site banner
PaperclipPerfector  5d ago (text post)   3060 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for October 25, 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.

2
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

His wife, on their wedding night, refuses him, knees him in the testicles, and makes clear she will never sleep with him. And it's very confusing to me why he doesn't rape her, or at least consider it and give a reason why he can't.

Here's how I understood it. Although Jezal is lackadaisical, he is good at reading people and social situations. (Proof: his excellent reading of his poker opponents.) He correctly understands that he was propelled to a position way above his social station, and that he has no real power or political backing. He also correctly understands that his wife, on the other hand, at the level of her social station as the queen, and that she does have actual political backing (certainly from her far-away royal family, possibly from other local aristocrats sharing her views). Therefore, when she forcefully insists that their marriage remain a political arrangement without sexual intercourse, he acquiesces.

This is not a dumb thing to do. If Jezal were to force himself on the queen as his wive, he cannot undo that act. If in fact it turns out that she has the power to retaliate, that's it. Not consummating the marriage has consequences (Jezal looks weak and ineffectual as a king), but he indeed is weak and ineffectual as a king, and it's up to the people who have a stake at keeping him on the throne to take care of that. Which is exactly what happens.

He also correctly understands that his wife, on the other hand, at the level of her social station as the queen, and that she does have actual political backing (certainly from her far-away royal family, possibly from other local aristocrats sharing her views).

That is a great example of poorly written patriarchy. She would never act this way, because no one would support her in it. Her father would be in favor of her being forced to do her duty. There's no way anyone is taking her side here. And if the fear is that she'll have him assassinated, the best way to protect yourself from that is to get a child on her.

Like, I get that there is an explanation for it, I just found the explanation so poor that it ruined the book for me.

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