The Culture War Left has daddy issues.
The Culture War Right has mommy issues.
That’s my claim—and yes, I just solved the culture war.
I am using the Culture War Left (CWL) and Culture War Right (CWR) as primordial polarities, loosely corresponding to political ideologies and party politics, but representing something different and deeper. These polarities are connected to core dualities such as feminine/masculine, yin/yang, being/becoming, and so on.
For each person, one pole tends to pull more strongly than the other. Even among the most enlightened centrists, these poles are chosen on a level of deep resonance. One motivating factor is fear. The CWL fears toxic masculinity, with unhealthy members disliking masculinity altogether, associating it with domination and oppression. The CWR fears toxic femininity, with unhealthy members disliking femininity altogether, associating it with manipulation and insanity.
To put this in Jungian terms: the CWL fears the “tyrannical father,” while the CWR fears the “devouring mother.” The former represents masculine authority gone wrong—unforgiving, cruel, and crushing their child’s spirit through control with an iron grip. The latter represents over-nurturing and overprotectiveness, smothering their child’s potential and creating perpetual dependence.
Below is how the greatest fears of each side of this polarity manifest in perspectives spreading across the internet:
The Culture War Left's Greatest Fear:
Power trumps love. He’s literally Hitler—but now the fascists have technology the Nazis couldn’t have even dreamed of. Democracy, science, and common goodness? All gone. The church and state have become one, conspiracy theories are “sane-washed,” and evolution is now “fake news.” Men rule forever, and they control women’s bodies forever too. “Your body, my choice.” The Handmaid’s Tale wasn’t fiction; it was prophecy. Enforced monogamy becomes reality, to the delight of undesirable, hateful little men. For men who fail to meet the standards of traditional masculinity, they are subjected to the hegemony of those who do: bullied and beaten until they submit to raw male power—because daddy always knows best.
The Culture War Right's Greatest Fear:
The Truth? No, it’s “my truth.” 2 + 2 = 5. Besides, math is racist and so are you. Now, apologize for your privilege—endlessly. Be a good little boy: you can’t do this and you can’t do that—in fact, you can’t do anything unless I say so. Women rule—but don’t you dare define what a woman is. Get castrated instead. We don’t need you anymore, so go back to the womb: the digital panopticon, aka BIG MOTHER. She needs to know where you are and what you’re thinking at all times to keep you safe and effective. NPC yourself and shut up; fire up your QR code so you can eat the bugs, take a knee, and act like you need me—because you’re useless without me.
Regardless of which fear you believe is more true, it’s true these fears exist—and fears shape reality. Here are some examples of influencers and celebrities directly tapping into these fears:
On the far ends of the CWR, Gropyer Nick Fuentes posted the above on X. He continued with his demonic trolling in a video:
Hey bitch, we control your bodies! Guess what? Guys win again. Okay? Men win again. And yes, we control your bodies. There will never ever be a female president. It’s over. Glass ceiling? Dude, it’s the ceiling made of fucking bricks. You will never break it. Your stupid face keeps hitting the brick ceiling. We will keep you down forever. You will never control your own bodies.
This prompted reaction videos from young women on TikTok, who overplayed Fuentes' message to their performative horror.
Meanwhile, on the CWL, while many left X for Bluesky, Star Trek actor Anson Mount stayed for the culture war fight, trolling for deep triggers himself.
What’s common to both Fuentes' and Mount’s tweets is that they both tap into the primordial fears of the opposing polarity. Those emotionally invested in the culture war have great intimacy with the other side. In fact, both poles are fixated on one another. The CWL is absolutely obsessed with the CWR, and vice versa; they live rent-free inside one another’s heads. They study one another, feel one another, and are defined by one another—trauma-bonded together, forever, unless they can overcome their archetypal daddy and mommy issues.
My advice:
Firstly, while I think an “enlightened bothsidism” has its place, you cannot stay neutral. You must choose a side. In fact, on a deeply unconscious level, you’ve already chosen. Both sides are not equally moral or grounded in truth, but those are different measures than what deeply resonates.
Secondly, the side you choose will be the polarity you cannot help but resonate with, and it needs healing—and a lot more wisdom. If you think your side is completely sagacious, you are a fool. Heal and live a wiser life yourself, and that will trickle out to the wider pole.
Thirdly and lastly, get into a better relationship with your actual mother and father, whether they are alive or not. Or, more centrally: get into a better relationship with the archetypal mother and father. See which one you have a deeper distrust of or feel more ill will toward. That is where the deep relational work needs to go.
A part of me fears that the side that “wins” will hyperstition1 the other's fear into existence—a world-fulfilling prophecy, if you will. The fearless part of me does not believe this will happen. Instead, facing the fear before it fully manifests—with appropriate wisdom—will be a character-building exercise for all, requiring a great deal of humility and hope.
If you have any questions, insights, feedback, or criticism on this entry or more generally, message me below (I read and respond on Saturdays) …
Hyperstition, a term coined by (
), refers to fictional narratives that become self-fulfilling prophecies.