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PaperclipPerfector  11d ago (text post)   2265 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for November 22, 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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hugbox incoming

I just want to say: I appreciate you guys. I spend so much time in this place that I sometimes forget what an aberration it is compared to the rest of the internet, by virtue of being a space which encourages honest good-faith discussion and penalises juvenile name-calling and consensus-building. Occasionally I'll step out into the wider world and be reminded of how unusual the Motte is in this regard. I got into an argument about JK Rowling on Facebook this evening with some dude I don't know, and after a couple of backs-and-forth he announced that, from that point on, any additional comment I posted would result in his estimation of my IQ decreasing by 5 points. I made a few additional points, and to each one he responded with the same comment - just "-5", over and over again.

"-5"

"-5"

"-5"

Such a bizarre way to behave. The NPC/Soyjak meme didn't come out of nowhere - people like that really exist. As good a reason as any to redouble my efforts not to get into arguments with strangers on the Internet, or at least not with strangers incapable of comporting themselves like adults. As bad as some people might find this place (particularly people whose opinions go against the local norms), I find it impossible to imagine someone here refusing to engage and simply taunting their opponent by robotically posting "-5" ad nauseum. And not even because the mods would put a stop to such immature conduct pretty quickly - I just think it wouldn't happen, full stop.

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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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