site banner
PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   2748 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for August 13, 2023

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.

3
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

If beautiful women want to wear string bikinis and thongs and allow me to gawk at them (slyly), I can only full-throatedly endorse their decision.

I actually don’t find much of a difference in seeing women dressed in tight, skin-showing dresses vs seeing women in thong bikinis. Either way, they’re still incredibly desirable.

If you’re gawking (slyly), what happens after five drinks?

Part of what made the situation feel so scandalous to me was that so many of us were married or otherwise spoken for.

I'd probably go hang out with my male friends and commiserate about how it's both a blessing and a curse to be in such a situation. I also don't think there's anything wrong/socially inappropriate with remarking upon a woman's body if she's decided to wear minimal clothing. As long as it's done in a joking/non-creepy way. Something like, "GodDAMN Jill, have you been working out?!" This allows you to address the obvious: that there is a woman who your brainstem wants to have sex with, but your frontal cortex knows you cannot.

I'm going to find myself in this situation this weekend, so maybe I can report back my findings.

GodDAMN Jill, have you been working out?!"

That is creepy/gross to say unless you guys are very close friends, IME. Of course, my experience might not be the norm. You can compliment the clothing - say "Cool bikini" - but not her body.

I disagree. Just don’t say it in a creepy/gross way.

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