Why Culture Wars Matter

[@ThenNow]

Script & sources at: www.thenandnow.co/2023/04/14/do-culture-wars-matter/ ► Sign up for the newsletter to get concise digestible summaries: www.thenandnow.co/the-newsletter/ ► Why Support Then & Now? www.patreon.com/user/about?u=3517018

[@SpringfieldCynic]

It is amazing how people are letting their feelings be manipulated.

[@colonelweird]

The link for script & sources goes nowhere - "404 nothing found".

[@fredriksundberg4624]

​@@SpringfieldCynic The social media earn their income from triggering peoples emotions.

[@citycrusher9308]

Not ''woke'' - Fem...ist ideology. You have to get it right

[@JackSparrow-re4ql]

Its amazing how, despite all the things you said, you can't see how fake,false,stupid, conceited and mediocre woke hollywood really is. And you cheer the shit storm that is liberal cinema. All that the corporations really do is use racism,LGBTQ and feminism as a shield, a defense of their own mediocre art. They use justice and rights as a shield from criticism. Black inclusion does not just usurp and steal heroes, stories and historical figures; it also fails to create its own; this, despite screaming at the top if its lungs that black culture IS culturally unique and different. If that were so; why would we need a black Aragorn? Why can't they write something as powerful as Lord of the rings and create their own? Why steal a cultural hero that is clearly not their own? A black person has no more right to play Winston Churchill, than a white one has to play Martin Luther King. Even other cultures such as Norse and Scandenavian vikings are now being portrayed as black. This is not simply insulting, mediocre and bad art; its a rewriting and butchering of history, traditional stories and ideas. I've seen your video on history, but let me ask you this; is a complete and utter lie better than the bitter truth? Is not history worth saving and preserving for the sake of fact, instead of being distorted into utter falsehood? How can we even analyze what happened or who people like Churchill were; if even their skin color is falsified!? People like you are destroying cultural art, and artifacts simply to push a personal political agenda. You are not 'changing' or 'swinging' cultural art; you are VANDALIZING cultural and artistic milestones in human history and calling it 'progress'.

[@landoc05]

You can be rational, aesthetic, and detached in a culture war until people start debating whether you have a right to exist at all.

[@Mahavishnu01]

Yeah, I suppose the aristocracy of France (and Europe in general) had the same feeling

[@pietero.o6792]

Exactly what happened during the french revolution with those deemed not radical enough.

[@Hartley_Hare]

@@pietero.o6792 Underrated response.

[@tkdyo]

@@Mahavishnu01 Unfortunately, they left the people little choice but to have those kinds of discussions when they made it obvious they were not going to give up their power willingly.

[@PabloSteuer]

well, where's that right to exist, when we can't spread to all humans in the world?

[@Set2Wumbo]

I basically approach media with the idea that it's all propaganda, it's all made to reflect the creator and give me insight into their way of thinking. It's up to me to be diligent enough to determine what's worth taking away and what's worth disregarding from a piece of media.

[@hherrie3tuoepiw]

I don't agree, there's plenty of media that's created with absolutely zero intention of persuading someone towards one view or another

[@pharaoh9391]

I mean that’s art. Art immigrated life and life imitates art it’s made to be consumed and everyone is to have their own perception of what they just witnessed whether it’s dance or painting or acting etc

[@rasheed7934]

You usually disregard what you don't like or makes you uncomfortable.

[@R.A.A.]

@@rasheed7934 Exactly, its called “confirmation bias” right?

[@mikexhotmail]

Same here. Once you notice one, you see it everywhere.

[@Sandra-hc4vo]

one thing I have noticed about artists is that they almost always are struggling to survive and that society sort of has kind of a hostile environment for them and that has an effect on how many artists there can be. Which if the artist is needed to help uplift society up, this is I think something also to look at as well. How society treats the artist

[@the_Analogist4011]

I don't think they all struggle as much as we think. especially when "the algorithm" decides to promote you into relevance

[@the_Analogist4011]

@@PretendingToBeAHuman what I mean is that some people will do their creative stuff as a hobby. art as a career is a very different beast. the problem comes down to people wanting what you have or what you can do for them. I have an extremely boring job that luckily affords me enough time to work on my hobbies. the big lesson for my kids though is going to be as i described, finding out how to be useful and leverage an income that way. but you are right, it is a rare lucky few who get to turn their passion projects into a living.

[@casteretpollux]

UK Tory Gov is shutting down Art Ed.

[@casteretpollux]

Art is direct, involving visual stimuli, and thus to some extent unfiltered and conveys the shock of the new even if subject matter not directly revolutionary. .

[@casteretpollux]

@@the_Analogist4011 Art employment is statistically the lowest paid sector in the UK.

[@ThunderHOWL16]

i could listen to this dude read the owners manual of a car and still be intrigued and feel sophisticated

[@adamgretzinger963]

If you haven't, definitely worth a read you will learn a ton of stuff about your car.

[@blueoak116]

And yet, there’s much ado about northing here.

[@adamgretzinger963]

@@blueoak116 I don't follow your thought path, I don't understand

[@blueoak116]

@@adamgretzinger963 good question. In short we as a country should not make a big deal about culture, my culture or your culture. We all a right to our own culture. Politics exists to guarantee our right to our own culture. His argument is wrong headed and dangerous. Leave my culture to me and your culture to you. Only tyrants want to make a big deal over the music I listen to or the clothes I wear. Same for you. That’s why politics are so important.

[@Laotzu.Goldbug]

​@@blueoak116 the idea that people are atomized individuals, little random self-segregated units just happened to bump into each other and form self-assembling structures is such an amusingly transparent lie that I'm more than embarrassed for anyone who falls for it. Culture is, by definition, not an individual endeavor. At the end of the day you do not, and never will, have unlimited freedom to redefine the world around you according to preference and consent. This is a brute fact of reality.

[@emiliobarukgallardoflores6983]

I'm a philosophy student. I've been strugling with my final project for my aesthetics class, but you just gave me an amazing toolbox for tackling my material. THANK YOU SO MUCH! KEEP DOING GREAT!

[@april6620]

Wishing you well, on your final project...

[@emiliobarukgallardoflores6983]

@@april6620 thanks!

[@sidstevens9035]

Someone who studies philosophy is someone who never intends to do any real work for a living.

[@emiliobarukgallardoflores6983]

@@sidstevens9035 amen u r dead right

[@besmus4983]

@@emiliobarukgallardoflores6983 😂

[@Tom_Bee_]

Yet another thoughtful, insightful presentation. This channel really is an underrated gem.

[@Ethic-Ai-L]

The culture wars are important but it seems both sides can’t have a rational conversation and that is due to the internet, we are all in our own echo chambers and when we hear ideas that go against our narrative we shut down and try to find every wrong with the other side. It’s divide in conquer.We should strive to have cultural conversations rather then wars. Most importantly we can’t ignore the truth and facts in these types of discussions and at the same time we have to acknowledge that we are humans and we have feelings and emotions.

[@gyurhanaziz7676]

​@@I-merely-jestIndeed. I thought that the internet was a place of plurality, a market of ideas but now my views have endured a dramatic shift. The internet is the greatest filter ever conceived, a gigantic censorship bureau fully operated with the consent of its users and aided by the algorithm. A sanitation of social media is long overdue.

[@gyurhanaziz7676]

@@I-merely-jest it will sound a little strange but can we get to know each other? I would like to chat with you if you leave me your username from a social media account.

[@liamnewsom8583]

Thank you so much. I was utterly lit up by the end, uplifting. Good work man.

[@hisownfool1]

I also cry at the end of T2. "I now know why your cry. But it's something I can never do" 😢

[@jean-sebastienberube4056]

This movie is a masterpiece. When T-800 imitates John's voice on the phone and tells him : «Your foster parents are dead.», it's exactly like what AI is capable of today, imitating voices, among other things.

[@hisownfool1]

@@jean-sebastienberube4056 It is. As far as I cam concerned, only "The Terminator" and "T2: Judgment Day" are canonical. The story ended. In the original DVD there was a deleted closing scene where John was a senator and Sarah was at peace. They should have stuck with this. Everything else that followed, with the possible exception of "Terminator Salvation," was a middle finger to the people who cared about the characters.

[@garveycampbell80]

Woke is an adjective derived from African-American Vernacular English meaning "alert to racial prejudice and discrimination".

[@benjaminhenderson5025]

It used to mean that. Now it's idpol BS.

[@garveycampbell80]

@@benjaminhenderson5025 Agreed, ever since Republicans began strategically using it as a Catchall term to draw attention from the disproportionate application of Police Brutality it's robbed the term of its meaning. However one only needs to hop onto the Internet to find its true Meaning.

[@sentryogmixmaster]

so it means overly-sensitive. must be hard caring about everybody's opinions. better to prove your worth by adding value to a situation, project or experience. being needed for value rather than just being inserted for message will usually supersede prejudices in application.

[@thomasjamison2050]

'Woke' has been taken over by white college kids so that the reality of what it means for blacks is now, spare the pun.... effectively white washed.

[@tomemery7890]

​@@garveycampbell80the disproportionately is due to the fact that black people commit a disproportionately high amount of crime. For example, something like 97% of unarmed people who are killed by the police are men. This doesn't mean the police are sexist against men, it's because a similar proportion of street crime is committed by men, so there are more situations where the police are attempting to apprehend male lawbreakers. Studies have also shown that white police officers are less likely to use lethal force against black suspects than black police officers are, whereas the opposite would be expected if racial animus was a factor. Finally, black people who live in high crime areas have been found to have an overwhelmingly positive view of the police, to be against reductions in police presence in their areas, and to believe that the BLM movement has made life worse for black people.

[@chaueter1041]

Another brilliant video, capturing the nuances of what society makes so binary

[@EnemyOfEldar]

Mate youre really great. I remember you put out a call to have people work with/for you and always wish i put in a word. These qorks you produce should be shown in school RE and philosophy classes. Food for thought thank you.

[@JS-gr9jb]

I've been watching your videos(also as a supporter) for a long time but never commented on the channel, and I just felt that I should leave a comment of my gratitude for your insightful videos. Thank you so much.

[@justynmatlock8873]

The problem with 'Beauty is good' is the other side of the coin, that 'ugliness' is bad. Too often this is then applied to people. Those judged 'beautiful', 'attractive' are seen as 'better', and those judged 'unattractive', not as worthwhile.

[@sidstevens9035]

You can't fight human nature

[@jesuschristthesecond]

​@@sidstevens9035 literally

[@jghifiversveiws8729]

Beauty is objective

[@sidstevens9035]

@@jghifiversveiws8729 Beauty is skin deep but unfortunately ugly goes down to the bone !

[@TrueMithrandir]

ugly art > "beautiful" art

[@rightweaponry908]

Wow! This really clearly and concisely contextualized soo much i have been thinking about lately. This is soo good i'm definitely going to have to watch it a few more times to truly absorb it all. Thank you🙏🏽

[@MrMuel1205]

This was a really beautiful and thoughtful video. I've always myself been a great advocate of the generalist, and have lamented the decline of the generalist's role in society. Specialisation has its role too, of course, but we need not give up on one for the other. It's one thing to know something to be true, another to feel it to be true and in humans the latter is ever victorious. Great art, then, is what is needed to implant truths at the core of our civilisation. For that to happen we need generalists, those who can bridge the realms of knowledge and sentiment.

[@pavelandreev4727]

I love your videos, man! They are as beautiful and thoughtful as they are useful. I just created a course for my studies and linked a bunch of them into it, I will link this one as well it is spot on. My course is on the evolution of civil society, citizenship and the relation between people, society, power, the state etc. from prehistory to today. It is amateurish and incomplete but I think I will continue to study the subject and maybe one day do the real thing. I take inspiration from your work, among others, thank you!

[@briobarb8525]

Well said!

[@layziek2137]

I never expected me to be watching a video on Schiller and culture wars on a sunny morning. Cudos to you who got me to continue. This was surprisingly an interesting topic.

[@MrALukic]

Thanks

[@jimschwandt8089]

I do not always agree with everything the gentleman relates in the video, his presentation is exquisite, and his intelligence and emotions come through. This is truly enjoyable.

[@jaysway9251]

I absolutely love the quality of your videos. Thank you for that!

[@Rammarsher]

It's incredible and visible the effort you put in each video! Keep going on, it's aesthetic education for real :p 💖

[@TheMeritCoba]

Thanks!

[@balmgilead1088]

Stunning analysis. Thank you.

[@thedevilsadvocate4669]

Terrific. I love that you don’t use ads in your videos.

[@JordanLimbachArt]

Simply brilliant! New to this Chanel and very impressed so far.

[@stevenmatthews2278]

That was a well thought out video. I enjoyed the perspective on Schiller. I haven’t read much of his works besides a few we had to read in my German courses. Thank you for sharing!

[@derhochwohlgeborene8548]

Great one. Gramsci makes a similar point, stating that a political formation always has to be stabilised by culture.

[@magda_b_05]

wow - your videos and the content is amazing! I consider myself as rather logical, not emotional - and at the end, this video made me slightly weepy and I had goosebumps all over... so beautiful. THANK YOU! You are making my life more meaningful!

[@coleride]

Is the common misconception the most great artists are liberal or left wing, in fact you can count them on one hand. Yes people who do the artist lifestyle tend to be left wing, but, the vast majority of timeless artists are either conservative or even reactionary. It is timeless themes that touch the heart, not the unrealistic Utopia of the moment.

[@pastelpurpledeathbed]

this is just conservative cope

[@fishsayhelo9872]

very well made, thanks 👍

[@Architypesworldwide]

Recently found your channel. Loving your content, amazed you don’t have more views

[@ubik5453]

This seems to be similar to The Birth of Tragedy by Friedrich Nietzsche. The gods Apollo and Dionysus. Apollo represented order, logic, and structure, while Dionysus represented the sublime, drunkenness, and artistic chaos. In the book, Nietzsche believed we needed to mix up the two drives together.

[@tkdyo]

Great video, as a socialist I find that culture war often gets severely downplayed in favor of class analysis. And while I get why that is done, it is also one of the major road blocks of achieving class solidarity with minorities. So it is still serving the ruling class' interest, just form the other direction. You have to approach their issues with empathy and with an understanding that many of their issues will not be solved just by changing the economic system. The sooner you do that, the sooner we can gain more solidarity. I am personally loving the rise of cornbread tube that is helping more people understand this.

[@briobarb8525]

Well said...and very true. Namaste!

[@farzanamughal5933]

So do you agree with this video. Do you think the culture war should be ignored/rejected by socialists

[@DanaiHamit]

"one of the major road blocks of achieving class solidarity with minorities" considering what Stalin had done with ukrainians or what the USSR had done with Circassians... yeah there's definitely a long way for socialists to start being respectful towards minorities

[@farzanamughal5933]

@@DanaiHamit Silly comment

[@DanaiHamit]

@@farzanamughal5933 and how exactly was it silly?

