The Conservative Counter-culture

[Damverland]

I was reading around and I saw this article about the rising conservative counter-culture.

http://canadafreepress.com/article/hip- ... ablishment

How do you feel about this article? I feel like it has some good points, such as how there is indeed a conservative counter-culture occurring, and how this new blend of conservatism will be much more different than the type we are familiar with, such as adopting various liberal ideas.

[Farnhamia]

I was reading around and I saw this article about the rising conservative counter-culture.

http://canadafreepress.com/article/hip- ... ablishment

How do you feel about this article? I feel like it has some good points.

How about you summarize the article? What good points were made?

[Genivaria]

I was reading around and I saw this article about the rising conservative counter-culture.

http://canadafreepress.com/article/hip- ... ablishment

How do you feel about this article? I feel like it has some good points.

I think that even when the Republicans control all three branches of government they'll still find a way to pretend to be oppressed.

*reads article*
*article starts off with a quote from Milo Yiannopoulos*

And I stopped reading there.

[Liriena]

I was reading around and I saw this article about the rising conservative counter-culture.

http://canadafreepress.com/article/hip- ... ablishment

How do you feel about this article? I feel like it has some good points.

I think that even when the Republicans control all three branches of government they'll still find a way to pretend to be oppressed.

*reads article*
*article starts off with a quote from Milo Yiannopoulos*

And I stopped reading there.

"Conservative counter-culture" would be hilariously oxymoronic if it wasn't so disgustingly cynical.

Oh, and it follows the Yiannopoulos quote with another one from the pretentious nitwit Paul Joseph Watson. Amazing.

[Damverland]

I was reading around and I saw this article about the rising conservative counter-culture.

http://canadafreepress.com/article/hip- ... ablishment

How do you feel about this article? I feel like it has some good points.

How about you summarize the article? What good points were made?

Edited.

[Damverland]

I think that even when the Republicans control all three branches of government they'll still find a way to pretend to be oppressed.

*reads article*
*article starts off with a quote from Milo Yiannopoulos*

And I stopped reading there.

"Conservative counter-culture" would be hilariously oxymoronic if it wasn't so disgustingly cynical.

Oh, and it follows the Yiannopoulos quote with another one from the pretentious nitwit Paul Joseph Watson. Amazing.

I think that even when the Republicans control all three branches of government they'll still find a way to pretend to be oppressed.

*reads article*
*article starts off with a quote from Milo Yiannopoulos*

And I stopped reading there.
Last edited by Genivaria on Tue Jun 20, 2017 12:03 a

Mind explaining what's wrong with the quote itself, besides who said it? I don't know anything about either person, so I don't have an opinion about it.

[Nocturnalis]

There is some merit here; many American universities have turned into frightening places devoid of any real debate or sharing of knowledge, a trend I hope does not spread northward. So many students going into so much debt just to protest, riot, and generally make nuisances of themselves while not studying or learning anything, quite...weird. I can't wait for the folks my age to end up ruling the planet, just to see how bad we can fuck it up.

It is also quite odd how those that claim to be the most tolerant are also the ones that go out of their way to exclude large swathes of the population.

There was a time where I would have called myself a liberal, or gods-forbid even a socialist, but the rampant excesses of the Left in America, my own country (Canada), and in other countries have left me no feasible alternative but to divest myself of that group. Perhaps ironically, this development came about as I started university. But I digress.

Oh, and it follows the Yiannopoulos quote with another one from the pretentious nitwit Paul Joseph Watson. Amazing.

Ah yes, the tried and ridiculous tactic of "My political opponents are all idiots!". How well did that work out several months ago? Because I seem to recall that particular idiot getting elected, while now the Left has been reduced to crying its crocodile tears, or trying to stomp people's heads in on the streets, or trying to get professors fired over the dumbest shit possible...I can go on.

[Cylonarus]

"[blah blah insert bullshit here] aaand I stopped reading there."

Yes, because that makes you SO qualified to judge the article.

Actually read it before you debate, no matter if its right or left wing, or it has some bullshit at the beginning that you find repulsive. Until then, your opinion doesn't matter.

