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 -
How large is the left in Israel, nowadays? My understanding is since the 2010s the Overton Window has shifted such that Netanyahu is pretty close to the center, and the right is mostly religious conservatives who are inoculated against pathological xenophilia.
I don't know. But I do know that so far, they have not succeeded in getting the door open to immigration of outsiders. Which is kind of the holy grail for Leftists, for obvious reasons.
There is lots of immigration into Israël, and ‘who counts as Jewish’ is a thorny question that the left has taken W’s on in the past.
Right, and it's reasonably obvious that their goal is to open the floodgates via "quickie conversions."
??? No, the left's wins on Israeli immigration policy have tended to be recognizing as valid Jewish ethnic groups those with sketchier claims, conversions have pretty consistently been very difficult.
I'm talking about what they would like to do -- not what they have accomplished.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
The right-wing in Israel is also quite split. If you think it’s “the left” that are Israel’s biggest source of internal instability, you should see just how strongly the right there opposes the state.
I'm kind of skeptical about this. Can you give me 3 examples of right-wing members of the Knesset who strongly oppose the state?
More options
Context Copy link
Do the ultra Orthodox trend left wing or right wing in Israeli politics? I feel like their beliefs are kind of spread out across the political axis
If you're ultra orthodox you're right-wing by definition but they get pretty rabid and extreme when it comes to their protests against the state.
I thought some were largely pacifist and driven by the allocation of gibs, though?
This is the Israeli equivalent of a rural interest party, is my understanding- they’ll coalition with anyone as long as they get their way, but that don’t make em left wing- even when that coalition is with labour. They’re also not pacifist, they just don’t want to personally fight.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link