[@squintsyadams8463]

Saw the new Spider-Man with my 5yo yesterday. I got all teary-eyed and had to hold his little hand at one point. Sheesh.

[@Jkjoannaki]

This is so wholesome

[@aaftiyoDkcdicurak]

I know how you feel.

[@flyngturtle]

You do amazing work. You are discussing a rather sensitive topic without too much bias.

[@thatgirlzoee]

i'm writing a novel about madame de pompadour and her relationship with the philosophes and Louis XV simultaneously. she's a really great example of someone caught between the two worlds but was able to influence through proximity (and also was a heavy patron of the arts to promote enlightenment ideals)

[@ponchothe]

Best one yet! Thank you for this.

[@noor5x9]

I'm dealing with being transgender quite a bit, and I thought the video was interesting from that perspective. What is beautiful is often quite political, and becoming able to see the beauty in what was considered ugly is a difficult but often politically rewarding thing. I, for one, find Marsha P Johnson a deeply beautiful human being. Hearing her speak (in the little that we have from that) fills me with passion and admiration. I can find beauty in myself through seeing the beauty in her

[@vonunterberg4313]

@ThenNow pls never stop making these Essays, I beg u its so good to hear about your work, I love it. I know its selfish kinda but never ever stop making these crazy good videos.

[@ariannatrapani5824]

There's an art form that's often forgotten, maybe because we think lacks emotionally but I know has a huge impact on the lives of every individual and it's almost intertwined with the social and political realm: architecture and urban planning. The space has the power to influence and change human mood and ultimately dictate how we perceive ourselves and the society. One single example: the square in traditional European cities and town, a collective free (malls and media centers aren't) space. I think it's not accidental that squares are almost totally absent in the US suburbia and the European outskirts. These are the environments that promote the most isolation and alienation, powerful social and political tools.

[@tomaslopez2940]

There was one major thing that was missed here: the effect of religion. While the arts are based on relative morals that shift over time, religion is based on absolutes, which explains why today's culture wars don't happen in Middle Eastern countries, or why conservative factions tend to be the ones that Christians flock to. An example of where the religious conservatives defeated the artistic liberals is Afghanistan, where a communist regime tried to pull the country forward, but the conservative muslims ultimately won out after a Soviet intervention.

[@موسى_7]

This should be top comment

[@ProWalter2]

Idk man, i just want people to leave me alone to let me live out my dream of being a sage out in the woods.

[@Bronxguyanese]

One thing I realized that German academics changed the moral landscape. The sad part is that some of the German landscape morality gave way to nazism and communism which both are rooted in German academia and killed millions in the 20th century. Also Germans gave birth to critical theory as well. Hegel, kant, Marx neitzche changed the mind for good and bad.

[@immortalnightbody]

Huh? Nazism was a Capitalist project. Most of the legacy companies we give money to today made their money in that era. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Imperialism/Colonialism were centered around the hoarding of Capital. 100s of Millions of lives were destroyed or displaced. Don't say such weird things without taking an honest look at History.

[@jacquelinepayne2012]

Culture becomes hypocritical when "tolerance and inclusivity" masks its opposite. Words are then not enough to bring peace among diverse interests, so reasonable behaviour towards others is the all important measure of human virtue.

[@ghostexits]

Haven't read Schiller, but much of this sounds reminiscent of Plato's eternal/ideal forms, and how human beings appreciate beauty insofar as it emulates and approximates the immutable ideal universal forms. Early Christian philosophers adopted and recast these ideas of beauty as an earthly expression of the divine.

[@enlightenedanalysis]

Great video. However, I have some criticisms: While you are right about the importance of art and beauty in our lives, as you know "beauty" does not exist in a vacuum. As some great philosophers have said, concepts like truth and beauty come from their OPPOSITES. For example, beauty is often appreciated from tragedy, sadness, absence, loss and drama. How can we appreciate a beautiful love song or poem without the sense of sadness and tragedy that it can evoke in us? The book you mentioned "The Sorrows of Young Werther" owes its beauty due to the tragedy of its main hero, the impossible love he has for a married woman and his eventual suicide. Conflicts and wars - while they may be ugly (or "evil") - PRODUCE beauty and drama. Heroes and villains, love and tragedy, peace and stability are CREATED through conflict, drama and revolutions. Heroes are born through ADVERSITY - without that, what is there to fight for and how can one achieve greatness? Drama and its beauty are impossible without conflict, inequality and tragedy. Also, I am sorry to say this but your uncritical acceptance that "tolerance" is a "good" is perhaps glib and naive. While I agree that tolerance can be a virtue, it can also be dangerous. How can we tolerate "nationalism", "fascism" and "religious fundamentalism" (and those who support such ignorant views) in our daily life? What if the tolerance of certain dangerous views DESTROYED our own society and way of life? The philosopher, Slavoj Zizek, once said that Martin Luther King did NOT ask for African-Americans to be "tolerated" in society. He wanted radical CHANGE by destroying "Jim Crow" racism. Zizek has also argued that certain liberal or "tolerant" policies can bring about the destruction of democracy by far-right extremists and xenophobes. I am not saying I agree with Zizek but he raises an important point. Also you did not spend much time discussing the bitter, angry and petty grievances of the culture warriors in our current society. But that is OK, as that was not the angle you were going for. Thank you again Lewis. Your videos are always wonderful and educational. Keep them coming. I just felt some critical or constructive feedback may be good for discussion. All the best and thanks.

