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 -
Major missed opportunity by Bohacek to become a legend by expanding on Vance’s in-roads with respect to leaning into millenial/internet humor. Bohacek could had said something like: “Trump’s ableist slur in calling Walz a ‘retard’ is highly offensive. As a father of a daughter with Down syndrome, I can attest that even a retard wouldn’t tolerate having a bunch of Somalians in his state.”
Instead, Bohacek’s “Notice me!” attempt only associates Republicans more with pearl-clutching and the party with retarded children. This also tees-up leftists/Democrats with jokes like “oh sure, now the fascists suddenly care about slurs toward the vulnerable when the slurs accurately describe their base.” Good excuse, though, for Bohacek to continue the Republican tradition of being on the right side of history in losing gracefully.
A staunch contingent behind the Democratic party may be a Coalition of the Fringes and they may talk a big game about ableism, body positivity, different ways of knowing. However—no bad tactics, only bad targets. See, for example, how quickly the gay, short, small-dick, etc. accusations come out at a moment’s notice.
Ultimately, retarded children give people the ick, including leftists and Democrats.
That being said, Trump flippantly calling Walz a retard strikes me as an unforced error, like his preoccupation with tariffs or antisemitism. For better or worse—to most people’s sensibilities, including those who vote Republican, an unironic deployment of “retard” makes them recoil like an ironic or unironic “nigger” or “faggot,” and Trump’s usage violates the Michael Scott rule of limiting “retard” to when a friend is acting retarded.
We're at a point where you can be incredibly based without even being coarse. Such as: "My daughter has Down syndrome and yet I can attest that even her would not permit Somalis to settle in her state".
It is not quite as bad as misspelling a spelling flame, but I think people alleging retardation in their political opponents have a special responsibility to double-check their grammar.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
Well, at the risk of being the bearer of unwelcome news, I don't think the stout Indiana conservative-conservatives and the edgy alt-right conservatives are gonna ever seen eye to eye. Bohacek can no more respond with ironic detachment than Trump can issue an apology -- it's not in either man's nature. And that's the intra-right generational fissure, which now that the right is ascendant, is arriving exactly on cue.
Of course you're absolutely right that it's an unforced error to do something that exposes that rift in his own coalition.
True, but I think it cuts the other way when the GOP wants to elevate to prominence people that wouldn't terminate over it. Recall the old "what's the different between Sarah Palin's mouth and her vagina" joke.
I'm not sure that it is an error. I think it might be battlespace prep.
Trump strikes me as the kind of guy who is very concerned with his legacy, and handing the GOP over to the Groypers who' rather vote for Zohran Mamdani than Andrew Cuomo or Curtis Sliwa does not strike me as the sort of legacy he wants. Furthermore, if the GOP wants to maintain the in-roads it has made amongst minorities and the working-class the Groypers will need to be either marginalized or crushed, ideally before the 2028 election season.
Aren’t the groypers disproportionately minorities? And maybe working class (?). I would be more worried about losing educated white voters.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link