[Damverland]

There is some merit here; many American universities have turned into frightening places devoid of any real debate or sharing of knowledge, a trend I hope does not spread northward. So many students going into so much debt just to protest, riot, and generally make nuisances of themselves while not studying or learning anything, quite...weird. I can't wait for the folks my age to end up ruling the planet, just to see how bad we can fuck it up.

It is also quite odd how those that claim to be the most tolerant are also the ones that go out of their way to exclude large swathes of the population.

There was a time where I would have called myself a liberal, or gods-forbid even a socialist, but the rampant excesses of the Left in America, my own country (Canada), and in other countries have left me no feasible alternative but to divest myself of that group. Perhaps ironically, this development came about as I started university. But I digress.

Oh, and it follows the Yiannopoulos quote with another one from the pretentious nitwit Paul Joseph Watson. Amazing.

Ah yes, the tried and ridiculous tactic of "My political opponents are all idiots!". How well did that work out several months ago? Because I seem to recall that particular idiot getting elected, while now the Left has been reduced to crying its crocodile tears, or trying to stomp people's heads in on the streets, or trying to get professors fired over the dumbest shit possible...I can go on.

I do believe that the mainstream left needs to get its act together if it wants to stay relevant with Gen Z, with studies and statistics showing that the generation will be more conservative leaning than the past few ones.

[Liriena]

Ah yes, the tried and ridiculous tactic of "My political opponents are all idiots!"

What a filthy, filthy strawman. Paul Joseph Watson is a pretentious nitwit. I said nothing about all my political opponents. Just him.

With that settled, I'll take the liberty of ignoring the rest of your wailing pontifications about "the Left". I will answer for my own sayings, not for the actions and sayings of millions of others.

[Nocturnalis]

I do believe that the mainstream left needs to get its act together if it wants to stay relevant with Gen Z, with studies and statistics showing that the generation will be more conservative leaning than the past few ones.

Seeing the trend the mainstream Left has taken the past few years, it will probably throw its dictionary of rhetoric at them while doing little to actually make their positions appealing.

I was hoping that, between Brexit and Trump's victory, the Left would take a long, hard look at itself and engage in a massive reform, but it has not. Perhaps I should have known better when the Democrats did everything in their power to put up Clinton instead of Sanders.

[Liriena]

Mind explaining what's wrong with the quote itself, besides who said it? I don't know anything about either person, so I don't have an opinion about it.

A "conservative counter-culture" is an inherently oxymoronic concept. Conservatism is an almost inherently hegemonic ideology, given that its primary purpose is the preservation of a real or perceived status quo. There is nothing "counter-cultural" about capitalist traditionalism, when capitalism is the dominant economic system and traditionalism still has a pretty strong foothold on Western culture, as demonstrated by the continued existence of a sizeable right-wing Christian media.

[Liberated Territories]

PJW seems to be a man of few fixed principles.

As for the 'conservative' counter-culture, many people are getting fed up with PC culture permeating every university and shutting down opinions contrary to what is seen as respectable. Naturally this has created quite a bit of backlash, I do sympathize with why people are angry but I am less sympathetic about returning or advocating violence as many alt-rightists want.

[Liriena]

I do believe that the mainstream left needs to get its act together if it wants to stay relevant with Gen Z, with studies and statistics showing that the generation will be more conservative leaning than the past few ones.

Seeing the trend the mainstream Left has taken the past few years, it will probably throw its dictionary of rhetoric at them while doing little to actually make their positions appealing.

I was hoping that, between Brexit and Trump's victory, the Left would take a long, hard look at itself and engage in a massive reform, but it has not. Perhaps I should have known better when the Democrats did everything in their power to put up Clinton instead of Sanders.

Wait, are you talking about the left as a whole or just the mainstream left? And what even is the mainstream left? Clinton and her fellow neoliberal supporters? Bourgeois feminists and environmentally friendly, ethnically diverse capitalists? Also, you do realize that you are talking about a vast, broad collection of different groups with different ideologies, right? You are demanding "massive reform" out of an entire side of the political spectrum based, as far as I can tell, in nothing but blind personal resentment and oversimplification.

Also... given that Brexit and Trump's victory were followed by the supposedly resurgent right-wing embarrassing itself in the Netherlands, France, Austria and the United Kingdom, I think I'd refrain from further pontificating.