[@noelbrown6771]

It seems that " Liberals" these days are are becoming what they claim to hate: Intolerant. At least it sounds that way.

[@agathafry4233]

@@noelbrown6771 Intolerance of intolerance is critical to the preservation of liberty for all.

[@noelbrown6771]

@@agathafry4233 Whats an example of intolerance.

[@Michelle_Wellbeck]

One must be careful because there is an inherent tension or disjunction of the invocation of there being an inherent beauty in suffering that has an implication to even today's political and ethical issues. Mother Theresa believed that it was beautiful for there to be suffering for it mirrors the suffering of Christ. This has implications towards issues like should we prohibit abortion or euthanasia, does the suffering that the prohibition of these procedures bring not allow the deliverance of an even greater beauty and grace?

[@guywiththebatcostume]

I would add to this that intolerance is not the only thing that we should not tolerate. Since for the vast majority of us morality does not begin and end in 'tolerance', it is fair to say that we cannot simply let go of everything else.

[@zacharymagnusson2873]

This was a very informative and inspiring video, I can tell you worked very hard on this, fantastic job.

[@eyecandie16]

Thank you for what you do. ❤

[@MrBlunt32]

Great channel. Got a new subscriber

[@datamind4113]

Great Video! I tried to understand transcendental idealism, but I came to the realization that I just Kant.

[@RazorFringe2]

There's a real sensuous pleasure to football commentary sometimes, like a ball being described as having been "struck beautifully".

[@thomasjamison2050]

Sports is now the only true religion in the US. And elsewhere, for that matter.

[@aquatick1848]

​@@thomasjamison2050politics more like

[@Damesanglante]

In Canada, the riots for hockey games usually gather more people than protests against governments.😞

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

@@Damesanglante Some teacher I had in college/cegep, can't remember who and in what context, said something like that about hockey fans as a joke: ''If their favorite team loses, they'll go around breaking everything. If their favorite team wins, they'll go around breaking everything.''

[@justynmatlock8873]

But the culture around football is so often one of racism, homophobia and misogyny.

[@RetepOdaged]

Culture Wars are caused by two opposing extremes, the one with the means to shout the loudest is usually the victor even if it's completely wrong for society as a whole.

[@darrenwithers3628]

😴

[@greatestever8169]

Wow 🤩 I can truly relate to all the content in this well written, explained, and very informative video! This is a fine example of why we need more free speech/journalism…free platforms! For the algorithm 🤜

[@suzannecarter445]

Ha! If you've watched a lot of Lewis' videos, you probably wouldn't think he has much of a sense of humor (certainly not the self-deprecating kind). But just watch the opening of this one. Lewis is so marvelous in every way, but we enjoy the bits of humor; there are so many opportunities when discussing these topics.

[@aanchaallllllll]

0:00: 🎥 Understanding the emotional connection to films can help us understand the culture war. 4:23: 🎭 The video discusses the connection between politics and the arts, highlighting Friedrich Schiller as an example. 8:24: 🎨 Art and beauty are fundamental to the politics of freedom, as argued by Schiller in his essay 'Letters on the Aesthetic Education of Man', which still explains much of why culture wars happen today. 12:28: 🎭 Art and passion in storytelling have a strong connection to politics, as seen in the sentimentalism movement in Europe. 16:59: 🎨 The video discusses the connection between art and morality, highlighting the idea that through art, we can shape and create a harmonious and good world. Recap by Tammy AI

[@PinkPulpito]

A couple or people have the entire forest and the majority of people dont have a single tree for shade.

[@snowstrobe]

My most embarrassing was bawling my eyes out in Ghosts. I actually got angry with myself for being so lame.

[@williamoldaker5348]

Nothing lame about being connected emotionally to a work of art.

[@snowstrobe]

@@williamoldaker5348 It is if it's something as bad and manipulative as that film.

[@GUILLOTINE_GANG]

As a fella who shed some tears for Good Dinosaur, the beginning hit home.

[@rexremedy1733]

Also ask to whom it matters. And also ask who gains an advantage from engaging in culture warfare. Usually it’s not society as a whole, but small self appointed and entitled groups who beliefe it is worth to sacrifice peace in society to benefit from conflict. Also there is a financial advantage to be gained by fostering culture wars as well as unrighteousness powers to be gained. And also consider what to do if this initiated culture warfare doesn’t go the way it was intended. Also ask you self: Is culture war a form of aggression? Does society benefit?

