site banner
PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   1232 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for April 19, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

1
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

I've discovered that my son's friend group, a wide assortment of several dozen boys aged 13-15 across a few towns, have been liberally using the words chud, cuck, and kike. Importantly, and concerningly, none of them know what those words mean. When I overheard the lingo, I sat the boy down and explained cuck and kike, and particularly how he should never let a teacher or other authority figure hear him using kike, and avoid being recorded doing so if reasonably possible (not the end of the world, his mother is Jewish).

But I was at a bit of a loss to explain "chud" without tediously lecturing about the last decade of deep-in-the-weeds political fights on twitter. They call each other "big, stinky chud", which seems to roughly cash out as "sweaty lacrosse player". He relayed a story to me where one close friend's older brother was caught using the term by his mother, an educated woman in her own right who is married to a very successful lawyer. He told her it meant "cool guy", and now she's using it with that intended meaning.

Imagine Mrs. FiveHourMarathon calling all her nephews "chuds" because she thinks that it's a cute kid phrase like 6-7 or aura.

Any advice for how to concisely explain the concept?

In France French coullion means a vulgarity approximating ‘fellow-motorist’, but in Cajun it is an endearing term for a fool.

This process is extremely common in the world’s languages. See also ‘nigga’. Sounds like it’s well underway.

he should never let a teacher or other authority figure hear him using kike, and avoid being recorded doing so if reasonably possible

Or he could avoid using the slur around anyone.

That would probably be ideal, and he does adhere to that standard regarding certain other common terms after I explained the socio-political dynamics. But those words do serve a role in ingroup-bonding-via-shared-transgression-of-social-norms, so if he was going to use one, it probably ought to be the one he can claim as "our word".

Why is my wife catching strays?

Isn't this just the natural process for any slang term?

Sorry! It just seemed like a succinct way to describe to the regular Mottizan the social class of the mom from the story. No stray or slight was intended, and it was only after someone reached out to ask if I was an alt of yours that I realized that might have been overly familiar - at which point it had already been quote replied.

Oh no offense taken, it was just very funny to me that I've mentioned Mrs. FiveHour enough that she's a recognizable side character.

I think "chud" and "chad" have started to merge in current usage to some extent, such that the term chud is now more like an endearing, jokey insult. It reminds me of how millennial boys would refer to ourselves and our friends as "assholes" in a positive way. Also reminds me of how the connotations of the word "dude" shifted in the past.

… Is there something I’m missing here? “Chud” is the name of the dude in the “Nothing Ever Happens” meme.

I know language evolves but it seems it’s gotten ahead of even me today. Couple years ago I had to explain to my uncle that “cornhole” does not mean what he thinks it means.

I can only imagine trying to explain things to his generation today.

Back when the Chapo Trap House subreddit still existed, they'd practically never shut up about "MAGA chuds" = overtly anti-feminist male commenters anywhere, basically.

have been liberally using the words chud, cuck, and kike. Importantly, and concerningly, none of them know what those words mean

A friend of mine recently asked me what "gabbagool" means, because he's apparently been saying it in public, along with other words he picked up from the Sopranos.

Fortunately he didn't say any slurs or anything too terrible (like moolie or fanook). Gabbagool is a thinly sliced cured pork sausage but, incredibly for dick shaped food it has no vulgar connotations in Italian. They just love eating it on the show.

A friend of mine recently asked me what "gabbagool" means, because he's apparently been saying it in public, along with other words he picked up from the Sopranos.

Reminds me of the GOAT.

lol. what a king.

Importantly, and concerningly, none of them know what those words mean.

How do I tell you.... I also told my mom that I was just repeating bad words I heard from my older cousin when her friend overheard me swearing like a sailor on the beach at 14 and then decided to call my mom and tell her about it.

But I was at a bit of a loss to explain "chud" without tediously lecturing about the last decade of deep-in-the-weeds political fights on twitter.

The rough meaning for "chud" these days is just someone who is a loser by whatever metric is used to make that conclusion... "Bro you're such a chud, all you do is play video games!"

I also somehow doubt they actually don't know what those words mean.

I believe my son knows that he can tell me, and that I'll focus on doing my best to help him navigate the full breadth of social elements, including both "bro talk on xbox" and also "not catching a video that will make you unemployable". So I believe that he himself did not know the meaning, and judging by the group calls I overhear, I'm pretty sure his friends don't either beyond "insulting bad word".

Take that for what it's worth, meaning "I say that I believe that I think that he doesn't understand."

Is it? When somebody says Chud I picture Big Lez and picture somebody who's like cartoonish boomer stereotype more than a loser perse.

Once the word entered the mainstream, its meaning got watered down to be digestible for normies. Even a year ago the meaning was a bit different, but now it's just a synonym for 'loser'

The origin is literal sewer-dwelling monsters, though the movie's not really appropriate for <15-year-olds (and worse, not even entertainingly bad). The modern meaning is just very bad ugly dumb right-winger, there's really nothing deep going on there.

"chud is an acronym. It stands for cannibalistic humanoid underground dweller, from the name of a group of such monsters in a really old horror movie. Calling someone a Chud is calling them a subhuman monster."

I'm sure most people here are aware of it, but in modern parlance it first gained popularity in response to that neo-Nazi Walmart mass shooter who was depicted as "chudjak". "Chud" wasn't used much before then.

/images/17767019302056828.webp

Imagine Mrs. FiveHourMarathon calling all her nephews "chuds" because she thinks that it's a cute kid phrase like 6-7 or aura

Unintentionally accurate to call a group of rambunctious and kinda dumb (in the way all boys are kinda dumb once you have a pack of them) boys chuds.

IMO, it can be treated as a rough synonym of "troglodyte"/"trog", but with added right-wing connotations.

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