site banner

Culture War Roundup for the week of July 13, 2026

This weekly roundup thread is intended for all culture war posts. 'Culture war' is vaguely defined, but it basically means controversial issues that fall along set tribal lines. Arguments over culture war issues generate a lot of heat and little light, and few deeply entrenched people ever change their minds. This thread is for voicing opinions and analyzing the state of the discussion while trying to optimize for light over heat.

Optimistically, we think that engaging with people you disagree with is worth your time, and so is being nice! Pessimistically, there are many dynamics that can lead discussions on Culture War topics to become unproductive. There's a human tendency to divide along tribal lines, praising your ingroup and vilifying your outgroup - and if you think you find it easy to criticize your ingroup, then it may be that your outgroup is not who you think it is. Extremists with opposing positions can feed off each other, highlighting each other's worst points to justify their own angry rhetoric, which becomes in turn a new example of bad behavior for the other side to highlight.

We would like to avoid these negative dynamics. Accordingly, we ask that you do not use this thread for waging the Culture War. Examples of waging the Culture War:

  • Shaming.

  • Attempting to 'build consensus' or enforce ideological conformity.

  • Making sweeping generalizations to vilify a group you dislike.

  • Recruiting for a cause.

  • Posting links that could be summarized as 'Boo outgroup!' Basically, if your content is 'Can you believe what Those People did this week?' then you should either refrain from posting, or do some very patient work to contextualize and/or steel-man the relevant viewpoint.

In general, you should argue to understand, not to win. This thread is not territory to be claimed by one group or another; indeed, the aim is to have many different viewpoints represented here. Thus, we also ask that you follow some guidelines:

  • Speak plainly. Avoid sarcasm and mockery. When disagreeing with someone, state your objections explicitly.

  • Be as precise and charitable as you can. Don't paraphrase unflatteringly.

  • Don't imply that someone said something they did not say, even if you think it follows from what they said.

  • Write like everyone is reading and you want them to be included in the discussion.

On an ad hoc basis, the mods will try to compile a list of the best posts/comments from the previous week, posted in Quality Contribution threads and archived at /r/TheThread. You may nominate a comment for this list by clicking on 'report' at the bottom of the post and typing 'Actually a quality contribution' as the report reason.

3
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

New culture war news, from the secret squirrel cloak and dagger part of culture war.

And it is top tier blockbuster spy thriller tale. Tom Clancy might be dead, but his spirit is marching on.

Inside Israel’s Secret Operation to Cultivate Ahmadinejad

The yearslong effort to groom the former Iranian president as an intelligence asset culminated in a dramatic effort to take him to an Israeli safe house in the early days of the war. But the plan fell apart.

Inside the Mossad Plot to Install Israel's Arch-enemy Ahmadinejad as Iran's Leader

A Haaretz investigation reveals how Mossad agents brought former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on board, the shock within Netanyahu's cabinet and the recruitment of collaborators inside Iran

True if big, but is it big enough? What is really going on?

1/ All true news, you can always trust NYT and Haaretz. No one can resist Mossad grooming, even old revolutionary and God fearing true Muslim like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. All resistance is futile.

2/ All fake news, designed both to enhance Mossad reputation and depress Iranian morale. If even Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was traitor recruited by the Zionist entity, who can be trusted? All resistance is futile.

Any way, Israel looks strong, but far from all powerful.

Speaking of Mossad and Iran, check out what the vice president just said https://x.com/BulwarkOnline/status/2077462242488971283

Rogan: Most people think Epstein was Mossad.

Vance: "Ya. Mossad or CIA or some other deep state, whether in America or Israel…He clearly had connections to the highest levels of American intelligence. He clearly had connections to the highest level of Israeli intelligence."

Now as we can all assume that just like Trump, Vance would never lie or act irresponsibly in his position at the top level of government so we should take him seriously when he said that Israeli and American intelligence clearly had connections to Epstein. And Epstein had a known interest in Iran.

One has to wonder how all these things may be connected, and why the Trump administration continues to cover up valuable parts of the Epstein files implicating American and Israeli intelligence communities. I wonder if it could have anything to do with what a former top advisor to the admin once said before being forced to censor himself. Did we get into the war because our president is being blackmailed by Israeli intelligence? I doubt it, he doesn't act like he's being blackmailed. And blackmailing when you're also guilty is a weird strategy. It seems more likely that the Israel/Epstein/Trump connections aren't blackmailing each other, but instead collaborative even now. They all scratch each other's back, and while there's a predator shaped chain wrapped around each one, the MAD situation gives them lenience too.

  • -15

Now as we can all assume that just like Trump, Vance would never lie or act irresponsibly in his position at the top level of government so we should take him seriously when he said that Israeli and American intelligence clearly had connections to Epstein.

Actually, no. The rules say "speak plainly".

Stop doing this.

If you believe that Trump and Vance would lie and/or act irresponsibly, say so. Ideally in a substantive, interesting comment that adds to the discussion. Obviously, taking this path would be incompatible with what you want to vaguely but vigorously hint at: something like "Trump is paedophile". If that's an uncharitable distillation, then maybe try speaking plainly so people don't have to guess.

If, on the other hand, you don't think that Trump and Vance would lie and/or act irresponsibly --i.e. you want to disavow the entire smug point of your comment as, well, a lie -- then you can absolutely use Vance's comment as part of a chain of reasoning to connect Trump to Epstein, like you're salivating to do.

You want to have your cake and eat it. You want to simultaneously claim:

  • Vance is a liar
  • Vance wouldn't lie, therefore Trump paedo

... can you please pick a principled position? You might learn something, if you actually made a single falsifiable claim and tried to honestly discuss it, rather than throwing out a general shitstorm of "my outgroup is bad" without ever committing to a single coherent position.

... can you please pick a principled position? You might learn something, if you actually made a single falsifiable claim and tried to honestly discuss it, rather than throwing out a general shitstorm of "my outgroup is bad" without ever committing to a single coherent position.

The purpose of a system is what it does. Or, to speak plainly, please do not feed the trolls. Or, to speak even more plainly, don't wrestle a pig in the mud; you both get dirty, and the pig enjoys it.