This weekly roundup thread is intended for all culture war posts. 'Culture war' is vaguely defined, but it basically means controversial issues that fall along set tribal lines. Arguments over culture war issues generate a lot of heat and little light, and few deeply entrenched people ever change their minds. This thread is for voicing opinions and analyzing the state of the discussion while trying to optimize for light over heat.
Optimistically, we think that engaging with people you disagree with is worth your time, and so is being nice! Pessimistically, there are many dynamics that can lead discussions on Culture War topics to become unproductive. There's a human tendency to divide along tribal lines, praising your ingroup and vilifying your outgroup - and if you think you find it easy to criticize your ingroup, then it may be that your outgroup is not who you think it is. Extremists with opposing positions can feed off each other, highlighting each other's worst points to justify their own angry rhetoric, which becomes in turn a new example of bad behavior for the other side to highlight.
We would like to avoid these negative dynamics. Accordingly, we ask that you do not use this thread for waging the Culture War. Examples of waging the Culture War:
-
Shaming.
-
Attempting to 'build consensus' or enforce ideological conformity.
-
Making sweeping generalizations to vilify a group you dislike.
-
Recruiting for a cause.
-
Posting links that could be summarized as 'Boo outgroup!' Basically, if your content is 'Can you believe what Those People did this week?' then you should either refrain from posting, or do some very patient work to contextualize and/or steel-man the relevant viewpoint.
In general, you should argue to understand, not to win. This thread is not territory to be claimed by one group or another; indeed, the aim is to have many different viewpoints represented here. Thus, we also ask that you follow some guidelines:
-
Speak plainly. Avoid sarcasm and mockery. When disagreeing with someone, state your objections explicitly.
-
Be as precise and charitable as you can. Don't paraphrase unflatteringly.
-
Don't imply that someone said something they did not say, even if you think it follows from what they said.
-
Write like everyone is reading and you want them to be included in the discussion.
On an ad hoc basis, the mods will try to compile a list of the best posts/comments from the previous week, posted in Quality Contribution threads and archived at /r/TheThread. You may nominate a comment for this list by clicking on 'report' at the bottom of the post and typing 'Actually a quality contribution' as the report reason.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
Fuentes has the most popular podcast, bar none. Yes, more popular than Rogan. More popular than liberal woman dating podcast. More popular than the successor to coast-to-coast AM(RIP). More popular than cryptoscam shilling.
Antisemitism and white identitarianism are increasing in mainstream red tribe circles, just as they are elsewhere. This doesn't make them quite mainstream, yet, and republicans are much less likely to make a serious turn against Jews than democrats(the red tribe, being a peasant population, will keep whatever personal prejudices within reasonable limits imposed by their leadership- as they did when the leadership said you can't have jim crow anymore). 'Christian nationalism' is probably best understood as red tribe nationalism(you basically have to claim to be Christian, even if an unobservant one, to be accepted in the red tribe) rather than a real religious movement.
Wait, what? Do you have a source for that? I’ve never heard this before and I find it quite hard to believe.
I know several people in real life who listen to Joe Rogan at least occasionally. He’s a household name, or at least close to it. Most people have never even heard of Nick Fuentes, and if they have it’s as “some neo-nazi freak from the internet.” I know Fuentes has an audience but I would be outright shocked if he gets more listeners than Rogan, or the big true crime or news or sports podcasts.
More options
Context Copy link
Okay I’ll bite, and im sure I’ll regret it, but what percentage of conservative Americans would have an active interest in Nazi or neonazi ideas as in actually want them instituted into policy? Because I think at less than at least double digit percentage of actual Nazis, it’s kinda like a lot of the negative health effect Headlines. Yes nazism doubled, from 1% to 2%. It’s still pretty small and for most purposes negligible. If we’re going from 5 to 10%, sure it’s a problem, going from 10 to 20% is a problem. And for that matter, what counts as mainstream? FOX I think most people would call mainstream conservative media. The GOP caucus is mainstream. Ben Shapiro and Rogan are pretty mainstream.
Quite low. White identitarianism is not mainstream yet and is almost always of a moderate variety.
I mean quite low as in 10%? 5%? I mean I don’t think there are tons of them but without some estimates it’s hard to gage just how big the issue is.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link