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 -
I am surprised that everyone assumes that we would be able to hear kids from outside a preschool/daycare. I cannot hear the kids in my sons' daycare when they are inside the building. We have insulated buildings here on account of the cold winters. When they are all lined up in front of the main doors for drop off I can't hear them. When I come early to pick up a kid for a doctor's appointment I can't hear them.
If there's a part of the video where he actually gets inside for a few minutes, then that would be better evidence. But most of the examples are him standing out in front of a door, trying to open the door and then suggestively saying "This door is locked" as if that isn't the most normal thing in the world.
The one time he actually did get his eyes inside for a brief moment he saw a kid. Just one kid, but we don't know why that is. Is that kid being seen in the office and the other kids are in a classroom? We don't know - the camera doesn't follow him so we have little in the way of evidence.
Another time a woman answered the door and held it open for a while, and we heard nothing. Suspicious right! Except she readily admitted there were no kids there at the time, because all the kids were expected at 2 PM. It's an after-school care facility! Or maybe they were on a field trip, that can happen. The point is, there are many explanations before jumping straight to fraud.
If you go in with different assumptions, this video is simply evidence of anti-white racism. An ethnic conclave refusing their services to a white dad because they only want to look after Somali kids.
Shirley states, "No footprints in the snow outside" as evidence that there are no kids playing there. Well guess what? My kids aren't allowed to play outside at their preschool either for a while due to the cold. On days when it looks like the temps are above 25 degrees F, we get a text that we can send in snow pants. But if it's below 25 with wind chill, they aren't allowed to send the kids outside.
There are just so many things that make me roll my eyes. It's entirely possible that these places are committing fraud! But people jumping on this video as the one true proof just makes us all look foolish.
More options
Context Copy link