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 -
So where would you rather live I suppose is the real question? Bangladesh? Russia? USA? UK? France? Iran? They are all very different places. Just because some levers of power look the same to you does not make the world flat.
I don't understand how my own preference is of any relevance. But if you must know, the type of political regime a place lives under is of little interest to me.
Political regimes are all transient and unless they are degenerate, they aren't central to life. The quality of the food, local weather, economic policy and crime rate has a much stronger influence on my preferences than how a people govern themselves.
If pressed I would say I have a preference for monarchy, since it's the most stable regime and I see individuals as more moral than groups, but that is slight; I am no enemy of republics. All I really care for is that a place is well administered and that state capacity is well balanced to population and geography. Give me competent secure rulers who let normal people live their lives, the rest is secondary.
So if I had to give examples of places I like: Switzerland, Luxemburg, Japan, Estonia, United Arab Emirates, El Salvador, Czechia, Singapore; I like these in no particular order. I don't like the ones you listed, except for a dutiful fondness for my home nation and its people whom I don't need any rational explanation to love and be loyal to.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link