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Culture War Roundup for the week of January 26, 2026

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So Charlie Kirk is not entitled to his beliefs due to them potentially being against the absolute maximum freedoms for other people, or is simply not allowed to advocate for his beliefs in public if it may result in any modification of society that resembles that?

He can advocate for what ever he wants. If his beliefs are around restricting the negative rights of others then he can also face the consequences of what happens when people don't want their rights restricted.

The government should not be in the business of restricting speech, but people are allowed to respond to coordination of violence with violence. To do otherwise is just letting the fantasy of rabbinically-inclined and wordcells to replace reality

That sounds an awful lot like you can murder anyone you want as long as they're a political enemy whose agenda can be framed in terms of 'rights' however nebulously. (All of them can.)

I am reminded of the activist who told me with tears in his eyes that throwing a David Bowie themed party constituted violence against the victims of sexual assault.

Moreover are you prepared to accept that, since you are clearly advocating for violence against those you disapprove of, it is entirely valid to gun down you yourself on the same principle?

With regards to the anti-ICE movement, it is very clearly an organised militia and no sane country could or should permit such behaviour to continue.

Well actually negative rights is a pretty defined concept. Coordinating violence is almost always used to remove or restrict NRs from people.

I am reminded of the activist who told me with tears in his eyes that throwing a David Bowie themed party constituted violence against the victims of sexual assault.

What negative rights is this David Bowie themed party removing from SA victims?

it is very clearly an organized militia and no sane country could or should permit such behavior to continue.

The 2nd amendment very clearly is designed, in part, for an organized militia, so this is about an unamerican statement as it comes. If anything the anti-ICE movement should avail themselves of their 2nd Amendment rights and have armed protestors protecting their right to protest. Obnoxious as they are.

Well actually negative rights is a pretty defined concept.

I disagree - all "positive rights" can be reframed as negative by considering nth order effects.

The argument the activist gave was a bad one - as you said, he could just not go to the party.

But what about: Corvos was encouraging society to view David Bowie as not a bad person, undermining feminism / "rape culture", and making it more likely for people to vote for right wing things, making it more likely for laws to be passed that oppress the activist. Therefore Corvos was infringing on his friend's negative rights.

Anything can be reframed as anything considering nth order effects. The butterfly effect is supreme. Doesn't mean it is relevant for discussion

Your example requires 4th order effects? I think anything past 2nd order starts to get into low probability land. It's just as likely that Corvos's friend hating on a David Bowie party, alienates the moderates due to the pettiness, drives them to the right, making it more likely for laws to be passed that oppress the activist. Therefore the activist having a shit behavior around negative rights is causing them to lose negative rights. Also a 4th order effect.

Your example requires 4th order effects? I think anything past 2nd order starts to get into low probability land

This seems totally orthogonal to whether positive/negative rights are meaningful. You are arguing that on net, the activist's behaviour is bad for their cause, which may be true.

But I am just pointing out that the decision to not go along with their demands counts as a violation of a negative right. Because that specific 4th order effect I gave is a negative right that is being violated.

I gave an example of how going along with their example violates their own negative rights. Apparently you can violate people's negative rights for flapping butterfly wings, which means the concept of nth order effects being actual violations is ridiculous. Reducto Ad Absurdum

Seems like sufficient leeway to start blasting under your preferred guidelines to society, though.