P. J. O’Rourke may not have coined the term “safety Nazi,” defined by the Urban Dictionary as “A person obsessed with safety and possessing a fascist belief that everyone who believes otherwise is irresponsible, reckless, and should be publicly chastised.” But he does seem to have mainstreamed it. Glenn Garvin writes in Politico that he saw O’Rourke use it in a magazine interview around 1980 and invited him to expand on the topic in an article for Inquiry, a magazine founded by the Cato Institute and edited for a time by Garvin. P.J. did so in a 1982 article, which has just been posted on the Cato site. It seems to have been his first real political article, after his days with the National Lampoon and Car & Driver.

In the article P.J. lambasted seatbelts, safety bumpers, vegetarian restaurants, and childproof aspirin bottles. “Allen Ginsberg said he saw the best minds of his generation destroyed by madness. I have seen the best minds of my generation destroy a half gross of Tylenol with a ball peen hammer.”

“The forces of safety,” he declared, “are afoot in the land. I, for one, believe it is a conspiracy–a conspiracy of Safety Nazis shouting Sieg Health! and seeking to trammel freedom, liberty, and large noisy parties.”

Now it should be noted that terms like “safety Nazi” and “grammar Nazi” should not be understood as equating safety regulations or prescriptivism with actual German National Socialism. But the Oxford English Dictionary explains the connection in its definition 2b for “Nazi,” with an appropriate citation:

b. hyperbolically. A person who is perceived to be authoritarian, autocratic, or inflexible; one who seeks to impose his or her views upon others. Usually derogatory.

1982 P. J. O’Rourke in Inquiry 15 Mar. 8/3 The Safety Nazis advocate gun control, vigorous exercise, and health foods.

“Safety Nazis” can be found in P. J.‘s book Republican Party Reptile. But you’re here now; you might as well click here. 

More reflections on P. J. O’Rourke’s life and work here and across the web.