site banner
PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   1542 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for October 23, 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.

I try to find new music on youtube. Find songs I like. I add them on a spotify playlist. Realize I don't like listening to them that much.

There is a class of songs that hit really well when I'm watching the singer, but fall off significantly without a visual aspect. One of the best examples of this is a singer "dax" on youtube. A dozen music videos I enjoy watching and listening to. But as soon as my eyes wander, or i listen to him without visuals he immediately loses my interest. I don't even like rap as a genre that much, but he is visually interesting.

I'm wondering how to find the opposite. Super listenable, but no good music video for discoverability. I haven't liked most of spotify's discoverability.

My MIL goes to lots of classical music concerts and is just fine in the nosebleeds as long as the acoustics are fine. I am not, because for me watching the performers is half the pleasure. I must watch their faces and their hands, and only the front rows of the stalls are good enough for me.

Like, try listening to this without watching the video. It's still great, but the video doubles my enjoyment.

No idea how people can enjoy going to one of these stadium-sized concerts.

No idea how people can enjoy going to one of these stadium-sized concerts.

You spend half the time just staring at a screen, you might as well be watching it on the telly.

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