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Culture War Roundup for the week of September 1, 2025

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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.

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).

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.

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 (...) as laughing at anyone.

Take it easy, you seem to be taking is as much more charged than it actually was. You probably should have also probably quoted more than the word "mocking", because I think "mocking the idea of" makes it clear it's ideas, rather than people. Feel free to substitute it with "downplaying" or "dismissing". I honestly don't see how you can claim you're not doing it, when you literally say that there are problem, but none of them include neo-feudalism, or replacement, because your life is good.

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....

Cool, but I can't imagine a less productive conversation. Just entertaining your framing means I already lost, because you get to paint me however you want with no effort, and I'm the one that has to convince you that maybe you're wrong.