[@seanwieland9763]

Right is simply the absence of Left. The problem is with the Left who revolt against the natural order and seek to impose an artificial “utopia”.

[@danielc-s8056]

The problem with this script is that it ends talking about how Liberal ideas almost always win, but completely misses that the contemporary Left is not Liberal anymore. You should be more honest about the cultural realities we face

[@thesevenkingswelove9554]

But he's not wrong. Liberal ideas do always win.

[@darrenwithers3628]

"The problem with this script is it doesn't play make believe to suit dumb conservatives"

[@steamboatwill3.367]

how is the left mot lib?

[@MamaGator]

@@steamboatwill3.367you need whole ass book recommendations tbh, you ready? Weird how grown ass people don’t get it.

[@steamboatwill3.367]

@@MamaGator ) then why do we keep saying "liberal left"?

[@KaiHenningsen]

A few remarks: 1. I'm not sure historically, but today, the German word _aufheben_ means either to pick up, or to abolish, but not to lift up. And 2. the closer the subject is to people, the less universal art is. That is why one can recognize what area and era art is from. So with regards to politics, I'd argue that beauty is very much NOT universal.

[@briannamay5459]

Culture wars sucks when you're in the group of people being debated if you should be allowed to even exist or have any rights at all😊

[@Edude117]

What group is that exactly?

[@projectp1821]

furry !

[@ELVIR2]

@@Edude117lgb ppl

[@margaretwordnerd5210]

Since the 1970s I've answered bigots by drily saying, "What do they (marginalized group) think this is, a free country?!?!?" It boggles bigoted minds. Bigots define freedom as being able to persecute or eliminate anyone they dislike, but lack the integrity to say so.

[@dragonslayer101]

​@@ELVIR2lgb*t+ people

[@Rian80s]

This an underated channel

[@martinmichalek]

Love all your videos. Going into this one, I was a little worried it would get too neo-libby and preachy (just because the people who usually espouse fighting in the culture war are preachy and performative). My fears were unmerited. Great video, as always, and very well thought out and argued.

[@nopasaran191]

Neo-libby? I don’t think you know what neoliberalism is if you think that this channel is neoliberal. Reagan and Thatcher are like the Marx and Engels of neoliberalism. When you are a neoliberal it means you believe in one of the most extreme forms of capitalism and this channel is absolutely nothing like that

[@Intact-gf5zz]

he isn't one to espouse neoliberalism, tho...am presuming you're one-of-many who envision that 'neoliberal global economics' is synonymous with or related-to what most here would call 'western liberal political ideology', when the two concepts are not at all similar. Don't know who initially termed the global econ changes from the ~70's as "neoliberalism" but boy was that piss-poor naming right there 😮

[@TheBLGL]

That’s not what neoliberal means. It doesn’t mean “New Democrat”, Reagan and Thatcher are two of the most famous neoliberals. Oh, and Pinochet. Clinton is one, too (NAFTA, TANF). As a fellow American, please stop using words you don’t know the meaning to, it’s people like you that cause the world to think we are stupid. Also, liberals (meaning democrats) aren’t left, they are center-right. At best, Bernie and AOC are center, not one of them has called for the workers to own the means of production, or for capitalism to end, they aren’t left.

[@TheBLGL]

⁠@@Intact-gf5zz Google classic liberalism and you will figure out why it’s called neoliberalism. The Chicago school called it that because they saw it as returning to pure capitalism a la Adam Smith, the invisible hand of the market and all that, as opposed to Keynesianism, which said capitalism is gonna have booms and busts, and the government’s job is to prepare for the bust times so the people don’t suffer like in the Great Depression.

[@martinmichalek]

@@Intact-gf5zz you assumed piss-poorly there 😮

[@cronus2692]

Awesome! I just feel peace and calm after watching this video.

[@alexanderbuchanan3552]

Cultural production needs to be in the hands of the people not corporations and we need the time and material stability it requires to enjoy good art rather than desire escapist fantasies designed as temporary balm for the pain of alienation and drudgery

[@methyod]

"why culture war matters" because otherwise a lot of people would be out of a good grift. Just because there's clearly a good guy and a bad guy doesnt mean it isnt a con.

[@YaBoiJonesy]

Most respectful 10 second interruption I've seen in a YT video

[@lunartiedstarlight]

Thank you for this. Well spoken explanation of why the culture "war" is important.

[@ilhamburger8288]

this is very interesting, I just realized how Nazi Germany used art and symbols to their advantage, I'm not gonna lie their flags, uniforms, banners, and songs are dope

[@afterthesmash]

The funny thing about the 1700s is that they were a bit of a nothing-burger in major scientific breakthroughs, but many big names in political upheaval come from this era.

[@dariusbucinskas6721]

Amazing work as always

[@HGWaze]

Thank you, I hope you are right!

[@TheRealNorthParkTy]

Politics is just culture issues in an echo chamber

[@Empathetik]

I don't like it when people try to IMPOSE their cultures on others. That's my problem.

