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Culture War Roundup for the week of August 7, 2023

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I also, on principal and because I have many non-white friends and family members, abhor white nationalism and antisemitism.

This is like saying you abhor Zionism because you have non-Jewish friends. You have non-white friends, so you don't think white people should retain any ethnic identity or advocate for it in any way? How does that make sense? Do you deny any other ethnic group its ability to advocate for its own interests because you have friends outside that ethnic group? I have non-Chinese friends so I abhor Chinese nationalism I guess... Would that make sense to you, or does this sort of logic only apply for white people?

I kind of do abhor Chinese nationalism? And Russian nationalism, and so on, proportional to how much each feels like a threat. It’s worse when it’s explicitly racial rather than cultural, because America is the best in the world my own cultural values say that race-based nationalism is silly at best. Civic nationalism or patriotism is much more comfortable.

In America, there are a lot of white people, and a history of wignats organizing to do stuff I don’t like. Therefore, they get a few bumps up the threat ladder. Even though I don’t think they have any credible route to harming me or mine, they rate higher than most other racial nationalists. Ingroup, outgroup, fargroup, I suppose.

Working on down the line, Israeli nationalism doesn’t feel as threatening. I know you probably disagree with that.

I kind of do abhor Chinese nationalism?

No you don't, a Chinese person identifying Chinese and having a healthy level of ethnic self-regard and association with Chinese history and culture and advocating for the interests of the Chinese both in China and abroad, you would not find "abhorrent", do not lie. If China wanted to remain Chinese, which it does, you would find not find that abhorrent.

In America, there are a lot of white people, and a history of wignats organizing to do stuff I don’t like.

What a cop-out, as if "wignats" are the only population group that have identified as white and advocated for white people. The very people who founded America identified as such and had strong associations with their race, so White Nationalists also have a history of organizing stuff you do like, to a much more impactful degree in your daily life than Jewish nationalism without any shred of doubt.

Working on down the line, Israeli nationalism doesn’t feel as threatening. I know you probably disagree with that.

What's threatening is advocating for ethno-nationalism for your ingroup and individualism for your outgroup, which is what Jewish nationalism does. But because of the alchemy of Hollywood and our cultural institutions, this state of affairs doesn't feel threatening to you, and I believe you that it doesn't. But demographic change is proof that this state of affairs has real-world implications, it doesn't feel threatening because if you perceived it as threatening you would be ostracized from society.

Chinese person identifying Chinese

95% of people have no issue with this.

and having a healthy level of ethnic self-regard

What is a good level of ethnic self-regard? Why should a Chinese person support Chinese people more? If it's 'genetic self-interest for overall genetic health', why not pick the smart jew over the dumb chinese?

and association with Chinese history and culture

nobody has an issue with this.

and advocating for the interests of the Chinese

Vacuous claim, this entirely depends on which interest are being advocated for.