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 -
This is the worst sort of internet drama. Reading Motte-discourse on gender relations already makes me want to contribute to certain male statistics, so I want to take it in an extremely different direction.
Earlier today, I saw the unfamiliar term “ECW” in the TVTropes article for Genre Turning Point. Over the next half-hour, I learned numerous facts about the insanity that is pro wrestling.
Which brings us to Chris Benoit. A wildly successful mid-level performer whose wiki page covers his career in agonizing detail, Benoit accrued numerous rivalries. Most notable is the fake affair with a rival’s wife which turned into a real affair, divorce and marriage. When news broke of his 2007 suicide, his promoter canceled existing events for a three-hour tribute. The aforementioned evil CEO broke character to give a normal CEO announcement.
But oh, boy, was there a twist.
Within a day, his promoter learned that Benoit had MURDERED HIS WIFE AND CHILD before committing suicide. He’d strangled first his wife, then his drugged son, and only hanged himself after two days of shambling around the house. The eulogies came to a screeching halt. All mention of Benoit was excised from future broadcasts.
So, why am I bringing this up? Take a look at that last wiki page, mainly the “Events” section. In the aftermath, people insisted that Benoit killed his son for being too small or for a secret disability. They said he’d feuded with his wife after she suspected him of cheating, and that there was life insurance fraud at play. Maybe it was a professional hit. Maybe he’d researched death by hanging before snapping his own neck with a lat pulldown machine. Maybe it was roid rage, or maybe he’d just been hit in the head too much. Anything and everything to milk more drama from an already surreal tragedy.
People demand a better story than a coroner’s report alone can offer. One can add enough maybe and suspected and no evidence against to spin whatever narrative they want. A woman writing a semi-fictional story is boring. A woman driving her ex to despair via a feminist scissor statement? Now that’s entertainment.
More options
Context Copy link