site banner
PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   34098 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of July 29, 2024

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.

9
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

I also wonder if there's been a sort of secular trend of the term "weird" being used for things that are morally reprehensible by the kids these days.

I watch a ton of police bodycam arrest videos, and I can confirm that there is a massive trend of (especially black and Zoomer-aged) individuals using “y’all are weird” as simply a catch-all negative term for someone doing something the speaker doesn’t like or doesn’t agree with. Police arresting you for committing a crime? “Bro, you weird as fuck.” Police taking you to the ground because you resisted arrest? “Y’all so fuckin’ weeeeird, I swear to God!” Seems like it’s totally disconnected from any previous, more specific usage of the word.

Edit: I see that @ChickenOverlord and I are subscribed to some of the same YouTube channels.

We mostly watch Donut Operator, Code Blue Cam, Midwest Safety, and some guy called MrBroken. Got any other channel recommendations?

PoliceActivity for the heavy stuff - fatal officer-involved shootings, etc. - presented without commentary. Bodycam Files, Police Insider, ResistingArrestTV, CrimeCamNow, Blue Watch, Lens Of Law… I watch a shit-ton of bodycam videos.

Thanks for the recommendations!

I watch a shit-ton of bodycam videos.

I have to say, the flood of bodycam footage is one of the only things we can thank the Martyrdom of Saint Floyd for. I just wish videos from places other than FL, WI, and WA were more common, I'm guessing it has to do with public records laws in each state.

CrimeCamNow is all from the Atlanta metro, and Georgia Police Activity is also from the same state. There’s NM Bodycam for stuff out of New Mexico (expect a lot of meth dealers and drunk Mexicans getting got), Arkansas Police Activity and Police Pursuits (featuring the legendary Officer Byrd and the Arkansas State Police’s notoriously extensive use of the PIT maneuver), there’s Ohio Bodycam and Columbus Police Bodycam, there’s Officer Outlook in Minnesota, there’s California Bodycam… I’m subscribed to about 50 different channels from all over the country.

(I’m not the guy you replied to) My mother cried when they canceled Live PD as we used to watch it every Friday night together. Truthfully that is what radicalized her

Truthfully that is what radicalized her

I think that's going to happen for a lot of people. For every video of a cop being a corrupt and/or murderous asshole there are hundreds of common criminals being the absolute scum of the earth that absolutely deserved to be shot on sight. Near universal bodycam adoption by American police will basically only increase sympathy for cops.

What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.


Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


New post guidelines

If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

If in doubt, please post it!


Rules


Recommended Posts And Communities

Recommended Realtime Chats