site banner

Culture War Roundup for the week of November 14, 2022

This weekly roundup thread is intended for all culture war posts. 'Culture war' is vaguely defined, but it basically means controversial issues that fall along set tribal lines. Arguments over culture war issues generate a lot of heat and little light, and few deeply entrenched people ever change their minds. This thread is for voicing opinions and analyzing the state of the discussion while trying to optimize for light over heat.

Optimistically, we think that engaging with people you disagree with is worth your time, and so is being nice! Pessimistically, there are many dynamics that can lead discussions on Culture War topics to become unproductive. There's a human tendency to divide along tribal lines, praising your ingroup and vilifying your outgroup - and if you think you find it easy to criticize your ingroup, then it may be that your outgroup is not who you think it is. Extremists with opposing positions can feed off each other, highlighting each other's worst points to justify their own angry rhetoric, which becomes in turn a new example of bad behavior for the other side to highlight.

We would like to avoid these negative dynamics. Accordingly, we ask that you do not use this thread for waging the Culture War. Examples of waging the Culture War:

  • Shaming.

  • Attempting to 'build consensus' or enforce ideological conformity.

  • Making sweeping generalizations to vilify a group you dislike.

  • Recruiting for a cause.

  • Posting links that could be summarized as 'Boo outgroup!' Basically, if your content is 'Can you believe what Those People did this week?' then you should either refrain from posting, or do some very patient work to contextualize and/or steel-man the relevant viewpoint.

In general, you should argue to understand, not to win. This thread is not territory to be claimed by one group or another; indeed, the aim is to have many different viewpoints represented here. Thus, we also ask that you follow some guidelines:

  • Speak plainly. Avoid sarcasm and mockery. When disagreeing with someone, state your objections explicitly.

  • Be as precise and charitable as you can. Don't paraphrase unflatteringly.

  • Don't imply that someone said something they did not say, even if you think it follows from what they said.

  • Write like everyone is reading and you want them to be included in the discussion.

On an ad hoc basis, the mods will try to compile a list of the best posts/comments from the previous week, posted in Quality Contribution threads and archived at /r/TheThread. You may nominate a comment for this list by clicking on 'report' at the bottom of the post and typing 'Actually a quality contribution' as the report reason.

12
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Okay Charlie Crist. Florida was the first state of significant population to buck the covid lockdowns. They also did a lot to prevent local municipalities from backdooring the lunacy. If you compare Abbot with DeSantis Florida was faster and more complete in return to normal.

Part of the reason the GOP became more freedom aligned re Covid was because of DeSantis.

I doubt Desantis is a major part of the reason the GOP opposed Covid measures. The fact of the matter is that the GOP base always was going to be opposed to Covid measures and the GOP would've faced a revolt if they hadn't pivoted against lockdowns.

The GOP was always going to be more freedom aligned due to the interests of its base.

Georgia was first "of significant population." Florida caved hard to the hysteria around spring breakers and kept those beaches closed for while.

They also did a lot to prevent local municipalities from backdooring the lunacy. If you compare Abbot with DeSantis Florida was faster and more complete in return to normal.

you mean after ignoring Miami giving hundreds of people tickets for months and months? and broward county?

I went to austin and miami around the same time in 2020 and austin was more normal than miami and before miami

I like what desantis did. In comparison to most others, he was great. But I'm not willing to stay silent to this revisionism of what desantis actually did.

Part of the reason the GOP became more freedom aligned re Covid was because of DeSantis.

the reason the GOP became more freedom aligned is because of their base throwing tantrums and harassing the shit out of them with Noem, Kemp, Desantis, Abbott, and maybe a few other governors responding to that

the same reason why lockdowners like Mike Dewine basically just stopped enforcing covid hysteria even as he left those executive orders on the books