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.
- 185
- 1
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
- Courtesy
- Content
- Engagement
- When disagreeing with someone, state your objections explicitly.
- Proactively provide evidence in proportion to how partisan and inflammatory your claim might be.
- Accept temporary bans as a time-out, and don't attempt to rejoin the conversation until it's lifted.
- Don't attempt to build consensus or enforce ideological conformity.
- Write like everyone is reading and you want them to be included in the discussion.
- The Wildcard Rule
- The Metarule

Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
Glad QC brought me here.
I am a 2-fragrance guy. I have been wearing D&G Light Blue for 15 years now, originally selected by the ex who broke my heart. By the time that happened I'd already invested a lot of my identity into it. My wife got me Coach for Men for fall and winter. It's not as evocative (college had passed me by at this time) but I still dig it. Would love your takes on these, good or bad.
One annoyance in my life is that I love so many scents, including for my grooming products. But I feel often as if I'm doing them a disservice when combined. My deodorant is admittedly mild, but when I'm doing that AND my sandalwood Aftershave AND cologne I always think "why am I doing this?". Maybe I'm just rambling but it seems like a problem some people may have solved.
Finally, I also wonder if you've read Jitterbug Perfume? I very much enjoyed the book.
Light Blue is quite nice, but I'm a bigger fan of Eau Intense. They also release new versions every year, some of which are great. Light Blue Forever and Light Blue Summer Vibes are tow that I've enjoyed. I've actually never smelled Coach for Men, but I can't imagine hating it just from the note breakdown. I'll check it out the next time I get a chance.
I've never read Jitterbug Perfume, but I'll check it out.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link