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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   21524 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of May 25, 2026

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Was The Snatch not a big hit in the US?

I've certainly never heard of it.

Is this a counterexample to the HBD argument?

Russia itself is a counterexample to the HBD argument. Incompetent corrupt oligarchy running a shithole for average people that's slightly poorer than Mexico- despite being fairly good at G-loaded tasks like chess grandmasters and advancing higher mathematics.

Russia isn't a counterexample against HBD. The USA was reliant on Russian spacecraft to reach the ISS for some time (which again the Russians helped build). Likewise the US relies on Russia for about 20% of its enriched uranium.

Mexico doesn't produce machine tools, oil industry equipment, aircraft engines, rocket engines, radar or any sophisticated technology at all. Mexico only assembles electronics. They assemble cars and components designed by others, with machinery supplied by real industrial powers.

Russians are far more capable than Mexicans, which is why the US casually dominated Mexico whenever they clashed, whereas Russia was and is much more of a challenge. Russia can reduce Europe and North America to ash in hours, Mexico can barely control its own territory from gangsters nevermind prosecute foreign policy.

Yes, Russia obviously is capable of doing things that require a lot of thinking- but it can’t translate that into running a country that’s a nice place to live in.

but it can’t translate that into running a country that’s a nice place to live in

As opposed to Mexico?

Who says HBD means all countries run by smart people are more pleasant than countries run by stupid people? I'd rather live in Fiji than North Korea. But Koreans are more capable than Fijians.

Also now I look at it, Russia has twice Mexico's GDP per capita PPP. And even if you look at median incomes, Russia is still about 70% higher. So I don't think that Russia is even poorer than Mexico in any meaningful way and murder rate is lower too. Hard to be more murderous than Mexico. So unless we look at nominal GDP figures which are distorted by sanctions, then Russia is clearly better off. HBD bros win again.

I'd also rather live in Fiji than South Korea for that matter, but that's mostly due to the weather.

That's what six centuries of post-Mongol ruling culture does to you.

Snatch Brad Pitt, Jason Statham, seen it many times. No?

I guess those two were not yet well-known back then.

Pitt was immensely famous already from several films, including Se7en five years prior. You may be right about Statham.

Pitt was immensely famous already from several films, including Se7en five years prior.

Perhaps more importantly, Fight Club from the year prior. Snatch was his next movie and partially promoted as "mega movie star appears in small quirky film."

I've never heard it referred to it as The Snatch. It sounds like the title of the porn parody.

A Snatch by any other name..

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