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.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
Last week anime culture war news was rather unwelcome here, so it is time for another.
The topic of last week xitter storm was anime.
Is anime weird? If so, what should parents do to make sure their kids never watch anime and become normal members of the crowd?
Fitting with the crowd as end in itself was always seen as moral duty in small c conservative tradition, nothing unusual with it.
It is clear who the bad people are and why they are bad.
Nevertheless, massive arguments for and against torn xitter asunder and joined with even bigger arguments whether normie existence in 2020's North America is really something you should strive for or whether much better, happier, nobler and more fulfilling life can be found elsewhere.
If you examine all parts of normie life, from such basics as school, regular employnment, transportation or house building and find this is worthwhile prize, and then find out that your kid is not normie, you should indeed tell them:
"For your whole life, you will live as undercover agent in enemy territory. As Otto von Stierlitz had to pass as Nazi, you must learn how to pass as normie."
(using Eastern archetype here, in Western culture heroes are men of action facing adversity directly and challenging enemy in honorable combat, not sus characters skulking in shadows)
But parents are usually extremely bad judges what is "weird" and what isn't. They remember what was normal and what wasn't in high school in early 1980's, and are unable to comprehend that times are changing. And this is the problem barely noticed, the problem that makes this whole discourse waste of time.
If we're talking about anime, I'd like to spin-off in a tangent and note the increasing "Furry-ification" of anime conventions. I can't claim this idea as my own, as I saw it somewhere online, but I can't find the post now. It seems that in recent years (especially after COVID, for obvious reasons) anime conventions have become less about anime, and more about degenerate sex. This is just one example of the phenomenon. In fact, It feels that many cons that are internet adjacent (anime, comics, streaming, board games, video games, etc.) have just become places for people to practice their barely disguised sexual fetishes. In the case of furrys, this was always the point, but I've been noticing more and more that this is happening to almost every con. I'm not going to pretend that this didn't happen before (I've heard about the nasty Klingon orgies that used to happen in the 80s and 90s) but the fact that it's now so in the open bothers me.
I don't think this is merely a result of the lack of socialization for zoomers during COVID (although It's definitely a large factor) as the process started back with the millennials. I personally think that it's a result of a few factors:
The type of people who go to these types of cons are generally more predisposed to being sexual deviants in the first place (see nasty Klingon orgies from before). There's that meme of people you think have orgies vs people who actually have orgies. The people who you think have orgies are the Chads and Stacies while the people who actually have orgies look more like the It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia bit.
Society is now more lax regarding to weird sex shit in general. It's not really a controversial point to say that the sexual norms have changed even within the last 10 years. Especially nowadays, I notice that everyone online is extremely open about their weird sex shit, and it seems that they're just bringing that same energy to real life.
What seemed extreme before is just the norm now. I still remember when being into feet was some weird sex thing that only degenerates and communists were into, but nowadays, everyone is into some weird shit that wouldn't even have imagined 20 years ago. I'll stop right there.
Regarding anime, what I would suggest is that even if you do let your kids watch anime, absolutely do not ever let them go to conventions, even with supervision, until they're adults. I don't think it's anime itself that's causing the weirdness. Anime is just a medium. Just like every medium, there are differences in quality. I don't think that even the most anti-anime person would be opposed to watching Spirited Away or Ghost in the Shell. It's the community. The community, while ostensibly being about anime, is much more about the community itself, so that actually watching anime or being a fan of anime is less important than being "a part of the anime community." Going back to the Feet Juice example, what exactly is the anime that they're fans of? What show are they showing appreciation for? Do the people that are buying the juice even watch anime? You don't know because anime is not the point.
All I can say is keep that nasty shit away from me.
It's never who you want to be polyamorous who is polyamorous.
Might have also meant this meme.
Painfully accurate, except the woman on the right is too slim.
Perhaps this lovely polyamorous and pregnant (at the time) Woman of Size will more align with your mental image. Nothing like a mixed-weight polycule to raise a child.
Oh God, bro do you know the ending?
According to Kiwi Farms, this article covers how one of the men severely injured the five-week-old baby and was charged with child abuse.
@Sloot
More options
Context Copy link
I don’t, maybe for the better.
I do wonder what the prediction market odds would have been at the time for the eventual kid to be molested by one of the men in the polycule, the mother pulling a Casey Anthony, or one of the polycule men executing a murder-suicide.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link