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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   8899 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of October 26, 2026

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It’s a divisive issue, like any other divisive culture war issue. Some people are fine with AI content and some aren’t. It’s somewhat falling along existing culture war lines. Many people in leftish spaces, or spaces that you would expect to attract a lot of lefty people, proudly adorn their creations with “No AI Used” tags, or they’ll leave random unsolicited “so glad this shit isn’t AI” comments even on posts/works that have nothing to do with AI at all, and I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon.

I strongly doubt that Malfoid has converted anyone to the pro-AI side who wasn’t already inclined that way in the first place, especially because the meme seems to have a rightist valence to the extent that it has any political valence at all, and it’s largely the right who’s already the most in favor of AI art.

the meme seems to have a rightist valence to the extent that it has any political valence at all

I think that's mostly due to the term "Malfoid" itself, because "foid" is a term only used by chuds and considered a sexist slur by the left.

I've seen it suggested that the term is deliberate gate-keeping, to prevent wokeness from taking over the trend.

I don't think it has or will cause anyone to fully cross the fence. The most rabid anti-AI people are already anti JK Rowling for her position on trans, so can double hate this. But I think it has a broad normie appeal. The people who aren't terminally online, who aren't far left/right brained, who aren't paying much attention are just having fun and enjoying something wholesome. The next time someone starts going on about how AI data centers are going to cause a drought and steal jobs from artists people will be like "eh, I dunno, they make some good memes, seems like artists can still use them to make art". Or especially if they got inspired to dabble themselves and had fun with it. It's basically a vaccine that primes casual people to lean towards AI instead of against it. A small subtle effect, multiplied by millions and millions of people.

especially because the meme seems to have a rightist valence to the extent that it has any political valence at all

Very vocally disliking Harry Potter is a pasttime on the Left, so presumably any HP-related memes are therefore automatically and visibly disliked.

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