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 -
Trump indicted with 4 counts over 2020 election
Hooooooo boy.
It took way longer than it should have to answer the question: “by whom?”
This is federal, and not another New York charge.
Cynical read is that Mr Garland is trying to distract the news cycle from talking about Hunter Biden or the FBI.
As opposed to talking about fiscal policy and inflation? Border control? Federal regulation? Supreme Court rulings? Whatever gaffe the big man himself has dropped in the last week, month, or year?
Your theory proves too much. If Merrick Garland could just shit out indictments to control the media, I expect he'd have done it sooner. Maybe skipping the step of spending months dragging evidence in front of Congress.
Or, to put it another way: what would it take to change your mind? What possible evidence could you accept that the proceedings legitimately took this long? I'm not even asking you to accept the outlandish claim that the Justice Department might have an interest in enforcing laws. No, I want to know what would make you say "gosh, I guess this wasn't about the President's layabout son after all."
A: It not taking this long. B: something more than hearsay. or C: the FBI acting like insurrection and/or mishandling classified information were a serious offence when it wasn't the opposition candidate's ox who was getting gored.
As I was telling @AshLael the fundamental problem is that this is very clearly an issue of "rules for thee and not for me". If we are we going after Trump because he mishandled of classified material, why aren't Clinton and her staff being prosecuted? If we are we going after him for peddling influence/colluding with foreign interests, why isn't Biden? If we're going after him for inciting insurrection and subverting the electoral process why aren't Obama, Fienstien, Waters, and all the other DNC elected officials who provided aid and comfort to the CHAZ/CHOP and BLM riots getting put through the wringer?
The answer is simple, the FBI/DoJ is in the tank for the democratic party establishment and has been since the days of Hoover. You didn't think they named their headquarters building after a cross-dressing political hitman by accident did you?
Because for various (good) reasons the legal system requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt to convict a person. Clinton is probably more corrupt than Trump IMO, but she's also less sloppy and is better at not leaving incontrovertible proof lying around.
Because she unilaterally had her lawyers destroy the evidence. Spoiling evidence is generally a problem for the person who spoiled the evidence.
Also, because the government gave free immunity to her underlings instead of trying to get them to turn (unlike they are doing with Trump).
Clinton didn’t mind her Ps and Qs; she got help from the purported other side.
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
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link