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Culture War Roundup for the week of September 5, 2022

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It says nothing about you, society, morals, what fictional characters you root for. Or what music you like. Pretend you’re a genocidal genius or a vicious gangster, it has no moral relevance. Self-reflection just gets in the way of fun, people can only enjoy things “ironically” now. Or they have to condemn the characters before they watch, like a hayes code era title card ‘these are bad people, don’t try this at home’.

And Assholes fucking up is more entertaining than watching good people prosper. You could apply this rant (and people did say the same things) about seinfeld or breaking bad, any show worth his salt. Maybe the little house on the prairie is good, I wouldn’t know.

It says nothing about you, society, morals, what fictional characters you root for

Yet somehow people usually root for the underdog, the one saving the helpless maiden, the main character, etc. Also, stories are literally ways of communicating societal morals, and have been since we could talk. Stories and words evolved to communicate things, goals, and ... stories communicate them.

What does this even mean? Why are you rooting for a character if it doesn't mean anything?

Because it's fun, it enhances the proxy experience to be emotionally involved, like picking a sports team.

That's pretty much arguing that your thoughts have no influence on your actions and I disagree with that notion. Otherwise any mental abuse isn't real abuse.

Thoughts and desires are unlimited and uncontrollable. What prevents us from acting on them is downstream from the chaos, and it is only there that we can control it and assign moral responsibility.

What is mental abuse? Clear-cut, garden-variety example.

Mocking the mentally ill or looking down on everyone around you.

So by despising others, you telepathically harm them? That clears it up, I don't think mental abuse is real abuse.

no but nobody can spend their whole lives with their thoughts and opinions about someone desynched from how they treat them there will be leaks.