site banner

Culture War Roundup for the week of November 10, 2025

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.

5
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Especially given that you are one of our most irritating serial reporters who reports every post you don't like

ROFL. I can't remember the last time I reported a comment. You're off your rocker. (EDIT: I don't think you can claim with a straight face that there hasn't been even one comment in say, even the last two weeks, that I "didn't like".)

It's clear from your response that you still can't point to anything specific. You have literally nothing. You just have another vague accusation. Pure deflection to an unrelated issue, too. Which is exactly the pattern described by the comment I responded to. You keep a bullshit secret list that you vaguely refer to, conveniently preventing the target from being able to show that any particular item on that list is bullshit.

I am not "seething"; I'm simply responding with a specific example of a particular pattern that was described. That's better than you can do.

It's clear from your response that you still can't point to anything specific.

Bud, that thread you're still salty about? You got a lengthy explanation from me telling you exactly why you were banned. " When you came back and complained some more, I pointed this out to you again.

"I don't like your explanation" is not the same as "I have a secret list and will ban you for reasons we will not explain."

I am not "seething"; I'm simply responding with a specific example of a particular pattern that was described. That's better than you can do.

There is no kinder way to put this: you're lying. This has never happened on the Motte and you know it has not happened. Your own example is contradicted by anyone who actually clicks on your own links. I don't know what you hope to gain here, maybe convince people who engage in no critical reasoning, or maybe just poke mods because you're still salty two years later, but it's unproductive, and it's also ironic because if we were a fraction as arbitrary and petty as you claim, you would not be able to engage in this behavior.

"The mods have an unfair grudge against me and ban me for no reason!" cries the guy who posts blatantly dishonest attacks on the mods and is allowed to do so without consequences.

Many such cases.

Thank you for providing the links, so people can again just read for themselves. Note the comment that I had actually linked to.

You wrote:

No one post is terrible, but most of them are obnoxious and unnecessarily antagonistic.

Point me to one. Make it something specific. Something real. Something actionable. Something that can actually be put into practice to improve future posting. Without something, the most likely conclusion is, "Atheism is the sacred at The Motte."

Notice that last time, your complaint was that I didn't make it obvious enough that I was riffing off something. [EDIT for appropriate bold:] This time, that is exceedingly obvious. Last time, you complained about me responding to follow-on questions. This time, I have said nothing else up to this point. Give me something real. Something actual. Something actionable.

It's right after the one you linked. We can see from the receipts that you've persistently avoided giving anything specific. Precisely the pattern highlighted here. If I were you, I'd boldly claim that you're just lying. Your own explanation is contradicted by the very links you've provided.

Again, "I don't like your explanation" is not the same thing as "You didn't give me an explanation." You're also rather shamelessly ignoring the complete explanation you were given because you'd rather point at where I said you were being obnoxious throughout that thread, and claiming that because I refused your demand to litigate each and every one of those posts that you did nothing wrong and were just modded for "secret " reasons. Secret reasons that were spelled out for you more than once.

Honestly, I had mostly forgotten you (except inasmuch as you show up in the report queue) so I don't know what you think you've accomplished here by dredging up a time you got modded two years ago. But the reason you got modded was clearly stated and everything you claimed in this thread, about mods not telling you why you got modded, has been categorically refuted. It's false and you know it's false. You're just embarrassing yourself, but go on, champ.

Again, "I don't like your explanation" is not the same thing as "You didn't give me an explanation."

Good news! I've said neither of these. Do I need to block quote again? You brought the links.

you'd rather point at where I said you were being obnoxious throughout that thread, and claiming that because I refused your demand to litigate each and every one of those posts

Also something I have not said. Never asked for each and every one. Asked for one. One specific thing. As opposed to, again, the topic of this thread, which is vague, nonspecific accusations.

What you're saying is false and you know it's false. You're just embarrassing yourself, but go on, champ.