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PaperclipPerfector  8d ago (text post)   23250 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of July 6, 2026

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*P.S. That's another reason I get so triggered by Patriotism of @Shakes. It seems there's no consistent belief behind it, it's pure "Let's go Dodgers!" loyal cheerleading for America or even personally for Trump; no matter what Trump/America do it's good and based, even if it's contradictory.

"Based."

My consistent belief is American Exceptionalism, that America is the greatest nation on Earth, and that Donald Trump is the avatar of American Exceptionalism. I'm willing to take criticism as it comes and I know that sometimes I look ridiculous. I don't mind. I think it's a necessary position to take. I'm even happy to criticize America and it's failures (which is, after all, the entire reason for supporting Donald Trump). But I'm not interested in criticizing America simply so that everyone knows that I'm reasonable -- I may as well as just get to the point and tell you what I really believe and not worry about how it comes across to people who will never agree with me anyways.

There was a mean reply here but it's really adding nothing of value, so let's just say that I appreciate the honesty, and "Donald Trump is the avatar of American Exceptionalism" is very true, more true perhaps than you understand. "American Exceptionalism" is a belief, a vibe, not the quality of greatness attributable to the nation itself. Trump definitely channels that. We mostly disagree on whether it is anything more than parasitic exploitation of the underlying factors of greatness.

I'll add also because it occurred to me during lunch:

I'm also a Christian and I believe in Jesus. And I can actually marshal lots of arguments and reasons for why I believe in Christ, but I ultimately can't stop somebody from sneering that, well, that's a belief, belief can't be justified, every argument is only a rationalization. Fair enough. So let me at least state outright exactly what I believe, because I think everybody believes in something. And I do think my beliefs are better, and I also think my reasons are better. So "belief" is the exact idea I want to evoke.

That you put your belief in Christ and in Trump in the same discussion is beyond the reach of any sneer, honestly.

Though much of American Christianity is this kind of bullshit religion, like Russian Orthodoxy or State Shinto, nothing more than morally and theologically vacuous justification of imperial legitimacy. Naturally it's compatible with venerating a Czar.

Now we’re just debating the semantics of the word “belief”. But I hope you understand, that when I say that I “believe” the Donald Trump is a hero, I am not purporting a religious or irrational thought. Rather, that word communicates an extremely high level of confidence.

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