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Culture War Roundup for the week of June 29, 2026

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Aristocracy is when a group of people get together to declare themselves the elite and give themselves special privileges. It requires some intelligence, yes, but far more important is a particular social skill, which you might call 'leadership' or 'douchebaggery'. If you don't have it --- and you don't -- then you won't be among the aristocratic class when it forms. And if you inherit the position, you'll be shuffled off to somewhere you don't like.

f you don't have it --- and you don't

How would you know? This is just a pointless insult, layered on top of wishful thinking against my position. Actually it would be really easy to enact intelligence hierarchies that are more rewarding than now, the fundamental issue is too many dumb people. The solution I think is to go form a small competitive intelligence hierarchy civ somewhere else and to have it outcompete the equality civs over time.

How would you know?

Reading your comments is sufficient.

The solution I think is to go form a small competitive intelligence hierarchy civ somewhere else and to have it outcompete the equality civs over time.

It doesn't work. The people with the high leadership-quotient take over these groups, if they become significant, every time.

Reading your comments is sufficient.

No, it's not.

It doesn't work. The people with the high leadership-quotient take over these groups, if they become significant, every time.

What does that have to do with outcompeting equality civs? Of course we want good leaders.