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 -
Had a response, realized who's posting, and realized that it's all a bit too tidy. Oh, yeah, are you deeply affronted by users like sentinellgrave? You're not posting that looking to elicit a response of any sort? Definitely not attempting to move the needle in any particular direction?
No they definitely don't, the rules don't really allow me to express my sentiments in their fullest viscerallity about what should be done about such people who do these acts of racial terrorism and what should happen to their appeasers. My fucking god how cucked and brainwashed must you be in the moment of such tragedy to be advocating for your attacker and their group.
When we know that it was an act of racial terrorism, then you can go full keyboard warrior.
Right now it's looking like "guy who was probably in the throes of a mental episode". I only am aware of the races of three of the victims: the white English young student and the older man, and the half-Irish/half-Indian girl student. I don't know what race(s) the two people who were run over are. Perpetrator is West African.
It's the parents of the Irish-Indian girl who are asking not for responses like yours, and that's because as Irish in Britain and Indian in Britain both of them are likely to have encountered some form of "your nationality is shit" (not as often as in the past, thank goodness, but there are still pockets of ignorance).
The person in the link in the OP appears to be the mother of Barnaby Webber, who was white English, so unless you've seen some other parent talking about this in some other source, perhaps you should read before harrumphing about your racial enlightenment.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link