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.
PM me your sentiments instead. I’ll tip you.
I’m very surprised, in the past 5-10 years there have been a number (handful?) of these high visibility cases where the family, typically parents of these victims make sure to prioritize giving a public statement of some racial slave morality bent. In a proper country these family members would be held accountable as accomplice to these homicides. I’ll throw “stochastic” in front of homicide to give it the imprimatur of reason.
As the wheel turns in reaction against the culture these displays issue from, we might one day delight in seeing them crushed underneath that wheel.
My God, Americans really are ignorant. Remind me why the fuck I ever came back here.
Please note: the entire rest of the world is not the same as your crabbed little polarised wars. "Whitey so great!!" chest-beating like this isn't yet part of our discourse, even given the best efforts of the type of actual white supremacist losers to export it to my country from both the USA and the UK.
I don't think that's common discourse in America either?
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