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My understanding is that 'western values' is also a dogwhistle for a particular sort of nationalist authoritarianism that does not represent, for instance, the

My understanding is that 'western values' is also a dogwhistle for a particular sort of nationalist authoritarianism that does not represent, for instance, the Allies in WWII. Rather the other side of that conflict, really. This complicates things. I have to ask, especially seeing the 'cancel culture' and the suggestion that things have been getting worse for years, which definition of 'western values' you mean. From where I'm standing, there's never been as much ability to advocate for your POV, including from groups that have historically been brutally oppressed. It's messy, but that's democracy for you. I think it's an instructive contrast with what's going on in China. Western values can be a big pain in the butt, and yet I wouldn't have it any other way. We're living through a spectacular vindication of exactly Western values, compared to some other ideologies/ethos that have gained traction in the past.

clusterfish 6y ago
I don't know that extremists on both far left and far right yelling over each other to drive public policy is a sign of a healthy democracy. Neither of those groups naturally represent a majority of people, they're just having an outsized megative impact on society by being loud. While Soviet Union had centralized unidirectional brainwashing, US now has bipolar, decentralized brainwashing. Not quite the same but also not quite that different. If anything it's all those "western values" clashing together in a rather unfortunate way, exposing our society's inability to deal with free speech amplified by technology, corrupt politicians, greedy billionaires, and consolidated media empires. This sucks, and it's not just messy, the whole thing is failing at the seams with no hope in sight.
chrisweekly 6y ago
"dogwhistle for a particular sort of nationalist authoritarianism" No such dogwhistle signal was intended here, at all. "Western values" was meant as shorthand for democracy and democratic ideals. Related tangent: it bothers me that the far right attempts to conflate patriotism with nationalism.

clusterfish 6y ago

I don't know that extremists on both far left and far right yelling over each other to drive public policy is a sign of a healthy democracy. Neither of those groups naturally represent a majority of people, they're just having an outsized megative impact on society by being loud. While Soviet Union had centralized unidirectional brainwashing, US now has bipolar, decentralized brainwashing. Not quite the same but also not quite that different. If anything it's all those "western values" clashing together in a rather unfortunate way, exposing our society's inability to deal with free speech amplified by technology, corrupt politicians, greedy billionaires, and consolidated media empires. This sucks, and it's not just messy, the whole thing is failing at the seams with no hope in sight.

chrisweekly 6y ago

"dogwhistle for a particular sort of nationalist authoritarianism" No such dogwhistle signal was intended here, at all. "Western values" was meant as shorthand for democracy and democratic ideals. Related tangent: it bothers me that the far right attempts to conflate patriotism with nationalism.