[Liriena]

PJW seems to be a man of few fixed principles.

As for the 'conservative' counter-culture, many people are getting fed up with PC culture permeating every university and shutting down opinions contrary to what is seen as respectable. Naturally this has created quite a bit of backlash, I do sympathize with why people are angry but I am less sympathetic about returning or advocating violence as many alt-rightists want.

Every university? And what exactly is this "PC culture"? What elements comprise it? Are there any anthropological papers on it?

Also, on the matter of universities and the "shutting down" of opinions, I direct everyone who's interested to this adorable youtuber's video on free speech.

[Bombadil]

Ugh..

Basically this article is saying it's cool to be nasty, it's not counter culture. Like it's counter culture to say 'all lives matter' because isn't that a cool and counter culture way to dismiss the specific concerns and issues of a group of people who face a very different experience when it comes to the police, oh look I can't go and shout Merry Fucking Christmas to everyone in their face.. oh how oppressed and counter culture I am.. can't even call anyone a fag anymore..

This the culture itself whining about being asked to level the playing field, dismissing the claims of those outside the majority because it restricts 'freedom'.

[Liriena]

Ugh..

Basically this article is saying it's cool to be nasty, it's not counter culture. Like it's counter culture to say 'all lives matter' because isn't that a cool and counter culture way to dismiss the specific concerns and issues of a group of people who face a very different experience when it comes to the police, oh look I can't go and shout Merry Fucking Christmas to everyone in their face.. oh how oppressed and counter culture I am.. can't even call anyone a fag anymore..

This the culture itself whining about being asked to level the playing field, dismissing the claims of those outside the majority because it restricts 'freedom'.

I like your post, but I kind of hate it because I should have been the one making that point.

[Bombadil]

Ugh..

Basically this article is saying it's cool to be nasty, it's not counter culture. Like it's counter culture to say 'all lives matter' because isn't that a cool and counter culture way to dismiss the specific concerns and issues of a group of people who face a very different experience when it comes to the police, oh look I can't go and shout Merry Fucking Christmas to everyone in their face.. oh how oppressed and counter culture I am.. can't even call anyone a fag anymore..

This the culture itself whining about being asked to level the playing field, dismissing the claims of those outside the majority because it restricts 'freedom'.

I like your post, but I kind of hate it because I should have been the one making that point.

Go watch the John Oliver skit on coal to cheer yourself up if you haven't already.. there's the king of counter culture, Mr. Sean Hannity, wearing a US flag shirt and inviting a woman backstage for some Hannity-time.. he's so edgy and cool..

[Senkaku]

Article seems like one long sneering tirade at "the Left", an imagined entity that the author dislikes, and calling conservatism a "counter-culture" based only on how certain segments of the elite tend to view right-wing extremism, to satisfy the author's desire to be cool.

0/10.

[Liriena]

I like your post, but I kind of hate it because I should have been the one making that point.

Go watch the John Oliver skit on coal to cheer yourself up if you haven't already.. there's the king of counter culture, Mr. Sean Hannity, wearing a US flag shirt and inviting a woman backstage for some Hannity-time.. he's so edgy and cool..

Oh, I saw it, and loved it. :3

You know, a lot of people on the right nowadays tend to catastrophize about the current state of culture and discourse... and I think they are utterly full of it... but there is one element of discourse and culture that has definitely decayed: what we consider "edgy". We used to reserve terms such as "provocateur" for people of artistic and intellectual brilliance, people who used every tool at their disposal to strike at the very core of all we take for granted. I'm talking about the original Dada and surrealist movements, yo, and punk rock and really weird European movies.

And now we have these posh, vacuous pretenders, who only seem interested in challenging that which isn't actually hegemonic or powerful. And they dare call themselves "conservative counter-culture"?

[Nocturnalis]

Wait, are you talking about the left as a whole or just the mainstream left? And what even is the mainstream left? Clinton and her fellow neoliberal supporters? Bourgeois feminists and environmentally friendly, ethnically diverse capitalists? Also, you do realize that you are talking about a vast, broad collection of different groups with different ideologies, right? You are demanding "massive reform" out of an entire side of the political spectrum based, as far as I can tell, in nothing but blind personal resentment and oversimplification.

