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Notes -
I notice something of a negative correlation between the quality of links I post and the reception they get. I posted the recent article about sex positivity vs purity culture, and while I had a higher opinion of it than most mottizens it seems, I still wouldn't consider it among the best essays ever written. Yet it's spawned over 200 comments. I feel similarly about my other links that got the most discussion, like The Media Very Rarely Lies and Is Wine Fake?
Meanwhile, links I have posted that I thought were amazing pieces of writing that were accurate deep dives into a topic that were some best in class writing, like Biological Determinants and Homosexuality that surveyed a wide body of well done research on a controversial topic, or Njall's Saga which was a hilarious and insightful look at medieval Icelandic literature and law, got barely any interaction.
Just Toxiplasma of Rage in action I suppose.
I think it's less about the absolute quality of the link and more about the specific topic at hand:
Medieval Icelandic literature - although this is something that I would personally be interested in, it's not a general interest topic, and you can't necessarily expect the forum at large to want to discuss this, no matter how good the writing itself actually is.
Biological determinants of homosexuality - closer to being a general interest topic, most people here probably at least have an opinion on it, but it's unlikely to be a particularly strongly held opinion, and the topic is unlikely to generate strong disagreements on this particular forum.
"Are women having too much casual sex?" - topic with very broad appeal for multiple reasons, everyone has a strongly held opinion on it, and there's also a lot of strong disagreement among the commentariat here on this particular issue. Controversy is the best way to generate discussion.
I also get disappointed when the forum doesn't want to discuss more specialty issues that I have a strong interest in. But, that's how it goes. The topics with the broadest general appeal will always generate the most discussion.
The Icelandic essay was also about historical legal practices and historical libterarianism. I think that's quite relevant to this forum.
But yeah I get the reasons why what I consider excellent pieces didn't generate much discussion. I'd just hope the motte would be a bit of a higher standard than twitter in what generates discussion
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