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PaperclipPerfector  6mo ago (text post)   3880 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for February 13, 2026

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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Do you prefer apples or oranges?

I just really feel like these two things cannot be compared, but I'll try.

Apple in cold weather, Oranges in warm weather.

Apples for baking and cooking, Oranges for drink flavors/additions.

Apples for toddlers and teens, Oranges for babies and pre-teens.

Apples for solitary sports snacks, Oranges for team sport snacks.

Apples mashed for sauces, oranges (or preferably clementines) preserved in water.

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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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