site banner
PaperclipPerfector  14hr ago (text post)   636 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for August 14, 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.

Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

I’m pretty sure individuals used to offer rooms more, too. Some of the quirks of Remains of the Day come from the butler protagonist staying at various private homes which operate more like a bed and breakfast. This is as he’s making a multi-day trip across…England.

So... AirBnBs?

Yes, but with a particularly gormless, class-driven sort of trust.

It occurred to me the other day that there might well be people who don't know what "BnB" in the name "Airbnb" means.

It’s a dumb term since I’ve never heard of an AirBnB providing breakfast, if it did it would just be a small hotel (or, indeed, a bnb).

My sister went to one out in the New Mexico desert that did.

Unusual, yes, but the exceptions can be amazing. We stayed in an AirBnB in a small town in the middle of Missouri (pop. >5000), where the couple rented out three bedrooms of their enormous farmhouse, and everyone was expected to a shared sit-down breakfast of bacon, sausages, fried potatoes, and fresh-baked bread.

That's just a regular BnB.

I think initially the model was something like couchsurfing but for money. So you literally were supposed to stay at someone's house while it's being occupied as a temporary roommate, in which case sharing the breakfast is only polite. Of course, once it took off it basically turned into less-regulated apartments for (short-term) rent. And now it's just differently-regulated apartments for rent.

The BnB made more sense when people were renting out rooms in their apartment. I know someone renting out rooms in his place in LaTam and well he does provide espresso and usually a weekly barbecue. His dad died and inherited some money so he’s building a new house, but his existing residence his dream is to raise his prices and offer more. The issue is Airbnb people filter out shared spaces and I think it’s hard to raise prices to even equivalent of a standard 1br with kitchen. Not really sure how you would market it but he wants to go more towards I guess the bed and breakfast model.

I once stayed in an Airbnb where the host provided coffee and freshly baked scones every morning, probably the nicest Airbnb I've ever stayed in. But in general, you're right.

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