Act Four: What are the culture wars we need to fight?

Earlier this week, the New York Times' Ross Douthat wrote a column that I've been thinking about ever since. In it, he argues that we can fight both good culture wars and bad...

Alyssa Rosenberg on culture and politics   Activists rally in support of NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick outside the offices of the National Football League in New York. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Earlier this week, the New York Times’ Ross Douthat wrote a column that I’ve been thinking about ever since. In it, he argues that we can fight both good culture wars and bad culture wars, and that President Trump’s unique talent is for starting culture wars on deeply unproductive terms. “A good culture war is one that, beneath all the posturing and demagogy and noise, has clear policy implications, a core legal or moral question, a place where one side can win a necessary victory or where a new consensus can be hashed out,” Douthat wrote. “A bad culture war is one in which attitudinizing, tribalism and worst-case fearmongering float around unmoored from any specific legal question, in which mutual misunderstanding reigns and a thousand grievances are stirred up without a single issue being clarified or potentially resolved.” Given those terms (which of course we should feel free to debate), I’ve been trying to think through a list of culture wars that might be productive for us to fight. One that immediately comes to mind is over drug use and how we should think about people who use drugs and those who become addicted to them. The convergence of marijuana legalization and the opioid epidemic, as well as a larger conversation about mass incarceration and the legacy of the crack epidemic raises difficult questions about what the right approach to drug legalization is, and has prompted a new and productive wellspring of compassion for addicts and their families. The debates over immigration reform and the wave of protests in the National Football League and other professional sports also raise a set of intertwined questions. The former asks us to consider who would make for a good and desirable citizenship. The latter raises old questions about how to properly exercise citizenship. It strikes me, though, that our current popular culture is not terribly engaged with these particular culture wars. So I’d be curious to know what you think on both fronts. What culture wars should we fight? And is there film, television, music or art that you feel like is making a contribution toward resolving the conflict? 'The American War': You've watched all 18 hours of 'The Vietnam War.' Here's what Ken Burns wants you to remember. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick talk about Episode 10 of "The Vietnam War," and what we should have learned after watching their film. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT You’ve heard these songs. But never the way you hear them in ‘The Vietnam War.’ From "Ohio" to "Let It Be," Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein wanted you to remember why the music of the Vietnam era became iconic. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •   Read more »   Hugh Hefner is gone. But our debates over sexual liberation are as urgent as ever. Hugh Hefner's life was a reminder that some aspects of sexual liberation fit neatly together, and others are not so easily resolved. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT 'The American War': Why can’t Americans agree on what it means to be patriotic? It all goes back to Vietnam. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick talk about Episode 9 of "The Vietnam War," and our ongoing disagreements about what it means to be patriotic. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •   Read more »   'The American War': Kent State was originally a footnote in Ken Burns's documentary. Then he visited the campus. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick talk about Episode 8 of "The Vietnam War," and how they handled the difficult topic of Kent State and other tragedies at home. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •   Read more »   Recommended for you     Get the Fact Checker newsletter Count the pinocchios. A weekly review of what's true, false or in-between. Sign Up  »         Share Act Four:    Twitter     Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Act Four or because it is included in your subscription. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2017 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071