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PaperclipPerfector  2mo ago (text post)   2412 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for October 24, 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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Singles dating events, similar to the apps, are markets for lemons. Almost everyone who's there is very likely to not be partnered up for good reason. Sometimes you get lucky and catch a good match at their first event, or the reason they turn off everyone else is something you're happy with, e.g. they can't shut up about model trains.

It's more work but worth it to try to be a social butterfly and meet lots of people at events that aren't explicitly for singles. That way you can meet all the good catches who're single because they don't care enough to participate in the dating rat race, but would make for a good partner if you approach them.

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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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