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Culture War Roundup for the week of September 1, 2025

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Im rarely exposed to “extreme far radical right” but when I am, I inevitably feel like I’m back in my early 20s reading some Marxist drivel. It requires me to completely buy into the premise of the civilization collapsing, that we are going to be replaced, that everything currently is so bad, that we require some drastic civilization-altering action, nothing short of complete revolution to survive, where we’ll kill landlords/poofs, enslave women/peasants, etc.

I just don’t see it, the collapse of the Western civilization, or the climate change wiping us out, or capitalism turning into “Neo-feudalism” and enslaving us all or white replacement. There are problems, but none of them induce the doom and gloom in me that ultimately summons the revolutionary zeal. My life’s pretty good! People around me are living normal lives, with the usual ups and downs, but nobody’s miserable to the extent the workers in UK were during the Industrial Revolution.

I say the same thing both to the suburban Maoists and to the fascists: if you see it, go do something about it instead of writing yet another blog post.

My life’s pretty good!

Yeah, mine to. I don't understand why you think this is a good argument

People around me are living normal lives, with the usual ups and downs, but nobody’s miserable to the extent the workers in UK were during the Industrial Revolution.

How many people are having kids?

I say the same thing both to the suburban Maoists and to the fascists: if you see it, go do something about it instead of writing yet another blog post.

We're trying. What's wrong with writing a blog post sometimes?

How many people are having kids?

Anecdotally, a surprising amount, a lot. The majority of my coworkers approaching 30s, myself included.

What's wrong with writing a blog post sometimes?

It’s just funny to see those grand declarations and nothing else. Speaking to the in-group only, reinforcing the feeling of doom within the in-group, exactly the same way the leftists do it. I’m probably much closer to “a normie” nowadays, so the internal rhetoric feels jarring, detached from the reality of my own life to a tremendous degree.

Anecdotally, a surprising amount, a lot. The majority of my coworkers approaching 30s, myself included.

Statistics tell a different story, though.

It’s just funny to see those grand declarations and nothing else. Speaking to the in-group only, reinforcing the feeling of doom within the in-group, exactly the same way the leftists do it. I’m probably much closer to “a normie” nowadays, so the internal rhetoric feels jarring, detached from the reality of my own life to a tremendous degree.

Funnily enough, I don't see much connection to reality in this criticism. Why is everyone screeching about "far right" parties performing well in Europe? Why is Europe adapting it's laws to enable more online censorship? Why is the UK arresting comedians for tweets? Those are not things that happen when a group is out of touch with the normies.

Far right is a snarl word, come on now. Reform and AFD would fit comfortably within mainstream right parties; FN might not but it isn’t that far outside the window.

Statistics tell a different story, though.

No, they don't. 86% of women aged 40-44 (as of 2016) had at least one child. Perhaps you meant to ask a different question?

Funnily enough, I don't see much connection to reality in this criticism. Why is everyone screeching about "far right" parties performing well in Europe? Why is Europe adapting it's laws to enable more online censorship? Why is the UK arresting comedians for tweets? Those are not things that happen when a group is out of touch with the normies.

Despite the screeching, none of the far right parties want to throw homosexuals off rooftops, strip normies of the franchise, or 'conscript wombs'. That's why they are popular.

No, they don't. 86% of women aged 40-44 (as of 2016) had at least one child. Perhaps you meant to ask a different question?

Yeah, we can quibble over the precise formulation, if you want, but the birth rates are what are. So I'm not sure what point you're making here.

Also... the statistics you cited are from nearly a decade ago for some reason?

Despite the screeching, none of the far right parties want to throw homosexuals off rooftops, strip normies of the franchise, or 'conscript wombs'. That's why they are popular.

Sure. I'm not exactly one of those types either, but his criticisms targeted a much larger group (like people worried about capitalism turning into neo-feudalism, which would include that well-known far-rightwinger Yannis Varoufakis).

There's a big difference between women aren't having kids and women aren't having enough kids. According to those stats most women still have at least one child.

