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Culture War Roundup for the week of November 21, 2022

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Two leftist policies where I can understand the power dynamics but not the attitude: open borders for military-aged third-world men, relaxed (or none at all) prosecution on criminals, especially military-aged minorities who commit brazen acts of murder/assault/robbery.

As is always the case, these policies exist because a lot of parties benefit. Open borders is supported by capital, homeowners (keeps housing prices pumping), and leftists who gain the patronage of the newcomers. Criminals also help various parties. They drive out right-wingers (i.e. families). They use a huge amount of services that employ leftists. Like immigrants they become patrons to the left, to some degree.

I can see why these things are allowed to continue, but the above analysis is missing the source of intense passion that these issues receive. I don't think Amazon ever pushed for open borders, they just didn't complain end enjoyed the cheap labour. Homeowners don't go to open borders rallies because they want another point of appreciation. Chesa Boudin wants prisoners released because it's strategic. On these two issues specifically, there is only one source of intense passion: single, college-educated women.

This is confusing. Women are more risk-averse and place a higher value on safety, but at the same time they are advocating for violent criminals and random foreigners. There is also a strong element of hatred towards their own countrymen present in this, which makes sense given the policy but does not make sense given that they're ladies. It's similar to the pit bull owner thing. What's up with this? I've seen the meme around pseudopregnancy before and it fits OK, but it's not clear why criminals and foreigners would be the subject of this affection over anything else.

Maybe if a women feel rejected by or reject their own tribe themselves, they attempt to undermine it in the hopes of getting conquered by a different tribe? That seems overly complicated though, the answer to this should feel simple because it's emotional. Help me out here.

if you start with a strawman (really, the people you reference especially want no prosecution of brazen murderers?), and then assume that people only value policies for instrumental reasons, it is no wonder you are perplexed.

But, people are not only motivated instrumentally, and in fact there might well be a reasonable argument that the status quo re border policies and re criminal justice are wrong or suboptimal. When CA law allows 70+-year sentences for gang-related murders using guns, it does not seem THAT incomprehensible that someone might vote for a DA like Boudin so that those murders get "only" 25 years instead. And, maybe those people know more about the status quo than you do, and you might be open to the idea that, if you knew what they did, you might think somewhat similarly to them.

When CA law allows 70+-year sentences for gang-related murders using guns,

While the article omits the reason, the man order to live 70 years behind bars, was on parole at the time of the murder. But perhaps being on parole while commiting a crime shouldn't extend ones sentence, but in that case I don't see why it should exist at all.

As it happens, that did not factor in the sentence. Though of course he also has his parole revoked and has to serve that sentence as well. Such sentences are quite common in CA