site banner
PaperclipPerfector  13d ago (text post)   2644 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for December 8, 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.

1
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Why did Hunter Biden have a tattoo of Finger Lakes on his back? Is it really a nexus of missing children reports? Is it true that “Leylines” cross over them? What are those? Does Hunter know this?

I decided to Google "ley lines" after realizing I've seen the term used in various fantasy works but never knew where it came from. Turns out the term was invented in the 1920's by a guy who realized that if you look at a map of Britain with lots of historic sites marked on it, it's possible to draw several straight lines that intersect multiple sites each. The original guy thought these lines were ancient trade routes, despite often going straight across difficult terrain, and including sites from totally different historic eras, so naturally this idea didn't really catch on. Then in the 1960's people picked up this concept, connected it to all sorts of stuff like alien landing guides and the ancient Chinese concept of qi energy flowing through the landscape, and now you have modern woo.

So to answer your other question, whether any ley lines intersect at the Finger Lakes depends entirely on who drew the lines and what landmarks they felt like connecting, or in other words it's all made up and the rules don't matter.

No idea, no, maybe, no idea, the point is moot.

After a single search, I can amend that first answer to “family roots.” Like ever other bit of trashiness in his life, that’s filtered through being rich.

Do other trashy residents of the finger lakes region identify with them? It seems the Iroquois may have, but I’m unsure how they conceptualized it. I’ve heard of Americans being proud of cities, counties, states, but not this broad yet particular geographical grouping. Do finger lakes people feel a rooted kinship like, maybe, those of Appalachia?

Finger Lakes is a pretty cohesive region, and has a decently well developed local identity. Firmly upstate NY, classier than the outlying areas, less depressed than Syracuse, not as isolated/Canadian as Buffalo.

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