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PaperclipPerfector  6d ago (text post)   1977 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for September 13, 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.

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It looks like they finally disabled old.reddit, which was the only thing keeping it usable (sidebar features, the comments feed, etc.)

Still working here?

Working here again now after a few hours of "whoopsie you broke reddit uwu" error messages

I'm already a pretty infrequent visitor, but will certainly reduce that to near zero if/when they pull the plug -- I imagine they are aware of the number of such users, but may not care.

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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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