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 -
Burma
One of the many conflicts around the world that has been overshadowed in the past year by the Ukrainian war has been the ongoing civil war in Burma (or Myanmar, if you insist). Now, there is a sense in which there has been civil war in Burma for the entirety of its postcolonial history as various minority groups have attempted to secede and established de facto independent states in the highlands, often funded by selling opium, but the past two years have seen a marked increase in violence, including in the formerly peaceful lowlands, following the 2021 coup d'état. Even with increased popular support, the various insurgent groups have been unable to break the impasse and descriptions of the Burmese military's attacks on villages in the countryside often read like something out of the Vietnam War. This is all made even more sad by the fact that this is a country that seemingly should be a development success story, having once been the wealthiest nation in Southeast Asia.
I used to try hard to keep track of all the ethnic armed organizations and secessionist groups in Myanmar but am hopelessly lost on them now. Tragic to see the conflict still doesn't have any end in sight. I read a journalist once argue that post-WW2 Burma should be understood less as a postcolonial state and more as a country still in the active process of trying to establish colonization (of the Bamar majority over all of the minority provinces).
More options
Context Copy link
Not surprising - the rebels in Burma/Myanmar lack money, connections and lobbying/public relation skills to make their cause heard in the Western world, and no one who has them sees promoting this cause as useful (for now).
But there is one unlikely group watching them - 3d gun printing community, overjoyed when they see for, the first time in history, printed guns used in real war.
https://twitter.com/N0t0ri0usHTX/status/1455919338297434115
https://twitter.com/Jake_Hanrahan/status/1587989148589330434
https://twitter.com/Jake_Hanrahan/status/1596443095415296001
https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgwyga/3d-printed-guns-gangs-rebels
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link