site banner
PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   1059 thread views

Transnational Thursday for December 18, 2025

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

1
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Oh, I'm a good old Rebel soldier, now that's just what I am. For this "Fair Land of Freedom" I do not give a damn! I'm glad I fought against it, I only wish we'd won. And I don't want no pardon for anything I done.

Three hundred thousand Yankees are stiff in Southern dust! We got three hundred thousand before they conquered us. They died of Southern fever and Southern steel and shot. But I wish we'd got three million instead of what we got.

I hate the Yankee nation, And everything they do; I hate the Declaration and the Constitution too; and I hate the glorious Union, and it’s flag red white and blue;

I can't take up my musket and fight 'em now no more. But I ain't gonna love 'em now that's for goddamn sure! I do not want no pardon for what I was, and what I am. And I won't be reconstructed, and I do not care a damn!

That’s a folk song from the southern United States from the late 1860s. It regularly got thrown into albums and collections of charming old songs from ye olde bygone Civil War era. It’s not played much anymore but it was regularly getting covered until the 1990s. But you can hear the violence in it, the “killing rage” as Eamon Collins would call it. Being exposed to intense political violence leaves a scar, and it’s a scar that can last a long time. I don’t think it’s just because the drunken violent Hibernians love violence.

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