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 -
To drive home the point that the British government says "jump" and the BBC says "how high?", iirc this move was a purely political one after the Tory government started getting flack that it's economic policy was rabidly London-centric while ignoring everywhere else in the country. So they compelled the BBC to move a bunch of shit to Manchester. The median cosmopolitan bourgie-urbanite BBC employee would consider "relocation to Manchester" the equivalent of being exiled to Siberia, and it caused a lot of whining and gnashing of teeth within the BBC. But their putative independence was as nothing compared to the Tories' determination to win themselves votes at the next election from Norf FC by "bringing them jobs".
Timing wise you are at least incorrect as the decision was taken in 2006 while Tony Blair was prime minister.
I don't remember us putting pressure on the Beeb, though the rumor was it was a gambit so that Blair would be more lenient in the Charter renegotiations.
I appreciate the correction. It does not, however, detract from the central thesis that the government points and the BBC goes.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link