site banner
PaperclipPerfector  4mo ago (text post)   3685 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 7, 2024

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.

4
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

I spent 11 hours trapped in Istanbul airport because of a flight delay. I think I've walked a couple of marathons by now. And observed enough airport logistics to feel qualified to propose improvements.

Anyways, I feel that the whole experience of flying is amazing and shitty at the same time. I can literally be in another continent in less than 24 hours, but this isn't the peak of what humanity can accomplish right?

How would you improve the airport experience?

I spent about that long trapped in Istanbul with a flight delay, and since it was daylight hours and I was young and stupid, I had an entire adventure in the city with no map, phone, or plan. I took a train/subway by myself for the first time! Crossed the Bosphorus! (by accident) Found a tourist friendly shopping district! Ate Turkish delight! It would have been improved by a public transportation tourism map.

I also spent a night under the care of the Dubai airport, and they actually have a special bus tour for the occasion at no extra cost, which also runs during the night. I stuck my hand in the sea! Saw a hotel with a shark aquarium and fancy escorts! Listened to an announcer describe the city! Saw the tallest building out the window! That was a major improvement on the "letting naive American girls loose on the city" strategy.

Istanbul

You did the right thing lol. Istanbul is a great city (for tourists) with great food. Hope you didn't eat at the airport.

Dubai

I live in Dubai, so I never really saw it from a tourists pov, but yeah they do have many end-end services for tourists for things such as flight delays, etc are really smooth. Dubai does many things wrong, but its airport isn't one of them, its always a smooth experience.

Both IST and DXB are in very safe cities and there is nothing to worry about even if you are a "naive" American woman. If you know how to watch your back in NYC or Philly, you can in most cities.

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