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PaperclipPerfector  10hr ago (text post)   303 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 18, 2026

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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Do you eat raw garlic by itself?

Yep, seems to help mitigate colds.

Sometimes but I chop it up first. Feels cleansing. Also ginger.

I once ate a raw lemon and quite enjoyed it. It’s… bracing.

It's a bit of a bumpkin thing here, dipping a raw clove into a salt box and eating it.

Are you trying to root out the vampires on the forum?

I munched on some and realized I don't know if it's an ordinary snack or something weird to eat on its own.

Certainly weird. Shame on you.

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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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