thanks for the unpaywall OP, because i would’ve hated to waste money on that steaming pile of horseshit
Nope. The government is legislating against hurt feelings in sections of the online safety bill and the language used in recent legislation around maternity made no mention of ‘women’ before being amended.
I suppose the people who wish that politicians should stop talking about culture wars completely would prefer it if these laws were passed without debate.
I don’t think culture wars take off as easily in Britain. Maybe it’s because we all live closer together and have more common experiences together that it’s hard to completely be disconnected from each other. Therefore it’s harder to view each other as an existential threat as the Americans seem to do.
People do get annoyed/argue about some ‘culture war’ stuff but never to the extent that it’s a huge motivating force in how people live their lives or relate to each other. Even if someone gets annoying but an article they read in the The Sun everyone is considerable more chill than the States where every issue seems to kick off.
People can’t eat or heat their homes with transphobia, so you’d think they would at least park it for a while
We’re in the twilight zone aren’t we?
I keep hearing about a supposed culture war but I have never understood which cultures are supposed to be at war.
Have I got my head in the sand or does anyone else think this is just a load of bullshit stirred up by the media?
I wouldn’t say “tiring” of it, per se.
I think, instead, that the large majority of British people are just wise to it. They can see when something is ridiculous and happily point it out for being ridiculous without having to get drawn into a deep philosophical/existential debate over the ridiculousness of it.
We see things for how they are, and we say things are what we all say they are. We’ll call a spade a spade, and no one can take that away from us.
We don’t have a “culture war”, we have a right wing desperate to play the victim and looking for any excuse, however contrived, to do that. The difference between cultural debate, which we so have, and culture war, is that culture war tries to create entrenched sides, whereas debate does not.
The culture war only exists in the media, we get along perfectly fine.
Yes, just like the ‘political correctness gone mad’ crowd eventually shut their mouths after years of complaining about non issues. But fear not, once they find a slogan or phrase to replace ‘woke’ or ‘culture war; they will be back.
I kind of object to the name “culture war”. I don’t see it as a culture war but the systemic social and economic failure of the UK where one part of society gets shat on by another and grievances get split fractal like all the way down to the individual.
All we have done is pick a side.
Brexit, immigration, housing, education, the environment, climate change, inequality… there are a million facets that distract from the reality of the the UK becoming a nasty, petty intolerant little country – which of course is ultimately yet another battle line drawn against those of us with bulldog tattoos and a hard on for the days of Queen and Empire who still think we have something “special” to offer the world.
It’s important to keep saying that culture wars are what politicians do when they’ve not got any ideas for improving your life. Or are, in fact, making you poorer.
Culture wars are an attempt at divide and conquer style division, pure and simple. Crucial to keep exposing this tactic IMHO. Without it being pointed out I think people will be easily duped.
My read of the situation is that most people have no real stake in “culture war”, I doubt even the leadership of the Tory Party has any sincere belief in it. But the point of culture war has never been to reflect majority opinion, but to enforce the power of the ruling class through it’s cultural hegemony though two means.
1. It’s used to bring around single issue voters (anti-immigrant or anti-LGBT types, or those who just want to stand to the nebulous “woke mob”). While they might not be a large voting bloc, they will loyally show up on election day and very often than can make a difference.
2. It also can act as a solvent on class solidarity. If people’s information is filled with stories about how the people around them are different and don’t understand or want to harm them, which make things such a unionising workplaces that much more difficult. It also gives the impression of a divide between the interests of the working class and the policies of left wing parties. (Think the old chestnut of “They don’t care about white working class people, they only care about immigrants,”, never minding that most immigrants are working class).
I don’t think anyone ever really cared about which toilets trans people use
Yes because we can tell it’s being used to try and distract us from rising costs of living, the fact that no one can buy a house, Covid is still fucking uo our country, and that Brexit hasn’t delivered the golden future we were promised
When folk are worried about how to pay the soaring bills and wonder if they can eat next week, the Tory leader candidates arguing about who can use what toilets seems a bit fucking useless to me!
I wish everyone would shut the fuck up playing the victim card and live their lives.
Since when did the UK have culture?
Culture wars created by the mainstream newsmedia.
Hopefully. It’s only matter of time until one side realizes they are on the wrong side of history, and the other side realizes they are taking an idea way to far.
