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PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   570 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for March 6, 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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This fun map displays the 28 European and Middle Eastern territorial issues that the players are called on to settle in the board game Versailles 1919 (1 2). (The game also includes nine African and Pacific territorial issues that do not fit conveniently on a map, as well as 16 non-territorial issues that cannot be shown on a map at all, for a total of 53 issues.)

This game does not allow the players to dismember Germany, but it does allow them to smother Turkey, Yugoslavia, and Intermarium in their respective cradles.

Why is it sideways?

The map is rotated 50 degrees counterclockwise so that it fits the relevant territories neatly into a rectangle without including a bunch of extraneous land in the upper right and lower left corners.

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.


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