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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   1672 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for May 17, 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.

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What kinds of pets do you all have? And why are dogs the best?

Aesthetically I prefer cats. Biologically I'm allergic to cats (and allegedly anti-allergic sphinx cats are ugly, the furriness is the whole point of a cat). Preferentially, I don't want to nurture and care for anyone who will never learn to remove their own shit or hold up their end of a conversation.

It's not the cat or even the dander you're allergic to. It's the protein Fel d 1 in the cat's saliva that is transferred to their fur/skin when they groom themselves. Some cat food companies claim to make a kibble that supposedly has anti Fel D 1 antibodies, creating hypoallergenic cats. I have no idea to what degree this works. This won't help with the shit removal or improve the conversation. (Though my black cat will talk to me if I cough.)

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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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