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PaperclipPerfector  20hr ago (text post)   783 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for September 25, 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.

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I'm sure there are much worse man-made horrors on the internet now (that I'm able to avoid because I only use about 6 websites and no social media), but like you I've done a remarkable job of avoiding the older internet horrors that were commonplace prior to 2015 or so.

I learned my lesson with Goatse and Lemon Party. In hindsight those were good inoculation against the Real Horrors of the internet.

I learned my lesson with Goatse

Stare into that abyss, and that abyss also stares into you.

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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.


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