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've been watching a lot of TikToks recently and I've been shocked at how many women on there have their nails done. Growing up I've always had a strong "ick" for manicured hands and I remember being grossed out by a cousin who visited my home who had her toenails painted in red. I've always assumed doing one's nails is something uneducated, trashy women do and although I never consciously revisited this assumption, the years I spent in academia definitely did not contain enough notable counterexamples to force me to reexamine it. Am I deluded, or do most other men also find painted nails gross & icky? For years I've always thought that this would be one thing that women do but had no idea how unattractive most men find it. Has there been any study done on the increasing popularity of women painting their nails? Pretty sure the answer is zero lol
For myself, getting nails done was a thing that went along with fancy/formal occasions. We seldom went to a salon but we would make a big production of picking out nail polish that matched our dress and painting each other's toes/nails the day before a wedding or dance.
Someone who always has their nails done up strikes me as someone with too much time on their hands. Whether that's because they are upper class or living off the dole, it could mean either. Upper class people have more "taste" and make sure their nails don't clash. They also probably get more silica/boron in their diet and have stronger nails to start with.
Why do upper class women get more silica/boron in their diet?
Better water and food quality.
Boron is mostly found in fruits and avocados, which are generally "middle-class and up fare" in America. Silica is found in fancier mineral water.
Maybe I'm wrong here but I get the impression that nail quality is worse for people in the lower classes, which is why they love their press-ons. Meanwhile, I noticed my nails getting more brittle as I aged and started drinking Fiji water a couple times a week and now have great nails.
Middle class and up is a much bigger group than upper class.
More options
Context Copy link
Boron content varies with the soil where the crops are grown, but 1.5 oz of raisins have almost as much boron as half a cup of avocados. Two ounces of peanuts or a cup of refried beans have a similar amount. Raisins, beans, and peanuts are hardly middle class and up fare.
You think lower class Americans are eating raisins? Or frankly, beans? If Americans ate fruits and cheap staples like beans in any measurable amount there'd be a lot less obesity and hand wringing about "food deserts"
Uh yeah I do think lower income people eat peanuts and beans. @hydroacetylene back me up as the resident lower income Hispanic knower.
Well, the popularity of food desserts is definitely a big problem for obesity.
Beans and cornbread are a common staple among the rural working class, as is chili.
Peanuts are also a common snack food, typically salted, although cashews and almonds are more popular outside of baseball games. Rasins have more of an age disparity, older people love rasins and dates, younger people don't. It's also a fact that American rasins and dates contain a lot of sugar, and the idea that eating rasins would prevent obesity is a bit silly.
Avocados have an association with urban liberals because they like to use it as a butter substitute to add fat to a sandwich or toast; outside of this usage, most Americans have had and enjoyed guacamole.
It's true that vegetables and even fruits are less common than they ought to be, but the cause of obesity has far more to do with sugary drinks, high fructose corn syrup in everything from ketchup to Wonder bread, and cheap, sugary snack foods than it does with the servings of fruit and veg Americans eat. It's an engineered problem of the palate.
Nail quality is also seriously affected by dermatitis and other skin conditions, and cases of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis are on the rise along with allergies. When my hand eczema was untreated and severe, one of the key indicators of the severity of the condition to my dermatologist was the pitting of my nails. There are lots of things that affect nail health; not all of them are class signifiers.
It's not really a butter substitute, you wouldn't have that amount of butter on a sandwich unless you are @Tretiak. The appeal is the flavor and creamy texture.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
Poor Hispanic people eat beans. Poor white people do not(or, indeed, vegetables of any kind). Both mostly get peanuts in candy.
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
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link