Strange question, huh? "Was ketchup once living?" was one question that sparked a furious debate at my lunch table. The very lively debate had one person who disagreed, and three who tried to prove the statement.
But, why argue about something so stupid? Why not have a debate over...ethics in politics or whether or not we should drill for oil in Alaska. This strange debate made me wonder why we would care so much about determining something useless, like say, the liveliness of condiments.
Okay, it was an interesting debate afterall. The Pro-Lifers (of ketchup) explained that ketchup came from tomatoes and tomatoes are biologically living things. Tomatoes are "living" and therefore, ketchup once was livin. The Skeptic said that since ketchup is not the same as tomatoes, being that it is in another highly processed form, it cannot be called "living" at all. Ketchup is a paste that was never living in this view.
It may have been entertaining to debate, but I wonder why we waste time on such a silly topic when there are more important things that can be argued about. Have we progressed to such a uncaring society that we only care to talk for entertainment, not enlightenment? Where are we going from here then? Think about this the next time you debate with friends over bigfoot being an illegal immigrant or whether a tree falling in a forest with nobody around makes a sound.
Most dialogue in modern society is totally irrelevant. Bummer, eh?
(if you can't see the fnords they won't eat you)
Well, tomatoes are only the fruit designed to spread the seed of tomato plants, so they're not really living in and of themselves.
I talked about sexual assault tonight, if it makes you feel any better. One of our professor's wife works at the local hospital, and wants to start a program at our school where they train college students to go to high schools and talk about sexual assault.
~C
Visit my blog.
To be completely honest...
I would rather know people that debate about the liveliness of Ketchup (or Catsup depending on who you're talking to) than people who don't debate at all. I have known so many people in my life (I've dated most of them, incidentally) who are so devoid of any intelligence that they just have nothing to debate about. They have no opinions or points of view on anything. I have tried so many times to spark debate with room mates, friends, parents, or co-workers, just to have them quickly change the topic to something mind-numbingly irrelevant.
Well...okay...it may not be an intelligence issue...but you get the point.
Debate of any kind is a good thing. It helps you find out more about people. Even if your debating over something like, "Which is better? Star Wars or Star Trek?" at least in having the debate you're finding out how people react in a situation where they have to use their brains to formulate a response based on opinions, points of view, or upbringing. Now, needless to say, these debates aren't going to solve anything like world hunger or the fact that America is fighting a pointless war...But at least you're having a semi-intelligent conversation and not chatting about Paris and why she got sentenced to jail time...besides...I'm sure James T Kirk would approve!
MM
While I love love love the serious debates, the occasional lighthearted or nonsensical debate never hurt anyone either. As someone mentioned in a previous comment, it's better to debate even the things like ketchup than to not attempt at all. You can learn a lot about thinking for yourself even when the subject isn't serious.
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley
"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." -Gandhi
Wow, I'm so glad for the comments everybody! You all had great points to make.
I think I now realize that most of you were right in saying: "Tis better to debate about the stupid, then not to debate at all". At least, that's how that dork Shakespeare would've quoted you...ok, I'm way off track here.
Debating can be fun. It can be about nonsense. I though it'd be more important to talk about the serious issues, but now I realize that debate doesn't have to center on why celebrities are bad role models, or who's right in the controversy over stem cell research, or how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie-pop. Sometimes, debating for the sake of debating can be pretty darn fun.
Plus, it makes that last ten minutes of lunch go by pretty fast.
That's what this site is all about in my opinion. It doesn't really matter what you're debating about as long as you're opening your mind to new ideas and are doing it in an intelligent way.
Kudos to you for being able to have your own opinions but realizing that they can be influenced as well.
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"I'll be in my office...There's a lot of porn piling up on the internet...It doesn't just download itself!"
---Gregory House...My idol---
MM
I would have to agree with every one else that said it's better to hear about a debate over something seemingly stupid than to never hear a debate at all.
Debate helps people to learn to control their emotional reactions, and hone their critical thinking. It also helps to show them any flaws in their thought processes - something that is critical in my opinion.
Plus, sometimes, I like these light-hearted debates that help to take our mind off the worries and woes of the world. I mean, things like political ethics are important and we should all have at least a basic understanding of them, but we could also use a break from this every once in a while.
:)
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"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/fanaile-essence
I wish I have friends who would debate little stupid things with me. My friends always tell me to shut up when I bring some light debate onto the table. They do not want to argue unless they know they can win the argument...or when they have a lot of people who agree with them. Sometimes I view them as being a coward and cannot stand up on their own. They're afraid of losing and rejections, which is a little bit ridiculous. How are they going to accomplish anything great without risks?
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http://www.mylot.com/?ref=truelife
I hate to say this, but it seems you need some new friends. Or at least some who share your interests, even if it's debating stupid stuff.
Risks can be important to social and economic growth. You know that. Now let THEM know that!