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Culture War Roundup for the week of June 19, 2023

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Is "this" here meaning the flag restriction, or the death of the author "intent doesn't matter" part?

I didn't say the death of the author was good

The latter, and I'm sorry for implying you thought it was good. It seemed to me that you were trying to defend it as okay. Like, yeah, I get that it's inevitable, but it should not be tolerated here.

Would you be satisfied if someone tried to both/and it: this is almost certainly intended an anti-Pride action, but performed in a manner that is actually a healthier expression of liberalism?

I'm not certain that it is. The odds of another flag being flown on government buildings is slim. I suspect the Muslims of the city are not as upset if they see a flag for Ukraine. They might get more offended by a BLM flag, but I don't know.

Banning lots of things that won't happen anyways strikes me as irrelevant to any kind of redemption of the law itself.

It helps this position that Petes Thiel and Buttigieg get treated poorly for not toeing every line.

What are you referring to?

"here" being the Motte, yes? I'm pretty sure there's at least a couple conservatives and conservative Christians who might take that stance, though they might try to thread one of the needles like "having homosexual attraction is inherent; it's acting upon it that's disordered and bad."

I'm not certain the stance is exactly the same. My understanding of the religious conservative standpoint is that they think it's a test by God, whereas progressives are overwhelming secular in originating their arguments. But I grasp your point.

Is there anywhere anyone still has that argument? I do think it's interesting, but there's nowhere I know of it can be had where it wouldn't devolve into chaos. Maybe the schism, maybe, depending who shows up that's not one of the main regulars.

It was on the old subreddit once, brought up by naraburns, I believe.

Is it? 15 years ago a Pride flag flown on government buildings would've been strange, now the Progress flag makes it to the White House. 15 years from now, who knows what flag it might be.

I can't really think of another movement that's going to be in a position to do that. Pride has been a thing since the 70s and won overall acceptance (at least for its LGB side) through the population. I won't say you need to have that much support and history, but I don't think we're going to be getting some other flag over a government building any time soon.

I think it's inherent to the brittle detente of liberalism that sometimes this must be done, or else that detente starts to crack. To ban the Pride flag alone would be illiberal, but so is the colonization thereby.

That's...fair. I suppose, given that we react to the problems as they come, that some kind of pre-emptive flag law wasn't likely to be forthcoming.