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 -
So glad they're finally prosecuting all those crimes in CHOP. Wonder if they'll ever get to the murderers caught on camera.
(Has there been any follow-up on that? Even any investigations?)
Marcel Long was arrested on a bench warrant in July 2021 for the premeditated homicide of Lorenzo Anderson. I don't think he's out of bail, but his trial has been in continuance and delay limbo since with no real sign of that changing soon. One of the two civil cases against the city for the case settled with Anderson's father (the other, with Anderson's mother, is likely screwed out for boring procedural reasons).
No one's been arrested in DeJuan Young's non-lethal shooting, though there's some... uh, odd details on that one. The June 21st and 22nd shootings don't have enough publicly-disclosed detail for me to follow them.
The 29th shooting is contested: the city claims the investigation is ongoing, while the father of one victim claims the police have told him the investigation is closed.
It was shooting the kids I was most angry about, because of how much evidence was caught on camera. Every time I remember it I hear "pick up the shells, no eh-vuh-dunce!" in that hideous gloating voice.
If there's going to be any retribution for the democrats' death squads, or the city officials and media that enabled them, it's not going to come from the "justice" system they control.
This kind of hyperbolic "my outgroup is literally operating death squads" needs more than a loose implied association to justify.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
My understanding is that this is effectively impossible because many crime scenes were contaminated by CHOP inhabitants (e.g. the one where the kid sitting in the car got shot). There was a lawsuit against the city by the businesses on Capitol Hill that recently got settled, though.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link