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Chris Jesu Lee's avatar

It's also rarely "let people enjoy things."

More like, "let people enjoy my things, but everything else is open for criticism, especially by me."

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Woolie Wool's avatar

I would say it is not a zero sum culture but rather a negative sum culture, a game of cultural musical chairs where every round there are fewer cultural resources to go around. If you do not actively attack rivals of your favorite thing in force, your favorite thing may soon cease to exist. I think material economic decline due to resource depletion is a major contributor to both this and other negative-sum, eat-or-be-eaten aspects of our present condition. I would not be surprised to see a movement of outright barbarism and anti-art sentiment among the losers of the cultural and economic game of last-man-standing now playing out across the world, escalating to terrorism and vandalism.

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