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RococoBasilica  Actually a Quality Retribution  2yr ago (astralcodexten.substack.com)   1992 thread views

Astral Codex Ten: A Columbian Exchange

astralcodexten.substack.com

Scott wades into the Culture War again with a delightfully dorky dialogue about Columbus Day. Contains lots of references to the other other Scott.

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That's what bothers me so much about a lot of the modern left, they always want to take something and make it something else (not just holidays, but making the anthem about police violence, or removing only the names from the year numbering system without any other changes.

If you want something else go make it, go make a new holiday for some marginalized person/group, or take your day off and protest to your heart's content, and if you want to redo dates get your own base year and name them after that. Then let society sift the good ideas from the bad. I dislike renaming something and demanding everyone change with you.

Personally as the descendent of Norse, I celebrate Leif Erikson day with relish that it comes before Columbus day most years. Leif probably did more than his share of bad things (Vikings being known for their looting and pillaging and thralls) but he got to Vineland before any other Europeans.

There was French Revolutionary Calendar... Why do they reinvent the wheel?

For me, its the fact that they love to tear down long-held and 'cherished' traditions and holidays (which amounts to "any that is more than like 3 decades old") and relish in mocking the reaction to it, whilst also claiming they have no ill intent and its not really a 'loss' since its just a hokey corporate contrivance anyway and nobody should actually miss it why is there such a big fuss?

Its this simultaneous recognition that something is sacred and meaningful to [group], and yet the pretense that [group] is completely unreasonable and indeed immoral to try and combat the changes to or elimination of their traditions because things will surely be better now, and why cling to the past to your own detriment?

They want to invoke a certain amount of nihilism whilst tearing down sacred cows, but they aren't actually dispassionate about it. And yet they mock the passions of those they antagonize.

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