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PaperclipPerfector  21d ago (text post)   2655 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for September 12, 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.

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I want to do a simple socioeconomic Mottizen survey: what class are you and why do you think that?

Even though I've only had office/clerk-type jobs, I consider myself working class because I don't have an ambitious bone in my body. I have no interest in climbing the ladder. I'm not willing to bust my ass 60 hours a week or more; it's 40 and out. I'm no leader; I don't want the headaches of managing people; I haven't got the drive to succeed; I'm essentially passive.

The only ambition I've ever had is to keep myself in a decent standard of living. A roof over my head, a few beers every evening while playing HOI4 or Stellaris, weekends spent in the nearest university library reading up on anything that catches my fancy.

I'm doing all right so far; I inherited my home from my mother, free and clear with no mortgage; got a tidy chunk of change socked away in an investment account (though nowhere near enough to pay for a nursing home should I ever need such; in that eventuality I plan on self-euthanasia, with a clear conscience since I've never had a romantic partner or kids).

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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.


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