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Culture War Roundup for the week of June 29, 2026

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It's not "I got mine". I'm more than happy to chip in for the healthcare of someone who got mauled in a freak alligator attack, but my enthusiasm drops suddenly when I find out they're an amateur alligator-wrestler.

Yes but to an extent everyone is an amateur alligator wrestler. Some people overeat, some people smoke, some people drink, some do extreme sports, or sports in general, some drive too fast, or pilot light planes and so on and so forth.

There are very few people who are utterly viceless when it comes to activities that increase the risk of illness or injury.

some people smoke

They're not amateur alligator wrestlers, they actually minimize their burden on society. They're more like the old men that used to go out "to hunt" in the dead of winter, knowing they will never come back.

Yes but to an extent everyone is an amateur alligator wrestler.

Yes, but that doesn't mean anything. Saying "everyone is an extreme outlier, to an extent" is just saying "everyone is". "To an extent" nullifies the "extreme outlier" descriptor, which was the defining feature of the group I was pointing to.