[@edgarrodriguez8973]

Amazing vedeo, I didn't know about Schiller's analysis on beauty and ethics and rationality

[@g.m.fordham9217]

Wonderful analysis! Thanks so much!

[@blueoak116]

Excellent effort in thinking about the nexus between art and ethics.

[@gailcbull]

The reason that the educated class were so shocked by the bloodshed of the French Revolution is that the stakes for the educated class were not the same as the stakes for the French poor. For the educated class, it was about winning a debate with their intellectual adversaries. For the French poor, they were literally eating grass (yes, some of them were so short of food that they had to do this to survive) and watching their children starve to death while the aristocrats were eating absurdly large banquets on a daily basis. The art gave the poor the political language of the enlightenment, but the point was survival. It wasn't about a "culture war" for them. It was about the reality of "no more children shall die in my arms". I think we see this repeating in our debates of today. For the CEOs, billionaires and political talking heads, it's all airy-fairy theories. But for LGBTQ people, it's the fight to have their existence acknowledged and to stop the murder of their friends and members of their community. It's as much about survival for them as it was for the French poor. For growing number of people who are homeless and living with food insecurity, it's about protecting and feeding their loved ones, not some silly debate about "meritocracy". For them, it's also about survival. If you force people to fight for their survival, they will always win because, for them, losing means annihilation.

[@briobarb8525]

WELL SAID, Gail! I salute you, your honesty...your intellect...your understanding...and your compassion for ALL humanity!!! Namaste!

[@tw3638]

Bro noone is trying to annihilate yall. Youre free to be gay. You already won. The nerve to compare people not liking you being trans to that of starving children.

[@seanwieland9763]

The Jacobins were the villains. Equality creates instability and inequality creates stability.

[@gailcbull]

@@seanwieland9763 The Jacobins didn't exist prior to the founding of the National Assembly. They were certainly the extremists in the National Assembly who escalated the revolution into the Terror, but they were not the cause of the Revolution itself. The instability was caused by a number of financial blunders by the kings of France and their councils (meaning land-owning aristocrats) in the century leading up to the revolution. And yes, I did say "Kings" - plural. Although Louis X!V and Louis XV are remembered as being more successful monarchs than Louis XVI, their extravagant building projects and reckless spending is what brought France's finances to crisis point. By the end of Louis XV's reign in 1775, the country was in deep financial trouble, and it would fall to Louis XVI to fix the country's finances and get economy back on an even keel. Louis XVI had 3 finance ministers during his reign: Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot, Jacques Necker, and Charles Alexander De Colonne. Turgot created a plan the involved taxing the landed aristocracy who had never been taxed before. Louis approved the plan but he also needed the approval of the highest law court to implement it. The members of the law court were all landed nobles who thought they were too special to pay their fair share (sound familiar?), so they killed the plan. Louis then caved to his ministers demands and fired Turgot. Necker was an even bigger disaster. The aristocrats (Louis included) wanted to support the American Revolution as revenge against British who had taken all of their North American colonies from them in the 7 Years War. Instead of pointing out that they couldn't afford to do this, Necker used his banking connections to take on loans from basically anyone in Europe who had money, driving France to take on absurd levels of debt. He then tried to reduce Versailles' household expenditure which required getting rid of meaningless positions that the nobles financially benefitted from. Guess who killed that plan? Yup. The French aristocracy. Necker was dismissed because he offended the nobles' sense of entitlement. De Colonne made an even larger bonehead move. He encouraged Louis to spend to encourage confidence in the French economy. When this failed -- for what I hope are obvious reasons -- he also proposed a plan for reducing Versailles' expenses and taxing the landed aristocracy. At this point, do I need to say who sabotaged this plan? If it's not obvious by now, you haven't been paying attention. De Colonne was dismissed shortly after threatening the nobles' sense of entitlement. Big shocker. There were two other moves that sealed the fate of the French aristocracy. After the meeting of the Estates-General was called, it became deadlocked, because the nobles and clergy had enough votes to always outvote the Third Estate (which was composed of everyone else). The Third Estate formed a delegation and went to Louis to plead for his help. Louis refused to even meet with them. Realizing that the King had abandoned them, the Third Estate declared itself the National Assembly and formed a government in opposition to the monarchy. The other mistake was that Louis decided to take up arms against his own people. To quell the protests that were taking place in the Paris, he sent out armed soldiers. Instead of running and scattering, the protesters stormed the Bastille to obtain the weapons and gunpowder to defend themselves against the soldiers. Some of the soldiers even deserted their positions and joined the protesters. The aristocracy had 3 opportunities to reform the French tax system, relieve the tax burden on the poor, and take on some the burden themselves to get France out of debt, and instead they threw childish temper tantrums and killed every bill that might have prevented the revolution. The Terror was horrible and disgusting. No question. But were the aristocracy "innocent victims"? No. Definitely not. They were victims of their own overblown sense of entitlement and deluded sense of self-importance. Edited to fixed typos.

