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PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   26111 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of March 16, 2026

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Fair enough. I appreciate the well-wishes and I think this has been a helpful and productive conversation; I feel like I understand your perspective better now. I apologise if I've been for being rude. I'm a little hot under the collar about this stuff at the moment.

Let's leave the discussion about European military weakness for another time since I don't think either of us are up for it. As a brief TLDR, I think that there was originally an understated quid pro quo of 'America pays for Europe's defence, in exchange for free staging posts against the real threat Russia plus Europe not (being able to) do anything the Americans don't like' and that the agreement has broken down over the last twenty years due to various factors on both sides.

We did a lot against Iran in the intervening 45 years and Carter's weak response to the mullahs was considered disgraceful for generations. It was on TV constantly, Reagan's inauguration speech was played split-screen with video of the hostages boarding planes to come home. A huge part of the controversy over Obama's Iran deal was that it viscerally reminded many of that exact weakness.

Interesting to hear. Not my history so helpful to get that perspective.

there has been total hostility to spending more on NATO, eliminating tariffs, Trump's warnings about Russian oil, Greenland, etc., even when what America is proposing is in Europe's best interests.

European governments do and say such stupid, stupid things. Closing Germany's last nuclear power plant in the middle of an energy crisis was stupid. Immigration policy has been stupid. Sending Labour volunteers to help the Democrats was stupid. Giving away the Chagos Islands, in defiance of the islanders' own expressed wishes, was profoundly stupid and self-harming.

Pretty much everything Vance said in his famous speech was correct despite the reception it got. The military, oil and tariffs stuff is a bit more complicated IMO but again let's save it.

The trouble from my perspective is that all the ridiculous and performative bleating has made it almost impossible to break through when Europeans are actually legitimately nervous and have a real point. I believe that the same is true inside America - Scott's essay You Are Still Crying Wolf was very prescient in that regard. Anyway, thanks for the talk.

EDIT: 2500 comments, get! I need a life.

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