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 -
Sure, but if it were unpopular it would be a hollow victory, as Trump holds rally after rally for his chosen successor who sweeps to power as swing state voters offended by New York's actions turn out in droves.
The problem here being that there is no chosen successor to Trump, and there really can't be, because Trumpism is the incoherent and inchoate thoughts of a single, particularly inconsistent, man. In the past eight years despite the best efforts of many to seize the mantle no infrastructure has been created, the mainstream Rs who have tried to co-opt Trumpism aren't trusted and the DR true believers trying to pull Trumpism in their direction don't have a real constituency.
This kind of lawfare only works against Trump because there's no backup. If you tried this on, for example, actual Hitler, Goebbels or Himmler or Roehm would have won the election and cleaned their clocks. Crucifying St Paul didn't stop Pauline Christianity, let alone Christianity as a whole.
Now maybe you can argue that the cathedral will do the same to anyone who gets too far off the reservation, but one must admit that Trump offers a uniquely target rich environment. We should at least try a candidate without them. Doug Mastriaono was a good example of a true believer without the baggage... He faced no lawfare in his gubernatorial run but got bodied in the general election anyway.
No maybes about it -- once they have discovered this power, why would they stop? Lest we forget, "Literally Hitler" has been applied to every Republican candidate in recent memory, including Mitt Romney. (!)
It's maybe been stickier than usual due to the target-rich environment, but if state lawfare can disqualify candidates nationally you only need it to be sticky in one state -- and the opposition is really only left with one box to try.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link