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Culture War Roundup for the week of February 20, 2023

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SCOTT ADAMS has had ENOUGH. Renounces black heritage. Calls for SEGREGATION from HATEFUL BLACKS.

www.youtube.com/live/K6TnAn7qV1s?feature=share&t=894

In his recent #2027 episode of 'Real Coffee with Scott Adams', Adams gives a piece of advice for white people living near black people: Move away from them. The advice is prompted by a recent opinion poll. Adams said the poll changed his view on the subject of living with blacks in general and being one in particular. Stating that he no longer identifies as black. The Rasmusen opinion poll in question found that 46% of black people say that it's not OK to be white.

Adams further clarifies that he will no longer be making black people's problems 'his own'. And advices other white people to do the same. Stating that the solution to the problems facing black Americans is simple: Focus on education. And that if they can't do that then it's no longer his problem.

On top of the opinion poll, as a stated reason for his change of heart, he opines that living in a more black area is more dangerous. To this end he cites Don Lemon's observations on the matter. Who had previously stated that living in black areas came with 'problems' he did not encounter in white areas. Adams also stated that, although anecdotal, he had grown weary of the never ending stream of black on white violence. Specifically videos of the acts, of which, Adams stated, there was no shortage. Remarking that he was sick of it.

This rather drastic heel turn from Adams has prompted critics to wonder if the real cause for the famed cartoonists sudden change of heart is to win himself into the good graces of his more vocal and extreme base of supporters. Whose relationship with Adams had turned sour after his alleged support for the COVID vaccine. Though Adams later recanted his support of the vaccine and disputed some of the claims made about his alleged support, he stated that those who never supported the vaccine only did so because of luck. Sparking controversy and the moniker 'CLOTT' Adams.

Others mourn the loss of yet another black American life at the hands of right wing extremism.

The Rasmusen opinion poll in question found that 46% half of black people say that it's not OK to be white.

How was the question worded? Was it the one on this page?

1* Do you agree or disagree with this statement: “It’s OK to be white.”

Leftists have long claimed that the statement "It's OK to be white" doesn't mean only what it appears to based on a literal reading, but is in fact a white supremacist dog-whistle. Whether that's true or not, if the people answering the poll believe it, then I think Scott was a bit hasty to take their disagreement with it as a rejection of the literal meaning of the statement, rather than the white supremacist subtext they believe it to have.

then I think Scott was a bit hasty to take their disagreement with it as a rejection of the literal meaning of the statement

This depends on you actually taking them at their word.

It seems highly self-serving to me to just append "actually it's this Mystical Greater Context that makes this anodyne statement bad", especially when it's very unlikely they will cede that argument if the right-wing were to make it about "love is love" or whatever.

The fact that elements of the Left deliberately refuse to use less inflammatory language (e.g. "minority disadvantage" as opposed to "white privilege", anything other than "mediocre white man" and "gammon"*) OR avoid or condemn race-based insults that cut the other way gives people reason to believe imo that at least part of the appeal is venting ressentiment and taking revenge on specific groups.

Their justifications for this may resolve their concerns about hypocrisy, but it is not inherently a mistake to distrust them.

* I remember the more than hypocritical attempts to justify this on /r/ukpolitics.

A liberal could write these exact paragraphs in response to conservatives disliking the phrase "Black Lives Matter", though.

If 50% of black people genuinely didn't think white people should exist, there'd be a lot more evidence for it than one poll. But every day across the US, millions of black people interact with white coworkers, friends, and acquaintances with no particular malice. (The, idk what to call it, black criminal underclass is less than 10% of black people afaik).

I'm sure interactions between your run of the mill Tutsi and Hutus were pretty ok too. And then, to paraphrase one survivor, my neighbourhood friend showed up one day; this time we weren't going out to play, this time I was going to die under his machete.