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Culture War Roundup for the week of February 13, 2023

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As a side note, I do think it's interesting that the both the most radically right-wing Substack author I follow (Yarvin) and the most radically left-wing Substack author I follow (Freddie DeBoer) both think the West's support for Ukraine is bad. Is this just horseshoe theory? They both hate the United States for different reasons and anything it does is wrong by default?

It's not that surprising. Russia still has vestiges of communism, hence why some on the left support it, or at least are not gung ho about supporting Ukraine. Also, America helping Ukraine is an extension of US interventionism. Likewise, some on the right opposite American interventionism and see Russia as a traditional country and Putin as a strong nationalist.

Russia still has vestiges of communism, hence why some on the left support it, or at least are not gung ho about supporting Ukraine.

I have never seen anyone on the left argue this. Can you provide an example? What I see is more along the lines of reflexive anti-Americanism, where a leftist dislikes America, so criticizes everything it supports.

I have never seen anyone on the left argue this.

This article last year suggests some echoes of the mentality within the Russian Army.

https://www.newsweek.com/russian-state-tv-analyst-urges-military-socialism-amid-ukraine-invasion-1704540

My reading of the situation is that the USSR has been subsumed into a narrative of Russian Nationalism, with some of the mindset hanging around among older people.

Sure, the Russian Army. But you're arguing that left-leaning people are supporting it out of love of communism, not reflexive anti-Americanism. Can you show me an example of that?