Today In The Culture Wars. . . .

Unfortunately, none of these is from The Onion.

This first one is rather long, so a key passage is included.

The Struggle Over Gamers Who Use Mods To Create Racist Alternate Histories

There’s a long history of racist mods for Paradox grand strategy games. Last year the company stomped out mods for its space sim Stellaris that removed people of color from the human factions and advertised itself with the proclamation, “No multiculturalism here!” There’s a mod for Hearts of Iron IV called “Aryan Goddess,” designed by the ethnonationalist Taylor Swift fan-site of the same name, which has since been purged from the internet. It makes Swift, in full Nazi regalia, the leader of the Third Reich and includes custom tech-tree options like “Bad Blood” and “1989,” both of which are adopted from her music. But perhaps the best and most prominent example is the Deus Vult mod, which, according to Steam, has been downloaded 9,210 times. 

Functionally, the mod offers a daffy, puerile interpretation of the 11th and 12th century crusades. One of the most powerful National Focus options in Deus Vult is called “Enslave Saracen.” (“Saracen” is a Medieval-era catch-all for Arabs and Muslims.) The description of the upgrade reads: “The purging of all infidels and saracens will take time, by enslaving them we will have a disposable workforce.” Functionally, it boosts your campaign’s construction speed, expediting your conquest of Jerusalem.

I don't believe the rest need explanation.

Brzezinski says Trump complains he can't watch porn in White House.

Colin Kaepernick targets Trump in lawsuit against NFL

Stephen Colbert Confronted President Clinton About His “Tone-Deaf” #MeToo Comments

Sean Hannity and Seb Gorka Are Going to Singapore for Trump’s North Korea Summit

Plains Pops: Weird Links Edition

I haven't done one of these in a long time.

There's apparently a secret 13th Amendment. Cue the Sibby music.

The Neanderthals died out because of bunnies.

The Daily Caller doesn't like Ashley Judd's nude scenes but has done nothing to condemn Arnold Schwarzenegger's acting which is generally terrible.

The cannibal cop cries. It's a good think he wasn't playing baseball because there's no crying in baseball.

Finally, on a serious note, who thought it was a good idea to foreclose on American soldiers' homes while the soldiers were deployed?

Plains Pops: Links About Conflicts Edition

Water wars in West between agriculture and energy producers:

Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream vs. Porn Company

In the battle between humans and nature, nature continues to win.

In a struggle against common sense, it's worth noting that "if shopping were like health care, product prices would not be posted, and the price charged would very widely within the same store, depending on the source of payment."


Finally, in a continuing moral conflict: should one continue to watch pro football if players have an increased risk of brain disease.