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Culture War Roundup for the week of September 18, 2023

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Not the employees or readers of Vice, who will agree with you that cheating on your wife is bad.

I don't know how clever you think you're being here but my reflexive response is the old Cole Phelps "press X to doubt" meme

Why?

Because Vice is an outlet associated with caring far more about party affiliation of sinners than the sins, presumably.

I'm sure that may be true, and I'm still sure its people still by and large find cheating on your wife a bad thing. Not as bad as being part of the enemy tribe, perhaps, but 'not as bad as' does not 'totally okay' equate.

https://www.vice.com/en/topic/polyamory

https://www.vice.com/en/topic/swinging

https://www.vice.com/en/topic/cuckold

Ok now you link one article about celebrating the sanctity of marriage. Just one article that says marriage is a sacred union between two people that should not be interfered with. Note there are none in the marriage tag, those are mostly about being Indian for some reason.

I mean, I'm sure if you asked them now they'd say cheating on your wife is bad, but it's only until a new article about being pegged by your girlfriend's wife is required. Taking marriage advice from Vice is like reading The Watchtower for blowjob tips.

I'm not dense enough to think the people are Vice think everyone should be polyamorous, into swinging, as well as cuckoldry. For what it's worth, I don't think you are either.

The median Vice employee, let alone reader, thinks breaking your wife's (or husband's) trust is bad; no sacred union is required, for nothing is sacred to begin with. If that means you both go into marriage thinking any of these three rightwing boogeymen is okay, then power to them, so says the Vice liberal. If you drop it on someone out of nowhere, cheat on them, betray what was a generic relationship? Not so power to them, shitty move, so says the Vice liberal.

This isn't very complicated. This isn't news to you, either: I shouldn't have to spell it out. I don't know why you'd imply that this isn't obvious if you weren't trying to score tediously cheap points, so if you will, please tell me what the point of this has been. The ranks of Vice aren't full of people who think cheating on your wife is totally awesome, and to twist around so it kinda-sorta might look that way is tiresome. Not clever. Not enlightening. Just tiresome.

Sure, the point is I don't think anyone at vice gives a shit about marriage. I don't think they think cheating is awesome, I think they think cheating is meh, or maybe even an anachronism, unless it happens to them. I think the closest any writer there comes to respecting the promise of fidelity is that they would suffer a narcissistic injury if they were cheated on, because most people do. So I think all this weeping and gnashing of teeth about this guy is crocodile tears at best, but more likely something like a smuggie.

Which yes, I saw your comment replying to someone else noticing it fits the smuggie form, and I can only say - Come. On. Son. You've pretty much agreed to the argument already - "Not as bad as being part of the enemy tribe, perhaps" - now we're just arguing severity. And what I'm saying is yeah they aren't 'totally ok' with it, but literally the only reason they bring it up is to tar their opponent. It is performative, and blatantly obviously so.

Tldr: I think it's pretty ironic you are accusing me of trying to score cheap political points, since that is the only reason the article exists.

now we're just arguing severity

Of course we're arguing severity, that was the point from the start. Cheating is a bad thing in their eyes, just not the very worst.

the only reason they bring it up is to tar their opponent

Yes, they are 2023 journalists. Their political enemies got them cheap ammunition with which to tar them. Of course they're gonna do that.

I think it's pretty ironic you are accusing me of trying to score cheap political points, since that is the only reason the article exists

It's not ironic. No, I expect better of you than I do of journalists. I expect better of everyone in this place! If that's the bar you're holding yourself to, I think you truly and genuinely need to consider the way you engage with people

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