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Culture War Roundup for the week of June 2, 2025

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Have you ever seen jackass? I know men who would endure multiple kicks in the balls for bragging rights and a beer.

I have not. And i definitely don't know anyone who would do that.

You never experienced any, partly self-inflicted, pain at all? As juveniles me and my friends used to put on a headband so we couldn't see, and just punch each other in the dark. Just a way to inflict and endure pain, fight for fun, without malice. You never did anything like that?

No, of course not. That sounds super weird to me, why would one knowingly subject oneself to pain? I heard legends of people doing stuff like playing bloody knuckles or sack tap, but never have known anyone personally who did that.

no you sound weird, haha. Is your background hyper-liberal urbanite or something? Mine is middle class liberal, small town in western europe.

There's this quip that modern college kids' main problem is that they have never been hit in the face. Although I grant that it does sound pretty stupid to punch each other for seemingly no good reason.

why would one knowingly subject oneself to pain?

Testing your limits, overcoming obstacles, preparing yourself for future fights and challenges, I guess. And in the moment there's the thrill in knowing the stakes are higher than usual. You can play a game for a pack of chewing gum, but it feels more important to play for the right to not get punched.

no you sound weird, haha. Is your background hyper-liberal urbanite or something?

Exactly the opposite. I grew up on a dairy farm, lol.

There's this quip that modern college kids' main problem is that they have never been hit in the face.

I would agree insofar as the kids' problem is that they have never faced adversity. I don't think that being punched in the face is uniquely valuable as a teaching lesson, though. You can learn how to overcome adversity from any number of experiences. And punching each other for fun is, as you said, very stupid.

I didn't say it was stupid. It's no different than doing judo or boxing.

I don't think that being punched in the face is uniquely valuable as a teaching lesson, though.

I mean, look at your position ITT. Because you lack this formative experience of pain, you find the pain of labour to be unbearable, so you think it cannot be expected of anyone, thereby.... dooming humanity to extinction. No big deal, but in case you think saving humanity is valuable, then I recommend a punch in the face.

I didn't say it was stupid. It's no different than doing judo or boxing.

That isn't true at all. It's significantly different! Doing boxing or judo, the goal is to not get hit. Even if you fail sometimes and do get hit, in principle you can get better and avoid that outcome more often than not. Moreover, the fun in those things comes from the contest of skill, not... some weird form of masochism where you let people hit you in the face for fun. So no, those are not at all the same thing.

Because you lack this formative experience of pain, you find the pain of labour to be unbearable, so you think it cannot be expected of anyone, thereby.... dooming humanity to extinction.

You have extrapolated way too much from my post. All I said is that men wouldn't choose to get hit in the balls to have a child. Nobody said anything about the extinction of the species, nor did I say anything about the pain of labor.

Nobody said anything about the extinction of the species

I was exaggerating for comic effect. I just think you’re very very wrong on men’s willingness to get kicked in the balls for their children.