site banner

Culture War Roundup for the week of October 5, 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.

2
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

lady

There was no lady in the room.

There was a good-time gal. She wanted a casual acquaintance to find a 3rd to Eiffel tower her and take turns pounding her out, but not a 4th because that probably meant anal.

Maybe she hopes they guys will mess around with each other and she'll get to watch, not an uncommon fantasy.

She's unhappy that cooler heads prevail and she dis-invited from Halloween. The dis-invitation (rejection) is the proximate cause of her unhappiness but it was always going to end unhappily. You don't marry the good-time gal.

Feeling unhappy couldn't be the result of anything she did it must be because some external force (the boys) did something to her.

There was a high status woman. By prevailing morality she can't be used as a 'good time girl', not openly.

In times past she'd get the blame and have to marry someone a bit lower than her. But today, that's taboo, so we have to pretend the boys are rapey. But the gods of copybook heading are returning; treating a girl from a wealthy family that way was always banned. The difference is, in times past, she would be sent to 'help her aunt' in another state. That's how my great grandparents met. Today that part's not happening. I mean it will, slowly but surely- she's already banned from the frat parties(which exist primarily to make sure upper class women marry upper class men). But it's not yet, we have seduction charges but not the other side. History repeats, it rhymes, it does all those things at once- and cultural universals will always resurface. Yeah, she's being punished. So are they. The gods of copybook heading go nuclear on everyone.

in times past

How far back? Claudio refuses to, '...knit my soul to an approvèd wanton.' based on slander.

I'm not sure another state to help an aunt would be far enough. Are there no sororities or fraternities in this state? Two greek houses scandalized and a reputation ruined.

high status woman

How are you getting here? Her behavior / actions don't sound particularly high status. Do we know she's from a 'good family'? It doesn't seem as if her roommate thinks this is high status behavior. Do we know what she was studying?

If you are a man, there's a good chance you haven't received a lot of actual positive attention in life from anyone but your mom.

I saw something on Twitter to the effect that sluts are great because they actually really like men.

There are women out there who like sex, like men, and are comfortable around them. You knew they aren't yours to keep, but they do show you a good time. Maybe you even learn a thing or two. And you get to feel valued, feel sexually desirable, feel visible. Most men have been with someone like that. I have. Looking back on my young life, I wonder what those women even saw in me.

Essentially, sluts are doing men a great service.

Treating them shabbily is in very poor taste.

Essentially, sluts are doing men a great service.

It could equally be a communist plot to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluid.

The sluts are leading men as an ox goeth to the slaughter enticing squandering wealth and strength on harlots. It's a disservice. Godly young men would have removed thy way far from her.

Treating them shabbily is in very poor taste.

Is this a reference to the dis-invitation to Halloween?

Obviously I can't speak for him, but I would say that yes, that was in poor taste.

How else would you expect fraternity leadership to react to "Things (almost) went too far that night"? I have at least some sympathy for the "let's not do that again" option there. Maybe not the best way to implement that, but certainly the easiest.

Treating them shabbily is in very poor taste.

Yup-yup, in an ideal world both she and her sexual partners would've gone after the frat/sor leadership trying to shame/cancel them over a consensual encounter. "Sure, you are free to punish us for doing drugs in the frat house if you want to, but what we did under the influence of them is our own business. If you don't make people shut up about that, we'll sue you for sexual harassment."