[@S.D.323]

​@@seanwieland9763how do you openly say inequality is good and not wonder if you're maybe on the wrong side 😂

[@OILGEN35]

This is one of your best videos!!!!! Beautiful, 🙏 thanks

[@foundingfarther]

Yeah, I love crying to some good stories. I can hardly talk about the need for an Uncle Iroh without my eyes leaking.

[@curiouskitkat]

I don’t usually like videos, but I did this one just because I liked the way you plugged your stuff lol

[@mathewrussell926]

The freedom debate is rarely truly about freedom and usually about culture. The positive freedom to practice my culture while having negative freedom from a different culture. As social beings, few humans truly believe in "absolute" freedom of expression. Most people, but not all.

[@DSnake655]

11:02 That was awesome. Postmodern, dare I say 🤔

[@fabiodeoliveiraribeiro1602]

War is the continuation of politics by other means (Carl von Clausewitz). Mao Zedong said that politics is war without blood, just as war is politics with the use of violence. Politics, according to Hannah Arendt, can only exist in the space consensually constructed by different people so that they can live in peace. Therefore, contrary to what Carl von Clausewitz and Mao Zedong said, organized violence can only destroy the space in which politics exists. Culture can be a continuation of politics by other means. The opposite is also true, as politics can eventually be reshaped by cultural movements. But the culture war is not capable of producing absolutely anything, except the paralysis of society and the political system as it happens in the USA. Americans vicariously debate various moral issues turning them into culture wars (some of them irrelevant), but both parties are wholly devoted to increasing military spending. The very Americans who exchange slaps in the streets against or in favor of the gay movement are not capable of questioning American militarism. On the contrary, gays want quotas for gay general officers instead of, for example, closing USA military bases in Italy and Japan. Are the culture wars an instrument for neoliberalism to perpetuate itself without being fundamentally challenged on the political scene? I think the answer is yes, because they destabilize the political arena of depoliticized society without destroying it. Hannah Arend saw the birth of the modern American culture wars and reflected on some of them (like the politicized civil resistance to the Vietnam War, for example), but I suppose she wouldn't much like to see the world they built: the permanent culture war in the USA is a condition of possibility of the permanent state of war of the USA in the whole world. And now the American culture wars empowered by social media will become even worse because of Artificial Intelligence, a new technology that will surely be used to divert the population's attention and keep it stuck in useless and politically irrelevant culture wars.

[@olegslapins8156]

It took me quite a while to come to the same conclusion.

[@TheBLGL]

If you don’t cry at that scene at Schindler’s List, you are probably a Nazi or heartless or something. I’ve seen it like 50 times and I cry every time Schindler has his breakdown.

[@TIKIWOLF]

Art is hugely funded by state & banks, which do not necessarily have the plebs best interest in mind. Comnercial art vs natural beauty. 💰vs🌳

[@villemononen5303]

Art or propaganda? Who knows the difference?

[@joshuajones634]

In a free country they shouldn't.

[@LukeDylan-r2u]

Love these videos!

[@Basti557]

So much value in your Videos thank you!

[@xazax2641]

your graphics and audio skills have become fantastic. Do you do it all yourself?

[@genedalefield]

As always, excellent video essay.

[@kylewollman2239]

I do sometimes wonder if the arch of history actually bends toward justice. It sounds nice, but how true is it?

[@steve19811]

Being grateful you have good looking healthy kids on social media is now attacked as hateful against unhealthy people or neurodivergent etc.... The attacks are limited and evil to some degree. Focus on the good and the beautiful in this world and more will be created......

[@darrenwithers3628]

Making shit up is something the anti woke crowd are very good at.

[@xaviercrain7336]

Remember that Derrida said relever and aufhebung are parallel they cut out to lift up…so we need to discuss the relevance of preserving which Freud really understood

[@pitchforkparty]

Good video. The problem in the US, however, is that it is not a democracy. Both parties are controlled by the donor class. The wealthy elite. Over 80% pf Americans have ZERO influence on policy (Gilens & Page Study.) And since (according to polling) vast majorities of Americans agree on almost every major issue, (we're NOT so divided,) naturally, this results in frustration and anger. Now, it manifests in culture wars. Hopefully soon it will be redirected at the real architects of our misery.

[@adamjohnson5931]

Philosophers propped up by the aristocracy had mixed feelings on the revolution? Seems they were more sympathetic to the plight of the underlings in theory a tad bit more than in practice lol

[@dbass4973]

by that times the most progressive part of the aristocracy has moved on to have their own businesses and became bourgeoisie themselves so of course they propped the philosophers

[@notpub]

A good film will release an emotional state that underpins our empathy for others. The culture wars are an expected transition as one generation comes of age with new ideas, and is countered by others who fear the proposed changes, and lean hard into tradition. Neither is purely rational nor romantic. It has more to do with POWER. Those who seek change posit their position as an improvement of the egalitarian ideal infused in American society. The counter position feels threatened by the other, because it means a change in status or requirements into new ways of communicating. A clinging to the comfort of traditional. Both sides have extremists recognized by others as ridiculous. History is the prologue to our future...