site banner
PaperclipPerfector  2mo ago (text post)   3105 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for February 16, 2024

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.

2
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

To what extent do you conform to cultural or ethnic stereotypes of your people?

A lot in some ways, less so in others. I think much of this is part of social class, actually, and because I am from the Southern US--if you believe writers like Nancy Isenberg--we are all reprobate chawbacons with prole collars whose tastes define the term "lowbrow."

I am a white dude, though growing up my friends called me hispanic as a kind of jokey epithet because I am olive-skinned like my mother and probably got that from something something Native Merican. They always said Cherokee but I have my doubts because everyone says Cherokee. So anyway White Southern (US) Male.

I was raised united methodist but eventually went to a Southern Baptist church then later a Catholic church, both of the above because of females.

In the a lot category:

  • I like grits, as well as the usual southern foods like black-eyed peas, turnip or collard greens, etc. I regularly long to eat these foods and cannot because I'm far from them. (I am in Thailand on holiday at the moment and literally one hour ago bought a bag of black-eyed peas to take back to Japan.)
  • I dislike tattoos.
  • I own a bible that I took time and trouble to get, and I read it.
  • I quietly judge most people but attempt to hide this.
  • I wear jeans a lot, though the T-shirt jeans and sneakers look I try to avoid.
  • I enjoy drinking beer and don't really care how poor quality it is. I will drink it if it is there and cold and I have someone to drink with, though the latter part is not a requirement.
  • I own a blue blazer and wear it often. With khakis.
  • I wear neckties often and see no inconvenience at all in doing so.
  • I have short hair and wear it probably conservatively.
  • I am somewhat homophobic in that I become uncomfortable if I think a gay man is showing indicators of interest towards me. Ditto if I am touched by a gay dude in that way. This does not happen often at all, which suggests it is some hang-up I have.
  • Lesbians annoy me. Not always though.
  • I like action movies and watch them regularly, more than once.
  • I like almost everything about women, who endlessly fascinate me. They also annoy the shit out of me (not just the lesbians).
  • I am probably trans-phobic as used in the popular sense. To be specific I suspect being trans is a kind of pathology, which if harmless doesn't bother me, people should be free, yes? But currently the trans thing drives me up the wall and if I were in the US many people would write me off as bigoted (Though I do not feel I am--I much prefer dealing with individuals instead of conceptualizing big groups.)
  • My wife is Asian (Japanese.) <- This is only stereotypical in that some white women in particular will scoff.

In the not so much category:

  • I listen to classical music, including opera. My music tastes in general aren't very dudebro. One old girlfriend looked at my CD collection and said "This is chick music." She often put on that kind of cool girl affect. But she wasn't wrong. (Sadé's greatest hits was one such CD if you're wondering, which you probably aren't.)
  • I read a lot of fiction, and not just Jack Reacher formulaic fiction, though I do read that, too. (I have a lot of commute time for reading.)
  • I am in no way overweight and probably relatively fit, at an age when my peers are all fatasses with beer bellies. (But good people, probably, in ways.)
  • I read poetry.
  • I don't get into fights, even when I probably should.
  • When home, I am the one cooking 5 out of 7 dinners during the week, as well as doing the washing up and various other domestic tasks. I * see no problem with this and think I do things well. (My wife would be laughing to read the last sentence there.)
  • I have hazel eyes which I think biologically I should not, according to my high school biology teacher. But he was a degenerate and probably going on what is now considered a dated view of genetics.)
  • I enjoy reading The Motte.
  • I live in Japan.

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