site banner
PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   1126 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for May 22, 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.

Edinburgh has to be my favorite city in the UK, with Manchester lagging behind in second place.

London? I've warmed to it considerably since my first visit in 2022, but I've also cooled on the prices. There's no way I'm going to spend that much money on rent and general expenses, particularly in a profession with little scope for geographical arbitrage.

Edinburgh strikes a nice balance. It's got good vibes, plenty of places to see or things to do. I mean, I'm not actually going to do any of those things, but it's the thought that counts. I suspect that I'm biased towards Manchester because I have family there, its not that remarkable. It's clearly not in the same league as London, it's just reasonably priced and not a complete snooze-fest.

Glasgow? Bruh. There's something in the air. A faint stink of rot (which might well be literal). The day I was in Glasgow probably increased the average mood when considering the population average, and I'm depressed. It just feels wrong, and I was in the nicer parts, staying in a fancy hotel. I didn't feel physically unsafe (I've been in some shady places for reasons I'd rather not get into, thanks), but it's gloomy and lacks the architectural charm of Edinburgh. I've only felt as utterly disappointed by a city when I visited Aberdeen, and that's so far north you run into polar bears.

In contrast, Edinburgh rents are reasonable, it's got a cultural scene that I could get into, in theory (it hosts ACX meetups!), and it's not super expensive. I could see myself living there, modulo futures where I do settle down in the UK.

Last time (December 2002) I was in Edinburgh I was with my mother on my birthday. We were staying in a hotel with a plano bar across the street.

After she went back to the hotel, I got drunker and went home with a woman I'd met at the bar.

After she went back to the hotel, I got drunker and went home with a woman I'd met at the bar.

I wish to imagine that by "home" you mean that you abandoned your poor, elderly mother and replaced her with a newer model. Not a step-mom, but the mom that stepped out of her pants.

Fellas, this is what watching too much porn does to a mf. Take notes. No, you're not supposed to be taking notes about me, I'm a psychiatrist, I got that handled.

It was a little porny, but not that genre.

I was tired, having driven from London that day. My not yet elderly mother had gone to the piano bar on her own.

I was awakened by a knocking at my door by two women I didn't recognize. They explained they'd met my mother who had told them about me who was alone alone in my room across the street on my birthday. My first thought, was that my mother got me prostitutes for my birthday. I accompanied them across the street to the bar, and then back to hers. They weren't prostitutes, school teachers.

I'm sorry man, but you've left me dazed and bemused. Why doesn't my mom ever do something this nice for me? Best she's done so far is send along arranged marriage proposals, and not directly to my bedroom.

It was the only time, though she was very friendly and a bit maudlin when she'd drink.

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