site banner
PaperclipPerfector  8mo ago (text post)   3229 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for February 21, 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.

1
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

For the first time in my life, I am investing money from a trust fund given to me by my parents. I am well aware of all the pitfalls and common advice, but there are some lessons I think I can only learn through experience. The temptation to believe I can beat the market is strong. So, after allocating most of my unearned wealth sensibly, I am gambling the rest(stock picking).

How much money is worth learning the lesson? I already feel pretty uneasy about what I've done. The real danger is that I might make it big and become addicted. Otherwise, it's a win-win situation, right?

Or is this just rationalization? I really didn't feel anything until I spent $1,000 on leveraged trades, so I thought I needed to push myself to get the emotional reaction I wanted from a loss or extreme volatility.

You should learn to trade leveraged derivatives like options, futures, and options on futures because it's awesome and fun. It's the modern equivalent of dark magic, and everyone is sure it's going to destroy you and those you love.

And the most fun part is that it really can!

You shouldn't start with any less than $5,000. $10,000 is better.

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