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.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
This isn't the own you may think it is. Democrat voting history professors outnumber republican voting history professors 17.5 to 1. That leftists prefer to study the masses more than the elites, the quantity over the quality, is in line with their ideology.
In some other time the correct faith or race, or lack thereof, was used to explain success or failure. Today, unreconstructed marxists claim it is class.
Given that this is by a man who accepted an award difficult to top in how ironic its name is, Stalin Peace Prize, I find it difficult to accept his praise of the Labourer over the Leader as Stalinism examplified cult of personality to extent comparable with any monarchy.
But more on point, masses without a plan are a mob equally incapable of greatness. Only if a man steps forward and harnesses their power can a project grander than building a single family house come into fruition. This project can be good (defeating nazi Germany) or bad (occupying eastern Europe).
Great men, good and bad, don't pop into existence from thin air like the players in a world full of NPCs. They arise from the masses and their character is shaped by the same forces that move the masses, just refracted in a different way. Yes, most of them actually arose from the hereditary elite classes, but even the hereditary elites are rarely completely disconnected from the masses. That kind of disconnect is usually remarked on as unwise and fragile.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link