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Culture War Roundup for the week of July 17, 2023

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I find myself sort of leaning in a separatist direction less out of solidarity, and more out of self defense. And I’m pretty sure I’m not exactly alone here. It’s not about animosity, or superiority, it’s just simply that I feel more often than not, things I hold important are being torn up, people very much like me are being held out of good opportunities they’ve earned because the Imperium has decided that people like me and mine need not apply. I’m not asking for anything else, just leave us alone.

As to what the elites want, sure for a time that’s a good thing. But there are problems. First, as other nations catch up, both economically and educationally, that pool of highly competitive desirable immigrants will dry up. Once that happens, the fact that we’ve mostly cannibalized out education system and have been giving scholarships to barely literate humanities majors might well start to matter. Second, those we import are not culturally like us. Who is a Chinese immigrant most loyal to? Or an Indian? Or whoever? Their culture is from their homeland, their desires are about their own country, family, their values and so on.

...people very much like me are being held out of good opportunities they’ve earned because the Imperium has decided that people like me and mine need not apply. I’m not asking for anything else, just leave us alone.

Can you elaborate on this a bit? I'm a white guy from a rural background, went to non-elite state universities, and simply have not experienced a sense that I'm missing out on good opportunities. I'm aware that there is statistical discrimination, but the opportunities for capable people in the United States are so many that this just hasn't been a meaningful problem.