site banner
PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   1629 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for September 18, 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.

2
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

I don't think comparing people's looks accurately shows who you're drawn to, especially with these pictures which are mostly unflattering and/or edited (why don't people smile in their selfies? Even I learned to do that).

Around the turn of the millennium there was an excel sheet-like thing doing the rounds which had female celebrities and you did a series of "A or B?" comparisons. I recall it worked rather better than that site.

Wow, that's a throwback. I remember it well: https://i.imgur.com/Mfi0opF.png

My teenage self modified it, turning it from a 64 girl bracket into a 1024 girl bracket. https://i.imgur.com/4uDaDVQ.png

Many an hour was spent learning my taste.

Relevant Wikipedia pages:

why don't people smile in their selfies? Even I learned to do that

It can be surprisingly hard to force a smile when 1) you can't see yourself and 2) you need to look towards a specific unnatural spot.

That's interesting, are we more likely to smile if we can see ourselves? I think in my case the smile I can summon that I think looks smiley is not at all my natural smile, though it may seem to be for the untutored (fortunate) who don't know me well. I've even had people remark at photos I thought were good: "I hate your fake smile."

My real smile--my genuine one--I think makes me look like an idiot.

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