site banner
PaperclipPerfector  18hr ago (text post)   648 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for September 6, 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.

Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

The USS Lincoln is currently in Thailand after 9 months at sea. My small question on this is whether Thailand just made logistical sense to stop in or is this basically Hegseth deciding to dump 5k sailors in Thailand and its world renowned red-light district and therefore sort of culture war. I don’t think I could see a Dem administration doing the same thing because it’s basically asking for “toxic masculinity” behavior.

I am curious what the total party tab would be. 5k sailors with all their pay saved up for 9 months. $4k average spend sound right? Or $20 million. I guess burning man is going on right now but if I was choosing a party right now I think I’d go with Thailand and 5k soldiers who haven’t been off a boat for 9 months as the more lit party to attend.

I'm not sure how dumping 5,000 soldiers in the ladyboy capital of the world squares with Hegseth's desire to MAMA (Make the Armed forces Macho Again).

On the other hand, going to Thailand and not shagging a ladyboy is like going to Turkey and not eating a fuckin kebab, so who knows. (Link is extremely NSFW.)

Luckily I think I've seen that link before because I can't stomach visiting efukt anymore.

It always starts with a link to one of the funnier videos, like here, then I click around and watch a few more, and then in not much time at all I end up seeing something that can't be waved away with standard issue detached internet irony. It's too bleak.

There are of course Kathoey in Bangkok, Pattaya, etc., but there are also thousands of actual females from the countryside peddling ass in the tourist areas. There's no contradiction here.

Ya two people mentioned the lady boys. But honestly I thought this was also known for loose women.

I got pagan vibes of soldiers having a lot of sexual conquests/rape posts war. Which is the bit of culture war here. At times it seems like the modern right is moving in a pagan direction and the modern left feels like a posts-Christian but still Christian cult.

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