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 -
The only future I see any longer is 1984. We may shift to a multipolar world, but every pole will utilize the same, no exaggeration, Orwellian systems of social control. Extreme control of information. Elections that are more or less completely rigged. If not the actual vote, then having the intelligence community shaping the information environment to such a degree that nobody of a previous era would have ever considered it a fair election. The shift to a defacto one party state, where participation with the infrastructure of civilization is dependent on being a party member in good standing. It may not look exactly like China's social credit score, but it won't be far off, and will be identical in intent.
Weird Malthusian degrowth policies will rule the day. Every year our quality of life will be worse than the last for some nebulous greater good. Despite this, I see no end to the forever wars either. Forever wars pair too well with degrowth anyways.
Governments will cull their electorate more openly, encouraging suicide and sterilization as "ethical" choices to meet degrowth goals. This messaging will begin as early as Kindergarten.
People who advocate for actual human flourishing will be considered terrorist.
And I'm just gonna stop there because I'm already depressing myself too much to go on. Should probably go touch grass or something...
The Middle East wars ended though. This narrative sounds appealing and then I look at someone like Ron DeSantis going on about woke, and Biden who is too feeble to do much. I think too many people are forming their opinions based on fiction, like TV or history. Real-life leaders , especially in modern America, are way more impotent, ineffective, and unenthusiastic than their fictional depictions.
Those aren't our real leaders. Our real leaders are the spooks in the intelligence community who essentially took a mulligan on an election, and prevented the lawfully elected president from exercising his constitutional authority for 4 years.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
I'm here to agree with this. The amount of technological progress means the only likely future is a tyrannical panopticon state. China is ahead of the times in that regard, and the boot is coming for your grandchild's face regardless of what happens in the next ten years.
More options
Context Copy link
I agree at a sentimental level, it feels like carcinization towards totalitarianism in some form or another in an inevitable outcome of techno-capital development.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link