site banner

Culture War Roundup for the week of February 17, 2025

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.

4
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Arguing that the temptation to cheat and men's desire for sexual novelty means men shouldnt be monogamous is asenine.

I didn't argue this. In hindsight I should have said "preferred" arrangement instead of "ideal". I do think monogamy is the best arrangement for a man in the long run, and definitely for civilization at large.

Its a very pornbrained attitude to life

I find "pornbrained" is generally a bad-faith, loaded word used to demonize aspects of male sexuality that have existed forever. I can only see it being accurately applied to an obsession with very niche fetishes. Ironically I think Christian conservatives are the most likely to agree that men are not disposed towards monogamy and that's why we need religious institutions to enforce it. I remember Christian apologist William Lane Craig being asked about free will and the interviewer gave an example like "what if a man says 'I'm genetically predisoposed towards wanting to sleep with every beautiful woman I see so I can't be held liable for the sin of adultery'" and Craig's response was "I think most men are, but that's not an excuse for sin".

In this context, porn brained alludes to the porn watching habit of trying to find the right video that will be even hotter than the one before, always chasing the highest high. It's putting too much value on this highest high. This can be followed by a huge low (Guilt after cheating), or can never be found at all. It's a fantasy I think many cheaters and Poly people chase.

I find "pornbrained" is generally a bad-faith, loaded word used to demonize aspects of male sexuality that have existed forever.

A lot of Americans are fat. do you think their environment (cars, desk jobs, unlimited cheap candy and ice cream) might have something to do with that? Do you roll your eyes at "healthy at any size"?

Yes to all of the above, but the urge to consume sugar, salt, and fat was always there. Nobody accuses anyone who thinks ice cream is tastier than salad of being DairyQueenbrained. We rightfully discourage actually overindulging the urge because it has health/appearance consequences.

I view "porn-brained" the same way. Men have a remarkably strong sex drive, always have and likely always will. We currently have an environment that supercharges that drive to woeful effect, and some people like it that way and think it should be the norm forever, because they confuse single-factor, short-term gratification with Eudemonia.

In that case, I think the term "porn-brained" is misleading, as it implies that men behave a certain way because of excessive porn consumption.

In that case, I think the term "porn-brained" is misleading, as it implies that men behave a certain way because of excessive porn consumption.

Urge to consume sugar, salt and fat is natural, cultural oversupply doesn't just make people fat and unhealthy, it makes people who think being fat and unhealthy is a good thing.

Urge to mate as much as possible with a variety of women is always there, cultural oversupply inflates this drive out of proportion, and some people think the overinflated drive is the natural state and a good thing.

In this matter, I speak from personal experience.

Then we’re only disagreeing on semantics. I’ve only heard “pornbrained” used by feminists and sex-negative Christians to label most men’s natural preferences for youth, beauty, and variety as a modern aberration of the Natural Order. But you and @rincer_of_wind are clearly using it differently.