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 -
Hello. I am not Impassionata, though I tried writing like/as (and it's not clear to me that there's a distinction) Impassionata when Impassionata retired.
Now that Impassionata is back on rdrama (and in fine form, their documentation of the AI Incursion really has me thinking) I figure I might as well continue the experiment somewhere else. I intend to write in a civil and constructive manner on matters of politics relating to the present fascistic movement which exists under former president Trump.
If you don't like that and are ready to rules lawyer the mods upon me, then you and I are involved in a War of Words. Hit me with your best shot.
60% of Americans don't want Trump. Journalisms have documented a Truth. The Cathedral is your Culture and you Desecrate it at your Peril.
If you do not believe that the movement under Trump has enough fascistic signals to call the movement fascist, it is your claim which is partisan and inflammatory.
That said, don't think I cannot provide evidence, though it will largely consist of pointing you to where you are.
Christian Fundamentalist Evangelicals believe a Reality TV Star Is God's Chosen One
Just because the left occasionally overstates its case around matters of race doesn't mean you should forget that religious people believe authoritarian lies. There's overt white supremacy and there's latent white supremacy. Many religious cultures, especially in the south, have a great deal of latent white supremacy within them that in times when overt white supremacy comes to the foreground becomes more and more blatant.
The harsh recognition of the xenophobic impulse is not assuaged by a photo op unless you are.
Shut down.
It's not right.
Distinction without a difference, difference without a distinction, difference and distinction.
Violence against journalists. Criticism of journalists. Politicians who call for violence against the media should be shot in Minecraft only. I am a pacifist this way. But they should be shot in Minecraft as a statement of their failure.
We should suspend the norms and have the world's biggest virtual execution. Let anyone be put forth to be virtually killed, and let the procession sweep along and virtual bullets emptied into a corpse.
If you are going to engage in your 20 minutes of hate and call it discourse, you should really mean it. In Minecraft.
This is a place that is clearly on the verge of losing its hold in Minecraft. "Cowabunga." Your appetite for violence is sickening and crass and it is only here that you dare utter it for you are a coward. I make that argument from fIrST prINciPlEs thus
QED.
What's happening in this thread? I see two messages that are filtered [with an instruction to kick mod asses to fix it @naraburns (I don't know if this is your bag but yours was the first mod's name I found and I can't remember how zorba capitalises his name)] but this post that I'm replying to seems to be a pretty searing indictment of the motte and... yourself? It says ImpassionaTwo is replying to ImpassionaTwo. But I have no idea what you (or whoever you were actually talking to) said because it's filtered.
I saw this because the quokka asked for help, and am happy you're as confused as me.
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