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Culture War Roundup for the week of October 17, 2022

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If that regrettable eventuality is to be forestalled, we are going to have to suppress bad speech. Such suppression is going to need to be effective, and Government can be effective in at least some cases.

I feel bad that I can't give this the attention it deserves, as it's buried several levels down in last week's thread. Your argument for the suppression of speech is quite a remarkable position, and one I don't believe I have ever encountered presented this transparently. Perhaps you should rework this post as a top-level comment?

I'll briefly respond to some other points meanwhile:

a perceived absence of similar criticisms of Blue Tribe foibles

What I believe != what I write != what you read != what you remember reading

I've written a lot about blue tribe foibles (gender identity inanity and my firm support of Kyle Rittenhouse to name just a couple), but even so, I wouldn't expect my writing to be representative of anything. If there's a suspicion of hypocrisy, I think I've demonstrated that I don't shy away from answering direct questions.

the violence so unleashed did not confine itself to Government people or property. It metastasized out of all control, nationwide and without restraint. It laid down hatreds and sorrows that will in all likelihood outlive us both.

Ok but you said:

you're willing to advocate lawless violence against people very like me

"You directly advocated for X" is not at all the same thing as "You directly advocated for Y, which had X downstream effects".

I think you are willing to cheer on the destruction of an order you despise, but take zero responsibility for the worse horrors that replace it

I have a vague recollection about our conversation regarding the so-called Ferguson effect, where I admitted that it likely was a real phenomena. To the extent that your accusation of not taking responsibility is true, I should be rightly called out for it. I just don't think this actually happened.

I feel bad that I can't give this the attention it deserves, as it's buried several levels down in last week's thread. Your argument for the suppression of speech is quite a remarkable position, and one I don't believe I have ever encountered presented this transparently. Perhaps you should rework this post as a top-level comment?

I'll see what I can do. It'll come up often enough in any case; arguing against free speech ideals and the Enlightenment generally is a hobby-horse of mine.

What I believe != what I write != what you read != what you remember reading

This is quite true, and based on the rest of this comment, I offer you my apologies for making an unsupportable and unkind accusation. Some of the things you've posted have rubbed me the wrong way, but it's probable that it's a me problem, not a you problem, and coming at it the way I did was sloppy and unbecoming of the forum. I will endeavor to do better in the future.

Well that's really kind of you to say. I generally appreciate reading your stuff and you don't strike me as particularly unkind overall. A critique coming from you is something I'm inclined to take seriously by default, so don't take me off your target list.