The magazine has courted controversy online, and gotten a lot of confused reaction from commenters, after polling their readers to see if they would "kill a baby Hitler".
The New York Times magazine ran a rather strange poll on Friday, asking their readers if they thought they would be able to kill a baby Hitler and therefore, presumably, put a stop to all the terrible events which unfolded during World War II.
We asked @nytmag readers: If you could go back and kill Hitler as a baby, would you do it? (What's your response?) pic.twitter.com/daatm12NZC
— NYT Magazine (@NYTmag) October 23, 2015
The response online to the poll was mainly one of mass confusion as to just where the question came out of.
@NYTmag If you could go back to your editorial meeting and rethink this engagement idea, would you do it? (What's your response?)
— John Hausman (@JohnSHausman) October 23, 2015
@aedwardslevy Time-travel-based telegraph, duh
— Mike Madden (@MikeMadden) October 23, 2015
@NYTmag pic.twitter.com/4oVbGIHQfM
— steve boousseau (@steverousseau) October 23, 2015
@NYTmag We asked 300 magazine editors: Would you troll?
— Noah Shachtman (@NoahShachtman) October 23, 2015
It also drew a number of sarcastic responses from online readers and social media users.
Ok, fair enough @NYTmag -- But tell me something useful; like which babies should we kill today, in the here & now? https://t.co/f8LOcwuR3b
— Hollow Earth Expert (@historyinflicks) October 23, 2015
Why is it necessary to kill Hitler as a baby? Could I wait until he was at least a teenager? #babyhitler @NYTmag
— Logan Smith (@LoganJames) October 23, 2015
They then decided to have some "witty" Twitter "banter" with their sister magazine on the same topic.
@NYTmag who dis?
— T Magazine (@tmagazine) October 23, 2015
@tmagazine not hitler
— NYT Magazine (@NYTmag) October 23, 2015
They have ended up getting quite a bit of publicity out of it, but it has mostly been very uncomplimentary towards the magazine and their choice of topic.
.@NYTmag Here's a poll for you - Dear Reader: Merely because you Can post a tasteless poll, Should you?
— Fernando Pizarro (@fpizarro) October 23, 2015
