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 -
"Group loyalty" will do in a pinch, but I like to use the Arabic word, as it's exotic origin allow it to be somewhat more expansive, as non-Arabs can't parse the word. "A group's animating spirit" is what I'd call it, and yeah I know it's pretty vague for a definition. I disagree it's fascistic, unless you believe committing to any group is inherently fascistic. Liberal democracies need asabiyyah too, and in fact witnessing American asabiyayah in action was a bit of a culture shock moment for me, a cynical post-communist Easterner. It's fair enough if you want no part in it, I'm not here to convert you, and I used to be a hardcore individualist myself, so I can imagine where you're coming from, but hopefully the explanation will help you understand where we're coming from as well (and not paint us as reactionary theocratic monarchists).
And yet, unlike us, they're scheduled to inherit the Earth, by the mere act of showing up.
Is supporting Ukraine asabiyah-yayayay?
But convert me to what? You don't have an ideology, or a plan, besides "shit happens, the wheel of fortune turns, you can't control humans by rules or systems of rules, but hey people should stick together".
Not likely. If prognosticating that far into the future even makes any sense, my money is on some pro-natalist modernist offshoot.
It's what you need asabiyyah for.
Unironically a better plan than anything any ideology I used to follow could come up with. Also when you act this way, I wonder if FC's apology wasn't unwarranted.
Sounds like a good deal to me, since any such offshoot seems more likely to come from people I'm aligned with, than any liberal group.
More options
Context Copy link
Kinda, but for European unity. Not as effectively as it could be, but it's there.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link