23 comments
[Unpaywalled.](https://archive.ph/NZ4Jx)
[deleted]
A reasonable article.
thanks for the unpaywall OP, because i would’ve hated to waste money on that steaming pile of horseshit
Nope. The government is legislating against hurt feelings in sections of the online safety bill and the language used in recent legislation around maternity made no mention of ‘women’ before being amended.
I suppose the people who wish that politicians should stop talking about culture wars completely would prefer it if these laws were passed without debate.
I don’t think culture wars take off as easily in Britain. Maybe it’s because we all live closer together and have more common experiences together that it’s hard to completely be disconnected from each other. Therefore it’s harder to view each other as an existential threat as the Americans seem to do.
People do get annoyed/argue about some ‘culture war’ stuff but never to the extent that it’s a huge motivating force in how people live their lives or relate to each other. Even if someone gets annoying but an article they read in the The Sun everyone is considerable more chill than the States where every issue seems to kick off.
People can’t eat or heat their homes with transphobia, so you’d think they would at least park it for a while
We’re in the twilight zone aren’t we?
I keep hearing about a supposed culture war but I have never understood which cultures are supposed to be at war.
Have I got my head in the sand or does anyone else think this is just a load of bullshit stirred up by the media?
I wouldn’t say “tiring” of it, per se.
I think, instead, that the large majority of British people are just wise to it. They can see when something is ridiculous and happily point it out for being ridiculous without having to get drawn into a deep philosophical/existential debate over the ridiculousness of it.
We see things for how they are, and we say things are what we all say they are. We’ll call a spade a spade, and no one can take that away from us.
We don’t have a “culture war”, we have a right wing desperate to play the victim and looking for any excuse, however contrived, to do that. The difference between cultural debate, which we so have, and culture war, is that culture war tries to create entrenched sides, whereas debate does not.
The culture war only exists in the media, we get along perfectly fine.
Yes, just like the ‘political correctness gone mad’ crowd eventually shut their mouths after years of complaining about non issues. But fear not, once they find a slogan or phrase to replace ‘woke’ or ‘culture war; they will be back.
I kind of object to the name “culture war”. I don’t see it as a culture war but the systemic social and economic failure of the UK where one part of society gets shat on by another and grievances get split fractal like all the way down to the individual.
All we have done is pick a side.
Brexit, immigration, housing, education, the environment, climate change, inequality… there are a million facets that distract from the reality of the the UK becoming a nasty, petty intolerant little country – which of course is ultimately yet another battle line drawn against those of us with bulldog tattoos and a hard on for the days of Queen and Empire who still think we have something “special” to offer the world.
It’s important to keep saying that culture wars are what politicians do when they’ve not got any ideas for improving your life. Or are, in fact, making you poorer.
Culture wars are an attempt at divide and conquer style division, pure and simple. Crucial to keep exposing this tactic IMHO. Without it being pointed out I think people will be easily duped.
My read of the situation is that most people have no real stake in “culture war”, I doubt even the leadership of the Tory Party has any sincere belief in it. But the point of culture war has never been to reflect majority opinion, but to enforce the power of the ruling class through it’s cultural hegemony though two means.
1. It’s used to bring around single issue voters (anti-immigrant or anti-LGBT types, or those who just want to stand to the nebulous “woke mob”). While they might not be a large voting bloc, they will loyally show up on election day and very often than can make a difference.
2. It also can act as a solvent on class solidarity. If people’s information is filled with stories about how the people around them are different and don’t understand or want to harm them, which make things such a unionising workplaces that much more difficult. It also gives the impression of a divide between the interests of the working class and the policies of left wing parties. (Think the old chestnut of “They don’t care about white working class people, they only care about immigrants,”, never minding that most immigrants are working class).
I don’t think anyone ever really cared about which toilets trans people use
Yes because we can tell it’s being used to try and distract us from rising costs of living, the fact that no one can buy a house, Covid is still fucking uo our country, and that Brexit hasn’t delivered the golden future we were promised
When folk are worried about how to pay the soaring bills and wonder if they can eat next week, the Tory leader candidates arguing about who can use what toilets seems a bit fucking useless to me!
I wish everyone would shut the fuck up playing the victim card and live their lives.
Since when did the UK have culture?
Culture wars created by the mainstream newsmedia.
Hopefully. It’s only matter of time until one side realizes they are on the wrong side of history, and the other side realizes they are taking an idea way to far.