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Culture War Roundup for the week of November 7, 2022

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but it might be because you think they are mentally ill or because you think they are evil.

You think my post would have been better if I called them evil or mentally ill? I didn't say any of that because I don't know, and it doesn't matter. The factual part "these people are driving trans changes because they have an eunuch fetish" is enough to stand, and be discussed on it's own.

I certainly didn't get you were poking fun at conspiracy deniers.

A common trope in dismissing conspiracy theories is calling everything a coincidence, and dismissing any personal connections as playing "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon". The point of the other rhetorical flourish - "well, I suppose" - was exactly the point of making fun of that, right up until you see the SOC document literally citing the fetish forum.

Which is why stating it outright somewhere would be helpful, even if you have to keep the rhetorical flourishes. Just a suggestion.

Duly noted, but it sounds like you got exactly what I was saying, it's just that you were expecting there's more to it.

I think your post would have been better if I was sure what your point was. What specifically was the conspiracy you are making fun of the deniers denying. Who denied it and when? What is the light that would come from the discussion?

I think your post would have been better if I was sure what your point was.

Yes I got that part. Sadly, I couldn't know ahead of time what you'll be able to catch, and what you'd find confusing.

What specifically was the conspiracy you are making fun of the deniers denying.

Any one that's plausible but lacking smoking-gun evidence. The one that's the most analogous is woke entryism into institutions with cultural influence, but any one will do - from Epstein running a child-prostituion Ponzi Scheme (before the evidence was released), Epstein not killing himself, to the COVID lab leak or Big Pharma collaborating to discredit ivermectin.

Who denied it and when?

What would be accomplished by listing all the times and places a specific conspiracy theory was denied?

What is the light that would come from the discussion?

  • That to move past shady thinking, I think we need to stop dismissing any hypothesis just because it's a conspiracy theory.

  • That we might need to increase scrutiny on our institutions, because they seem the be very vulnerable to manipulation by malicious actors.

What would be accomplished by listing all the times and places a specific conspiracy theory was denied?

Well if you want us to talk about whether it is a conspiracy or not (as opposed to just making fun of people who think it is) then that would be helpful, no? If your post was just to make fun of those people, then what is it's value here?

If your point is

That to move past shady thinking, I think we need to stop dismissing any hypothesis just because it's a conspiracy theory.

That we might need to increase scrutiny on our institutions, because they seem the be very vulnerable to manipulation by malicious actors.

Then why not just say that specifically? Those are good points and worth discussing. But you didn't actually mention those things in your original post. Are the eunuchs malicious actors? Are they manipulating the situation? If those are your factual claims then make your point around that. But your post doesn't say that. It kind of gives a wink wink nudge nudge in that direction. Which we should avoid in my opinion here, at least.

Is your position that these people are malicious actors? If so just say so. If not, then say that instead.

Well if you want us to talk about whether it is a conspiracy or not (as opposed to just making fun of people who think it is) then that would be helpful, no?

No? I don't see how citing every time someone denied these conspiracies would bring anything to the discussion.

Then why not just say that specifically?

The story in itself is pretty out there. I wanted to see what people think of it, before moving on to any big-picture ultimate conclusions I might have about it.

Is your position that these people are malicious actors?

Malicious in the sense that they're driven by their fetish rather than finding the best standards of care, yes.

If so just say so. If not, then say that instead.

Ok, and from my side: if something in what I wrote is unclear, can you just ask what I meant, so I can clarify it, instead of complaining about the original post 9 comment levels deep?

Ok, and from my side: if something in what I wrote is unclear, can you just ask what I meant, so I can clarify it, instead of complaining about the original post 9 comment levels deep?

Yes and no. My issue is I see a lot of posts like this where rhetoric is pushed over clarity, and I think it is detrimental to the sub as a whole. Yours is one example. I am more interested in what's driving the (from my pov) meta changes to how people are writing after our switch over. No offense intended to you at all however. But for that to change, posts have to be engaged with at a meta level, if that makes sense.