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Culture War Roundup for the week of April 14, 2025

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"Leftist" (larping) contacts are waxing verbosely about how to flee the US. To quote one:

frustrating that in this moment of panic, of fight or flight, the left, or what passes for it, is so quick to pick fleeing-- something mainly available to the petite-bourgeois and above, not poor proles. The thought of waging a struggle, of organizing something to get rid of the system that harms them and the majority, is so off-putting to them because they have the delusional idea that this political and economic system is actually all about serving them. I don't mean to sound idealistic, but the total lack of fighting spirit is pathetic. Liberals are like, "well, if we can't vote, then we have to lay down and die! Nothing can be changed!" They don't see when it's most apparent that voting is nothing but consent to their own powerlessness, and that they choose this powerlessness time and time again. They also seem totally unaware that they have become thoroughly conservative because their whole worldview consists in a defense of the previous status quo (law and order, patriotism, the constitution, being granted permission to grumble in the most inconsequential way).

For the most part, they don't understand how immigration works, imagining they can just go to relatives in e.g. Norway (surely, only the US has immigration laws!) They all believe they're next, that the Reichstag fire will occur, that their occasional meming or anti-Israel comments will get them sent to a Salvadoran concentration camp.

No one has the least idea of e.g. debanking, let alone how to cope with it. Their networking all happens through FB or at best ... gmail. I was kicked from the conversation for mentioning such matters (why crypto, https://odysee.com/ etc. exist etc.) and the performativeness of their whole program. They don't realize that... They have been on the (deep) state's side the whole time, while nominally opposing it? Baffling!

Anyway, https://landchad.net/ is lovely. Everyone should cyberhomestead.


What do we do now (that we "won")? What interesting projects do we have to move forward?

Edit: Our community's migration here went into full swing when Reddit admins removed a common of mine about quotation marks. It turns out, I don't understand quotation marks either - my load bearing quotation marks get misunderstood. This is of course my fault; I must write better. But I have not the slightest clue how that could be construed as "consensus building". As I can't magically write better, I will write more words to clarify the final question(s):

The previous system is collapsing, how do users of this forum plan to insulate themselves from the shocks and take advantages of the opportunities going forward? I shared tidings from frenemies of the old regime, who never fully captured (or wielded) it to their liking. I am curious how to e.g. influence things as a fellow traveler and not be hit by blowback, how to protect and continue to amass wealth amid dedollarization and inflation etc. New world, now what?

We, kemo sabe?

I'm pretty sure the Motte's rules prohibit coalition-building like that. There isn't a "we" like that, and this is not a forum to strategise for a particular cause.

I also feel obligated to note that there is no 'winning' democracy beyond the short-term. That's intentionally not how it works. One group wins an election, gets a short window, and then have to justify themselves and fight the same battle again, and again, over and over. There is no final or lasting victory.

Now, that aside...

I have noticed the usual panic about fleeing the country. To be fair there were (smaller) panics like that in 2020, in 2016, in 2012, and in every US election in my lifetime. That said, there are more this time around. The other day I ran into someone sharing this and it's obviously quite comical. The Trump administration does a tiny amount of deportation theatre and too-online people predictably panic. I am not saying that any of the administration's deportations have been right - that one university protester idiot should not be deported, despite his idiocy - but I am saying that in terms of realistic threat assessment, this is lunacy. I do not think there is any benefit in indulging it, or treating it as anything other than theatrical flourish from people whom we know are not going to leave.

...we Motte users.

What did Motte users win?

The content president as asmongold puts it.

I don't watch WoW streamers, so I'm afraid I don't follow.

You don’t watch WoW streamers? Where do you get your geopolitical analysis from? Surely not some legacy boomer outlet, I hope.

I bet Rachel Maddow couldn’t even clear Molten Core.

Wait you solo Molten Core? WoW has changed in the last 15 years.

You may be older than you think—MC was definitely soloable in WotLK, which was over 15 years ago!

I'm an FFXIV player. I only get my geopolitical analysis from horny anime girls and gay bunny boys.

Trump will say something mildly amusing in the bufoon with power sort of way or call some one fat and then asmongold will point to the screen and make a funny face, then chat will go POGCHAMP or LETS GOOOOOOO. Infinite content.