site banner
PaperclipPerfector  10mo ago (text post)   3519 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for January 19, 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.

3
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

It’s funny, but this greentext is my favorite meme of all time. I think about it probably once a day, and I’ve never really owned a dog. To me there’s just an overwhelming sense, when looking at it, that life is what you make of it. Is he happy to see you, or is he a smug piece of shit taunting you for having to work all day? You can’t ask him*, you have to decide that for yourself.

* Yes I’m aware we kind of know why dogs ‘smile’, but it’s not the point.

This is my favorite meme that i cant talk about in real life. Somehow, the slur is absolutely essential to why its funny

It’s just so profound, I’m not even kidding I think there’s genuine depth to it. It’s about the owner, it’s about whether life’s one big joke played on you or by you, it’s about rationalism and versus empiricism, about the meaning of experience, so many of the big questions are encapsulated within it. And now I get home from work and the first thing I say is “every fucking day. Every single fucking day”, and I can’t stop laughing. It’s sad and hilarious, it’s cynical and yet also life affirming. I could write an essay on it. Maybe one day I will.

My neighbors have a Great Pyrenees who'll watch us walk by from his window. For the longest time, I just thought he had a big, lovable goofball face, one that implied a permanent smile. Until I walked by once his owners had been gone for a whole day.

That creature was perfectly capable of looking sad. Absolutely gut-wrenchingly mournful. Every other day, he just chose not to.

That's a.. very different takeaway from the meme than I think the author intended, and not at all what I expected heh.

Though perhaps my opinions are skewed by dog ownership. Yeah, life involves a lot of ambiguity, and we're not guaranteed answers till we're dead, and then the answer is no.

Yes I’m aware we kind of know why dogs ‘smile’, but it’s not the point.

They smile because they're happy to see you. Anyone who claims otherwise is an agent of the cats!

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