site banner
PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   3407 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.

2
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Lakeman and other travel authors like him is a primary reason why I have decided against "adventurous" traveling myself. Few times I have traveled outside comfortable business/touristy districts of first world cities (hardly counts as "travel"), I have been stressed, generally don't get along with people, and I have been too busy to read extensively on the history of the place, thus no remarkable insights either. Any distilled report of travel experiences by Mr Lakeman is far more interesting and informative than most of the genuine travel memories I possess.

I half-liked The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux. A more "old-school" travelogue that focuses on the experiences and navel-gazing thoughts of the author, not the kind of critical deep dive to the local history combined with the straight reporting of events that Mr. Lakeman does. Coincidentally Mr. Theroux visited Afghanistan in the 1970s before the Soviet invasion. Apparently Kabul railway was popular with hippies traveling to India, and everyone's preconceptions of "Afghanistan" were quite different than today.

If someone can recommend other authors who focus on the "facts and events" style reporting, please do tell.

A Time of Gifts and its sequel by Patrick Leigh Fermor are very good. Author walks from Rotterdam to Istanbul in the 1930s.

Endorsed, these are great.

I can recommend that. I recall thinking while I read it that, if my son could end up reading Fermor's books without having to stop and look up an historical reference every page or two, I'd consider him a cultured man. I'd also recommend Fitzroy MacLean's Eastern Approaches.

Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain.

Naipaul's "Among the Believers" is definitely a masterpiece of that genre. Also, definitely read the Congo forum posts series OP has linked. It is incredible, one of the most hilarious and captivating travel stories I have ever read. Took me many days to finish though.

In general I think international travel after smartphones+internet is an experience almost unrecognizably different than before. Even if you opt to somehow not use the support of these tools, entire human infrastructure and culture is structured around them in even the most backwards places imaginable so there is really no escape.

P.S. If you want something entirely different, but stil fascinating, check out "Africa Addio".

For me a lot of the historical reading about places is after I've visited, since it can serve to somewhat explain and ameliorate weird stuff or vibes I'd otherwise have been mystified by.

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