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PaperclipPerfector  7mo ago (text post)   2925 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for September 8, 2023

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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Anyone playing Starfield?

Not yet. With Bethesda games, I usually buy the Game of the Year edition on sale on Steam, which makes me unfashionably late to any relevant discussions. I like Bethesda games, but I don't love them. Just not a huge fan of FPS/RPG hybrids. I'm still waiting for the GOTY edition of Cyberpunk 2077.

At least it isn't the usual Elder Scrolls or Fallout. I haven't played No Man's Sky or Elite Dangerous or Star Citizen, so I don't have strong opinions on space games. Other than Star Citizen being an absolute shitshow behind the scenes. Holy smokes.

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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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