site banner
PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   2993 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for July 28, 2023

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.

Took my daughter to the beach for the first time. She was so excited to go, for about two weeks prior she was playing pretend in a cardboard box that she was going on vacation. It was just a single night, and she about had her fill of the beach during it. But the first four hours we spent there, watching her get bolder and bolder in the ocean definitely made my year. At first when a wave just barely touched her toes she run away, then she got bolder and bolder. By the end she was hanging onto me in her floaties getting splashed by some pretty big waves, having a great time. Then a wave would really get her good and she'd cry that she wanted to back to the beach. 30 seconds later she was ready for more.

Hearing her say "My big strong daddy will keep me safe in the waves" melted my heart.

Hearing her say "My big strong daddy will keep me safe in the waves" melted my heart.

That’s adorable, hope your family remembers this trip. Though if my daughter told me this, I’d immediately imagine anxious uncontrollable scenarios where this wouldn’t be the case, breaking my heart and my daughter’s (and wife’s!) faith in me.

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