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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   2923 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for September 21, 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.

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At what point can one reasonably conclude that coexistence between the Red and Blue tribes isn't possible, and there's nothing left to do but wage the culture war as hard as necessary, until one side or the other fully triumphs? And what does one do after reaching that conclusion (besides leaving this site, of course, since that runs counter to the basic ethos of the Motte)?

And what does one do after reaching that conclusion (besides leaving this site, of course, since that runs counter to the basic ethos of the Motte)?

There are users here, mods even, that have reached this conclusion and they still manage to contribute. I don't think there's great arguments to wage the culture war online as a good use of your time unless you get paid for it or your name is JD Vance. A normal citizen moves to a stronghold of their tribe and builds a life there. Maybe purchase a firearm.

A normal citizen moves to a stronghold of their tribe

Can't move, but at least my state is rather red (if the city is not)

and builds a life there.

I've done about as much of that as my disability allows (meaning basically nothing)

Maybe purchase a firearm.

Prior psychiatric hospitalizations mean I can't.

Pardon me, then. Black powder may not be much good for security as BP weapons aren't firearms, but they do shoot lead. More importantly the hobby as I understand is fun, has a good following of mature adult men, and a healthy number of groups that share in it.

If you are able to get around, then I'll throw out the proven suggestion for the end of: church! Or, whichever local religious service seems most appealing to you. That is if you do not currently attend one. A community of Christian faith is most unlikely to hack you to pieces with a machetes just because the country has fallen to tatters.

If these things are not possible, then I still think you should rest a little easier knowing that most of us are about as relatively helpless to happenings of this scale. Few of us are as prepared as we can be for the end of coexistence. Fewer can be meaningfully prepared, disability or no, and only a tiny number can change the fate of our nation whatever it may be. It is better to not dwell on it as nothing ever happens.

Or, whichever local religious service seems most appealing to you.

None of them in my area seem to: not the Mexican cult; not the black Baptist church whose webpage advertises events by local Dem politicians; not the Lutheran church whose woman pastor's LinkedIn page has rainbow flags; and not the "you should already be Catholic before setting foot inside" Byzantine Catholic church. (The racist Islander Church appears to have moved or shut down.) None of them seem like they'd be welcoming environments for me (another problem with being a far-right atheist).

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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.


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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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