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Culture War Roundup for the week of June 19, 2023

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Steel-manning here, because I mostly agree with you, but theoretically any sort of "told you so" can potentially be used to

1: Convince the other side that you know what you're talking about and they should listen to you on other topics

2: Convince the other side that they're wrong on this particular issue and should change their stance in order to stop digging themselves deeper into the hole.

3: Convince third parties that the other side is wrong and stupid and they should join you instead of the other side.

1 pretty much never happens in politics ever. It rarely even happens in local personal interactions, although it sometimes does. 2 can sometimes happen, and that seems like the most feasible route here. Mass immigration and demographic replacement is bad, now the left has more of a reason to agree that it's bad, even if for completely different reasons than the right, and maybe pointing this out will make them more amenable to coming together to solve the issue. 3 seems plausible. Each person has a reason or a set of reasons why they're on the side they're on, and how wholeheartedly they're on that side. I'm center-right specifically because every time one side does some insane nonsense I try to distance myself from them, and both sides do it frequently but I perceive the left as doing more damage with their crazy schemes so I distance myself more. Although most people don't treat things the same way I do, I think there is some of this effect, especially in younger and more undecided people. Even if pointing out the insane hypocracies on the left is unlikely to change the minds of people who are firmly on that side, anyone on the fence can see that and, if they agree, be more likely to become right, or at least a more intelligent left that doesn't replicate that flaw.