Having "one child" is a death sentence for an ethnicity, just look at the shit China is in right now.

I'm not arguing that. Just pointing out that women having no children isn't the actual problem.

I don't know that bringing up one of the largest countries in the world is a great idea when talking about a "death sentence" for an ethnicity.

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And how many of those are single mothers, either through divorce raping an innocent husband, or through having sex with a man who any fucking idiot could have told you was not going to stick around (edgy bad boys, bohemian drifters, married men, etc.)?

Not only are we going extinct, but what's left is fast becoming a civilization of bastards, incels, fuckboys, single mothers, and cat ladies.

Yes and I'm not arguing that's not a problem. There's a chance if we don't make our society pronatal we'll devolve back into the mud. However, it's less women not having kids and more women having a few kids.

Also you can insulate yourself from divorce pretty well if you too know what your doing. Marry after 27 and both have a college degree and divorce is somewhere around 15-20% You can insulate yourself from "divorce rape" by marrying a woman who works. It's not half your money if you earn about the same.

Yeah, we can quibble over the precise formulation, if you want, but the birth rates are what are. So I'm not sure what point you're making here.

The point is that "people aren't having kids" is a strong statement that's clearly evidence of some kind of catastrophe, which is presumably why you framed the question that way. People having one or two kid instead of two or three is less clearly so.

Also... the statistics you cited are from nearly a decade ago for some reason?

Unfortunately that's the most recent chart I could find for this.

Sure. I'm not exactly one of those types either, but his criticisms targeted a much larger group (like people worried about capitalism turning into neo-feudalism, which would include that well-known far-rightwinger Yannis Varoufakis).

Literally who? His party has zero seats, so this is another point in favor of the people OP is criticizing not being popular.

The point is that "people aren't having kids" is a strong statement that's clearly evidence of some kind of catastrophe, which is presumably why you framed the question that way. People having one or two kid instead of two or three is less clearly so.

Not really. Yeah, literally zero kids is "extinction event within our lifetimes (or should I say, just barely after)", < 1 / < 2 kids, depending on were you live, combined with mass migration, is "replacement" the very idea he was mocking. So no, it has nothing to do with why I framed it that way.

Unfortunately that's the most recent chart I could find for this.

You might still be right, but it might be a bad idea to so confidently deny my claim then.

Literally who?

Huh, I always took you for a fellow Euro. And if you are, that's an odd thing to say. Maybe you're just a bit younger than me.

His party has zero seats, so this is another point in favor of the people OP is criticizing not being popular.

Maybe he should have tried being a right-winger then, might be a bit more popular now.

mocking

I mean that as non-confrontationally as possible, as good faith as possible: you might want examine your biases if you take my literal statement of

I just don’t see it, the collapse of the Western civilization, or the climate change wiping us out, or capitalism turning into “Neo-feudalism” and enslaving us all or white replacement. There are problems, but none of them induce the doom and gloom in me that ultimately summons the revolutionary zeal.

as laughing at anyone. I'm not, I'm not here on The Motte to sneer. I'm saying that I don't see those problems as world/civilization ending, something that justifies, in the words of whoever that Dread Jim guy is, killing people in droves, normies and gays, apparently including normie myself. I say in the quote above, literally, that there ARE some problems in the society.

It's the most milquetoast disagreement that I could've voiced and you treat it as mocking you (or the right in general) - this level of defensiveness is remarkable in and of itself.

Let me rephrase my point in the most productive way:

I've spent time with real-life Maoists and they speak in exactly the same language. Their in-group communication where they don't have to justify their priors to each other looks remarkably similar. "The civilization will inevitably collapse due to [insert cause], this is why we need a violent revolution now. We need to kill [these groups of people] during the revolution." Maoists, in my experience, reinforced their positions to each other and then they "go to the people" to gather ideas and refine their theories. What they often found out is that normies (like me) are resistant to them because their purported solution to the problem is violent revolution.

That's all there is to my the observation - I sincerely apologize if you find it disagreeable.

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Huh, I always took you for a fellow Euro.

Too far, bro. Too far.