Also... given that Brexit and Trump's victory were followed by the supposedly resurgent right-wing embarrassing itself in the Netherlands, France, Austria and the United Kingdom, I think I'd refrain from further pontificating.

Funny how you advise me to stop "generalizing" the left when you do the same to the right. Not a fan of irony, I take it?

Mainstream left here is used to differentiate the more moderate leftists from the hard left, much like how one differentiates (or should differentiate) between right-wing and far-right. Saying "Mainstream left" is a lot easier and less time consuming than rattling off a list of moderate leftist ideologies. Within the Democratic Party, this would indeed refer to Clinton and her neoliberal backers, at least back at the time of the election. Yes, I am hoping for the party to change itself, and yes I also realize that is no small feat given that the two-party system in place in America means each party encompasses many different political viewpoints.

Personal resentment? Sure, I'll freely admit that the actions of leftist individuals and groups have left a particularly bitter taste in my mouth. But blind? C'mon, you're just being disingenuous now.

While I would hestiate to call it a resurgence (such a term implies that the right-wing was dormant), it should be noted that right-wing parties in Europe have been gaining some traction for quite a while now. The FN went from third place in the 2012 election to second-place in the 2017 election. The FPO went from 15% of the Austrian vote in 2010 to 48% in 2016. No small feats.

And it'll be a cold day in hell before I take any advice from you.

[Liriena]

Wait, are you talking about the left as a whole or just the mainstream left? And what even is the mainstream left? Clinton and her fellow neoliberal supporters? Bourgeois feminists and environmentally friendly, ethnically diverse capitalists? Also, you do realize that you are talking about a vast, broad collection of different groups with different ideologies, right? You are demanding "massive reform" out of an entire side of the political spectrum based, as far as I can tell, in nothing but blind personal resentment and oversimplification.

Also... given that Brexit and Trump's victory were followed by the supposedly resurgent right-wing embarrassing itself in the Netherlands, France, Austria and the United Kingdom, I think I'd refrain from further pontificating.

Funny how you advise me to stop "generalizing" the left when you do the same to the right. Not a fan of irony, I take it?

[citation needed]

Also, even if your accusation is true, that does not mean you are right to generalize. Me allegedly being a hypocrite doesn't exempt you from being fallacious.

Mainstream left here is used to differentiate the more moderate leftists from the hard left, much like how one differentiates (or should differentiate) between right-wing and far-right. Saying "Mainstream left" is a lot easier and less time consuming than rattling off a list of moderate leftist ideologies. Within the Democratic Party, this would indeed refer to Clinton and her neoliberal backers, at least back at the time of the election.

And you seriously think neoliberalism counts as a "moderate left" ideology?

Yes, I am hoping for the party to change itself, and yes I also realize that is no small feat given that the two-party system in place in America means each party encompasses many different political viewpoints.

Smash the two-party system already, yo. It'll do you good.

Personal resentment? Sure, I'll freely admit that the actions of leftist individuals and groups have left a particularly bitter taste in my mouth. But blind? C'mon, you're just being disingenuous now.

Given the fact that you only now started to seriously make a distinction as to which exact group of people you were directing your demands... yes, "blind".

While I would hestiate to call it a resurgence (such a term implies that the right-wing was dormant), it should be noted that right-wing parties in Europe have been gaining some traction for quite a while now. The FN went from third place in the 2012 election to second-place in the 2017 election. The FPO went from 15% of the Austrian vote in 2010 to 48% in 2016. No small feats.

They've been underperforming (and dropping in polls) since the American election. If there was a far right wave, it reached its peak last year.

And now it's the turn of the populist left.

And it'll be a cold day in hell before I take any advice from you.

That's a bit extreme. I meant well.

[Frank Zipper]

Dirty rightwing hippies.

[New haven america]

>Article opens with Milo Yiannopoulos
>Article is now not worth reading

[Damverland]

>Article opens with Milo Yiannopoulos
>Article is now not worth reading

Look, I don't care who Milo Yiannopoulos is, I just want some opinions on the topic itself. Don't instantly shut down every book you read because the first sentence is a quote from someone you don't like.