Leo's Blog Discussion Mega-Thread

[aurum]

14 minutes ago, Ulax said:

@aurum Yes. Its cartoonish.

But there is so much social pressure on the left these days re what opinions to have.

It’s not just “these days” though. It’s maybe stronger due to MAGA, but the left has been like this for a long time. 

They’ve always been in a fight against fascism and injustice.

[Ulax]

1 minute ago, aurum said:

It’s not just “these days” though. It’s maybe stronger due to MAGA, but the left has been like this for a long time. 

They’ve always been in a fight against fascism and injustice.

It is 

[Terell Kirby]

7 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

None of you have a clue what is means to,

LOVE YOUR CULTURE!

NONE OF YOU LOVE YOUR CULTURE! YOU CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE WHAT THAT IS!

Glad I can’t imagine it these days - the thought makes me sick

[r0ckyreed]

American Conservatives don’t even LOVE their culture. They won’t die for America, they will exploit and engage in corruptive means to get others to die for America. Look at Trump. He does not LOVE America. MAGA does NOT LOVE USA. They love only what benefits them. Leftists care more about culture and society than conservatives. Conservatives only care about whatever benefits their bubble. Conservatives are individualistic and leftists are collectivist. Leftists care more about collective survival.

[JTL]

@Leo Gura saw one of the blog videos on Lenin, and the first part was enlightning, but hillsdale college yuck. Had to stop after they guy said welfarism was one of the greatest evils of Lenin. The only thing that is needed to know about american conservatives is that there is no moral, only personal gain, all their believes goes back to this.   

[Xonas Pitfall]

2 hours ago, Terell Kirby said:

None of you have a clue what is means to,

LOVE YOUR CULTURE!

NONE OF YOU LOVE YOUR CULTURE! YOU CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE WHAT THAT IS!

I’m also getting flashbacks from Leo saying, “NO ONE IS AS AWAKE AS I AM! NO ONE! NO ONE!”

Of course. People rape, kill, and pillage for their nation, tribe, clan, religion, or identity. People strap bombs to themselves for their god. People sacrifice their lives for their ideology, die defending their homeland, and dedicate their entire lives to spreading their religion or worldview.

I think people were adding nuance to the concept of “love.“

1 hour ago, r0ckyreed said:

American Conservatives don’t even LOVE their culture. They won’t die for America, they will exploit and engage in corruptive means to get others to die for America. Look at Trump. He does not LOVE America. MAGA does NOT LOVE USA. They love only what benefits them. Leftists care more about culture and society than conservatives. Conservatives only care about whatever benefits their bubble. Conservatives are individualistic and leftists are collectivist. Leftists care more about collective survival.

Exactly.

A group’s cohesion doesn’t necessarily prove that its members love or even fully believe in everything the group represents.

For example, an oligarch might not genuinely love every aspect of an oligarchic system. But they can still strongly defend it because the system protects their wealth and status. A person might have serious doubts or dislike certain parts of their own tradition, but changing or abandoning the larger system can feel much more threatening than tolerating its contradictions. 

Usually, the more corrupt, biased, self-preserving, and unquestioning the system is, the more appealing it can become to the ego when the ego benefits from it.

Even if you occasionally question whether it’s true, if the system gives you more status, security, power, or self-preservation, you will still be pulled toward it.

The ideologies that offer the strongest ego incentives can become the ones that survive and reproduce most effectively.

A culture with enough psychopaths in power can force its way into existence.

The stricter the rules, the more coercion you can use to preserve them.

An abusive father can beat his wife and children to keep the family hierarchy intact.

A regime can brainwash children until they’re willing to strap a bomb to their chest for it.

That’s why you get Elon Musk, who was initially more progressive, against Trump, becoming incredibly supportive of conservatives and Trump, funding his election campaign, and buying Twitter. Do you think it’s because he deeply LOVES conservative values, or because he benefits from tax-avoidance and asset-protection policies being implemented? Is it really “love” for the culture?

That’s why you get Somalis crying when the age of consent is raised: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DPdQUspCF7f/; or when minorities are given more rights, etc.

Do they really love their culture so deeply that they’re devastated when it changes, or do they realize they’re losing the “goodies” that the system gave them?

Is it culture, or just the fact that the culture aligns more with the incentives of the ego?

Edited 26 minutes ago by Xonas Pitfall