site banner
PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   1176 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for April 17, 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.

1
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

If you had a time machine, what would be your pettiest reason to use it?

I would get F.R. Hassler to adjust the US customary weights and measures so that an inch is exactly 25mm, a pound is exactly 480g and a pint is exactly 480ml. The pound would be the largest adjustment, but the US can afford to have the bigliest pound and no distinction between dry and fluid ounces.

I would go forward in time to learn about the ultimate outcomes of ongoing geopolitical events and then use that knowledge to continually be 100% correct about everything during geopolitical debates on this niche forum I post on anonymously.

Whenever someone makes a bold but correct prediction, I'd sarcastically counter with an even bolder, even more correct prediction.

"Oh, you think the Supreme Court will overturn Roe? What's next? Trump will get re-elected and launch a one-day invasion of Venezuela to capture Nicolás Maduro?"

To throw off suspicion, you could even get things wrong from time to time.

"It's not like Europe is going to be holding military exercises in Greenland out of fear of the United States, or something."

"It's not like Europe is going to be holding military exercises in Greenland out of fear of the United States, or something."

cough.

thatsthejoke.jpg

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