what it means to be a Nazi when they use the phrase. Naturally I’m not assuming they are literally associating themselves as a Nazis either. I’m sure it’s just a something someone said to joke about how strict they are about correct grammar, and it caught on. It’s not something that’s going to get me heated if I hear you say it either.
However, knowing some history of the word Nazi, makes it something I personally wouldn’t say. I’m not writing this post to point fingers. It’s just a thought there struck me, and I would really appreciate if at least once, we stopped and really thought about this phrase before deciding whether or not to continue using it.

If you have anything you would like to add or have me think about, please feel free to comment. I would enjoy hearing what you have to say.

Sincerely,
Abby