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 -
I can tell you anecdotally I grew up in one of the most color-blind, racially integrated places I've ever seen. I was extremely confused when I left this bubble and discovered that racial tension was still a thing. To me, all that had ended before I was born. Of course, it was a faith-healing cult that was letting kids die of easily preventable diseases on a regular basis, but man, were they progressive racially!
Our church was heavily white (it was located in Indiana, after all), but we had for the area quite a large number of minorities, and a lot of interracial relationships, many of them between indigenous people and missionaries, that sort of thing. Ideologically they were the descendants of Smith Wigglesworth, but culturally most of the people were '70s converts, Jesus Freak hippies, reformed underclass etc.
I can honestly say no adult from that church ever intimated by word or implication that people of different races had any distinctive characteristics or were different in any way but superficially. And all it took to get there was absolute dedication to an insane ideology. I can draw a lesson here. The way to reduce racial tension is to highlight a different distinction, which has its own failure modes. We were an insular cult with a cultural siege mentality, constantly under attack from the nonbelievers and "fake christians". This paranoia drew us together with our fellow travelers, no matter the race because race was just so much less important than doctrinal correctness.
The good news is that racism can be easily eliminated, the bad news is that it is only by creating another ingroup phenomenon that is just as pernicious. You just have to get people to be bigoted on a different axis.
Interesting, I think this theory implies that sports rivalries are helping to make America less racist?
Yes, for several reasons. It's a tribalism outlet, it's a social arena that blacks do disproportionately well on, and it's fair, for some definition of the word. Nobody really cares what color the players are, they're cheering for laundry.
More options
Context Copy link
Unironically yes.
I think the basic theory is that sports are largely an outlet for 'bloodless' martial/military conflict and allows different groups to exert 'dominance' over each other without either side fearing extermination.
I bet the effect is especially strong in team sports that have less emphasis on individual star performers and more on the cohesiveness of the whole unit.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link