site banner
PaperclipPerfector  7mo ago (text post)   3293 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 5, 2025

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

2
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Any recommendations for "brain off" YouTube channels?

I find all TV / Netflix is insufferable nowadays. Sports, of course, being the exception.

I'm looking for YouTube channels that are entertaining / mildly interesting that Mottizens enjoy.

Gundam Battle Operation 2 gameplay: 42-Year-Old Gamer and Spider-Chieftain

I never got the appeal of Mecha. What’s good about it?

I’m right there with you, I like giant robots but mecha just feels odd. I attribute my feeling to growing up on Transformers; I’m used to my robots having souls and so seeing people sit inside of them and pilot them has the same sort of creepy feeling as those stories where human beings turn out to be robots piloted by tiny aliens.

(Mecha has always been more popular in Japan and the Transformers began as a line of mecha robots with human pilots, but the American adaptation went in the complete opposite direction and turned them into living characters.)

I considered them one in the same, I suppose I need to finally get around to watching Evangelion to develop a taste.

one in the same

*one and the same

What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.


Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


New post guidelines

If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

If in doubt, please post it!


Rules


Recommended Posts And Communities

Recommended Realtime Chats