site banner
PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   23432 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of September 21, 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.

5
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

In related(?) Zuckerberg news, him and the missus are throwing money at local sports clubs now they are going to be lords of the manor round these parts:

The donation comes as the Chan Zuckerberg family begins to put down roots in the Waterford community, with the couple recognising the central role the GAA plays in towns and villages across the country.

“The GAA is at the heart of communities across Ireland,” said Mark and Priscilla. “As new members of the Waterford community, we’re proud to support these local clubs and the important role they play.”

It does make me laugh because I think the guy would not know a hurley if you bet him over the head with it, and they don't need to buy goodwill because the locals in them parts are well used to tugging the forelock to the big house (the Duke of Devonshire has a little summer place there) or at least being very happy with how their bread is buttered once rich outsiders come in to buy and do up manor houses. Still, all donations gratefully received, even if I think this is Mark downloading programming about "how do flesh units integrate into local communities?" and learning all about the importance that the lowly sons of toil place on activities like sports, so supporting sports aids in gaining popularity for their new overlords 😁

Tallow GAA Treasurer Kieran Geary told WLR’s Big Breakfast Blaa that the club plans to invest in coaching and games, as well as a number of facility upgrades.

He said the funding will help with plans to tarmac the club’s community walkway and develop a spectator stand.

The donation is the largest single contribution Tallow GAA has received in its 139 year history.

Mr. Geary revealed that the process began around a month ago when club secretary Lindsay Murphy received a call from an unknown number.

That led to a series of meetings with representatives of Zuckerberg and Chan, with Mr. Geary admitting it had been ‘a hard secret to keep’.

He also described the donation as ‘a bit surreal’, saying people had jokingly suggested the club should approach the couple after news emerged that they had purchased Strancally Castle.

Another funny part to me is the revival in local cricket clubs due to the influx of Indian/Pakistani immigrants to Ireland; formerly a garrison sport, now the established local clubs are featuring new members and good luck to them!

What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.


Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


New post guidelines

If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

If in doubt, please post it!


Rules


Recommended Posts And Communities

Recommended Realtime Chats