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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   1244 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for February 27, 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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Perhaps this is cringe to post, but oh well. Given the site’s recent instability, the prevalence of bots and “dead internet” theory, as well as the general psychic toll of following the news, it has me thinking of trying to move more towards point-to-point friendships and communication.

Would any Mottizens like to take me up on that? I suppose I would be happy to send letters and books, discuss book-club style readings as well as general life updates and typical friendship fare. I have no IRL friends to speak of other than my wife and toddler but am otherwise relatively normal guy based in the United States. To spare myself the embarrassment I will suggest all replies be directed to DMs unless someone would like to propose a group book club or something of that nature

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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.


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