site banner
PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   3219 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for January 17, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

3
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Cultural imperialism in one image.

I see myself in this. I grew up saying "pop" and never thought twice about it until I went to college. There, I met "soda" sayers who planted the first seeds of doubt.

After college, I moved to Seattle. It was still pop country back then, but in the merge of a cultural transition. It's firmly a part of Sodastan now. Worse, I am now myself a soda-sayer. I cringe a little when people say pop.

I'll admit to a rebellious instinct. Fuck the soda-sayers. Sometimes, I just want to let loose with a hard "pop" in the best upper Minnesota accent I can muster. "You guys want some POP?" But that would be mere playacting, not authentic self-expression. I'm no longer street. I've been corrupted.

Is this what it feels like to be elite human capital?

How do you feel about the Aussie term for it - soft drink? I love it, it's so different to the usual Australian slang, where who cares what it is just take the first syllable, ignore everything else and slap a vowel on the end. D'ya wanna have a barbie for breakie? Nah, me and Kev are gonna take the tinnie out when he gets back from the bottle-o, I'll just have a cuppa and throw some stubbies in the esky." But then you get to carbonated beverages and suddenly it's euphemism city! Soda is starting to make some in roads here though, although despite coming from old soda country, I don't like it. Stick with soft drink Australia! Or if you really have to use something else go with the other Australian slang for it, albeit much less common - fizzy/lolly water.

“D'ya wanna have a fizzy?” sounds properly Australian to this Limey’s ears.

Nice, plus the added benefit of the Kiwis usually following the Aussies means I'd get to also enjoy hearing large Maoris saying "D'yuh wunna huv uh fuzzy bruh?" to each other.

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