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0 pointsleohutson8y ago0 comments

I can't respond to your other question, but the particular value we were discussing was this:

> For instance, by the standard of the general wellbeing of African Americans, it's manifestly obvious that modern American culture is superior to American culture of the 1850s.

Shouldn't really be controversial, but America is going through a regression right now so who knows..

0 comments

interfixus8y ago

Being Scandinavian, I do not really partake of whichever American regressions you may be thinking of.

I most certainly admire and find inspirational a lot of the values that built the US from the ground up. Hard work, frugality, dedication, diligence, and self-reliance, to name a few of the qualities that not least Northern Europeans brought to the expanding frontier.

Nor did they particularly hold with the slavery ways of the South.

Also, you may recall, there was a war fought over that issue.

leohutsonOP8y ago

How is that relevant to what was being discussed earlier in the thread? It was merely an example.

That you share some values with a historical culture is hardly important information, if you look hard enough you can probably find something you like in all cultures, historical and present day.

interfixus8y ago

> It's tautological to say that as by definition 1850s white Americans culture is extremely distasteful to a modern HN commenter

Weak tautology, then. And a squishy definition. 1850s white Americans' culture by and large is not distasteful to me.

You may of course invoke 'modern' and a No True Scotsman line of argument.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 pointsleohutson8y ago0 comments

I can't respond to your other question, but the particular value we were discussing was this:

> For instance, by the standard of the general wellbeing of African Americans, it's manifestly obvious that modern American culture is superior to American culture of the 1850s.

Shouldn't really be controversial, but America is going through a regression right now so who knows..

0 comments

interfixus8y ago

Being Scandinavian, I do not really partake of whichever American regressions you may be thinking of.

Nor did they particularly hold with the slavery ways of the South.

Also, you may recall, there was a war fought over that issue.

leohutsonOP8y ago

How is that relevant to what was being discussed earlier in the thread? It was merely an example.

That you share some values with a historical culture is hardly important information, if you look hard enough you can probably find something you like in all cultures, historical and present day.

interfixus8y ago

> It's tautological to say that as by definition 1850s white Americans culture is extremely distasteful to a modern HN commenter

Weak tautology, then. And a squishy definition. 1850s white Americans' culture by and large is not distasteful to me.

You may of course invoke 'modern' and a No True Scotsman line of argument.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse