Debatables

Old Dads

2012-01-14T11:18:00.004-05:00

Is there an age at which it becomes irresponsible or even unethical to father children?

(I ask only about fathers because I'm more interested in the argument concerning the limited amount of time that older parents are likely to have with their children, rather than the health risks associated with bearing children in one's 40s or later. Although there is some newer research on health problems in children of older fathers, there isn't nearly the amount of evidence or magnitude of effects that are found in children of older mothers. In addition, I thought of this post after reading about Bob Kerrey, a former Senator from Nebraska who's considering another run for Senate at age 68. The news story I read mentioned that his family would maintain their residence in New York because Kerrey has a 10-year old son enrolled in school there.)

Gimme an S-P-O-R-T

2011-12-27T17:05:00.001-05:00

It's an age-old question, but with the college football bowl season upon us -- and the thousands of upskirt cheerleader shots that come with it -- it seems an appropriate time for Debatables to finally ask:

Is cheerleading a sport?

Say It Ain't So, Joe (Pa)

2011-11-08T22:05:00.004-05:00

By now, we're all familiar with the awful story coming out of Penn State regarding the football program, defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, child sexual abuse, and what appears to be at best willful ignorance by those in power and at worst an intentional cover up of the crimes. Given my affiliation with Penn State (one shared by many Debatablers), I think I'm taking this story much more personally than I have any right to, and I feel even sadder about the whole thing than I might normally feel when hearing a story like this (while acknowledging that it's not a fraction of what any victims of sexual abuse and their families feel). The whole thing is just so lurid and tragic, and there are many more questions than answers for me at this point. Here are some that come to mind that we could potential address or grapple with:

Many of us who lived in State College in the early 2000s heard rumors about Sandusky abusing boys through his charity. If this information leaked down to us lowly sociology graduate students, it must have been well known throughout the Penn State community. How is it possible that it took this long for the whole thing to come to light?

Why are people so angry at Mike McQueary (the former graduate assistant and current coach who witnessed a crime and reported it to Joe Paterno)? Didn't he do the right thing, given his subordinate position in the program? Should he have gone directly to the police?

Does Joe Paterno need to step down as head coach as soon as possible? What about university president Graham Spanier?

What kind of permanent damage will this scandal do to the Penn State football program? The university? The State College community?

Should I burn all my Penn State merchandise? What about my diplomas?

Mystery Man or Naked Mom?

2011-11-02T10:40:00.002-04:00

There is a man, he's handsome, you've never met him before, and you will never see him again. No one will ever know you've met him.

Would you rather:

Make out with this man for 30 minutes

OR

Have an hour-long conversation with your mother during which both of you are 100% naked?

(This debatable was contributed by new Debatables reader, Fightin' Bob.)

Need something to Occupy my time.

2011-10-18T17:23:00.003-04:00

Occupy protests have now spread to over 100 US cities and to 82 countries throughout the world (According to the Occupy Wall Street website). The movement claims to represent the bottom 99% of income earners who believe they lack any political power compared to the extremely wealthy 1% with a goal of restoring democracy to America.

Will this tactic work? What is the end goal?

How long will this last?

Are protests more powerful now that we have social networking to aid in the organization? Do we need physical protests or can it be completely digitized?

Better Singer?

2011-10-08T13:34:00.003-04:00

Who is the better singer?

Lennon or McCartney?

Rufus Wainwright or Jeff Buckley?

The Temptations or The Polyphonic Spree?

Dylan or Tom Waits?

Kurt Cobain or Elliott Smith?

Aretha Franklin or Loretta Lynn?

Al Green or Rod Stewart?

Thom Yorke or Bon Iver?

How Much for the White House?

2011-09-02T09:31:00.003-04:00

One of my students asked me this question:

If the White House were put up for sale, how much would it be worth?

Yes, Mysterious Mr. M, I know it is worth exactly what someone would pay for it. My student was asking what that dollar value might be. I just thought you might have a better handle on the D.C. real estate market.

Dr. President

2011-08-29T16:06:00.003-04:00

Given the overwhelming response to the last debatable I posted, I couldn't help but follow it up with another electability question. Do you think we'll ever elect another president with a Ph.D.? (Woodrow Wilson is, of course, the only U.S. president in history to hold a doctoral degree.)

William Howard Taft VII

2011-08-15T12:00:00.001-04:00

The Democratic primary and general election of 2008 proved that minorities and women are now seen as viable candidates for president by the majority of Americans. But which type of presidential candidate do you think has better chance of being elected in the future: a person with a significant weight problem or a person with significant facial hair?

(Note: This post was inspired by a suggestion from Debatables contributer Christian.)

Fake Headlines

2011-08-12T11:33:00.001-04:00

What headlines would you love to see in the news in coming weeks?

Moose or Bear?

2011-08-03T12:17:00.004-04:00

You're in a secluded cabin in the woods in mid-summer. One morning you step out the front door of the cabin onto your porch and spot one of the following a mere 30 feet away:

1) An enormous mother moose with her two calves

2) A grizzly bear

Which would terrify you more?

Athletes & Interviews

2011-07-29T13:43:00.002-04:00

Professional and collegiate athletes tend to do two things in post-game interviews and press conferences that drive me nuts: 1) they thank God, as if he/she would give a shit about their insignificant little contest, and 2) they speak of themselves in the second person (no, not in the third person, as in "I'm the Carl Malone," but the second person, as in using "you" instead of "I" when they're clearly talking about their own actions, thoughts, etc.).

Which is more irritating, and why?

Global Kids

2011-07-26T09:59:00.004-04:00

I recently read a Newsweek article titled "How to Raise a Global Kid", which describes the way some American parents are strategically raising their kids in Chinese society to better prepare them to succeed in the global marketplace of tomorrow (or whatever).

If you had a kid and were given a subsidized year abroad for the express purpose of preparing him or her to win at life in the 2030s, where would go, and for which year of the kid's life?

The Real Obama

2011-07-18T11:35:00.004-04:00

For three years, liberals have been wringing their hands and shaking their fists over President Obama's failure to be the socialist that the GOP claims he is. No public option. No serious regulation of business. No repeal of the Bush tax cuts. No ending any wars (except superficially). No closing Gitmo. If you need more, crack open a copy of Mother Jones.

The more optimistic of the tree-huggers believe that Mr. Obama is playing some sort of Stratego-like masterstroke of political engineering to get re-elected in 2012. Others see the moderate compromiser-in-chief as The True Obama. So, which do you think? Presuming Obama is re-elected in 2012, in his second term, will he pull off his mask Mission Impossible-style and reveal his true Left-wing ideologue self?

Name Changer

2011-07-08T08:43:00.000-04:00

Recently, I met a man who had taken his wife's last name after they got married. While I support his decision intellectually, politically, and ideologically, all I could think the whole time I was talking to him is, "What a wuss." How wrong was I to think this?

Eight and Out

2011-06-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

With the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, the precedent established by George Washington of serving no more than two terms as President of the United States was written into law. In the other two branches of government, however, there are no term limits for Representatives or Senators, and Supreme Court Justices are appointed for life.

Why should presidents only serve for eight years? Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

World Champions?

2011-06-17T18:09:00.002-04:00

After their victory last Sunday in the NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks were proclaimed "world champions" by journalists around the country. The Green Bay Packers new Super Bowl rings likewise claim world champion status. By virtue of playing a set of games called the World Series, Major League Baseball sure seems to think they're crowning a world champion.

Do these three sports leagues that are -- with the exception of two teams in Toronto -- entirely based in the United States have any right to call their best team a world champion?

It's a Major Award

2011-06-13T15:07:00.002-04:00

Last night, shortly after the Dallas Mavericks clinched the NBA championship, a video montage showed several Mavs with the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Near the end of this montage, J.J. Barea boldly stated that it is "the best trophy in the world."

This made me wonder, what is the best or most prestigious award to be won in the world? Which one would you most like to be awarded?

LBJ vs. MJ

2011-06-09T14:02:00.002-04:00

To follow-up on Shevegas's post regarding the NBA Final(s), I'll ask you a question that has been making the rounds on ESPN and sports talk radio lately:

If Michael Jordan (in his prime) played LeBron James (current version) in one-on-one basketball, who would win?

(For the sake of this debatable, let's say they played a best-of-seven series with each game to 25 points by 3's and 2's. Loser's outs, i.e. no make-it-take-it, which I think could make a difference.)

Language Pricks: NBA/NHL Final(s) Edition

2011-06-03T01:38:00.009-04:00

Given that we are currently in the midst of the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Final* it is an opportune moment to reprise the topic of egregious sports clichés, malapropisms, and solecisms. Hey Mike Breen and Pierre McGuire, I'm talking to you!

* The NBA uses the plural Finals while the NHL uses the singular Final. WTF?

Earth - Humans = ?

2011-05-20T11:18:00.004-04:00

With Judgment Day nearly upon us, it seems an appropriate time to ask the following question:

Would the Earth be a better place if humans had never inhabited it?

(Please post your answers in the next 12 hours or so, or we won't get a chance to read them.)

Lifetime Bar Tab

2011-05-12T14:45:00.001-04:00

While enjoying a beer or three with some fellow Debatablers at the Nittany Lion Inn in State College, PA several days ago, and then later with a different group at the Slowdown in Omaha, NE, the question of how much money we'd spent on alcohol in our lifetimes came up. I suggested that I might not be able to accurately estimate that within even $10,000, although others seemed surer of their guesses. So, how about you? How much do you think you've spent in bars in your lifetime? How about on alcohol in general?

(As an aside, there is one person who contributes sporadically to this blog who I know could answer this question to the penny. However, his alcohol spending total is probably under $500.)

Musical Debatable: Favorite Songs Redux

2011-04-22T13:47:00.003-04:00

Over four years ago (really), we challenged Debatablers to list their top ten songs. Most respondents started their lists with disclaimers along the lines of, "I hate this list. If I made it again two weeks from now, it would be totally different." Well, here's your chance to prove or disprove that statement. Without peeking at the original post, list your top 10 favorite songs. Then compare the extent to which your two lists overlap. What caused the differences? Shifting tastes? Exposure to new music? Falling out of love with your old choices?

Cinematic Debatable: Remakes

2011-03-15T15:30:00.000-04:00

As Hollywood runs out of original ideas and movie-goers repeatedly prove their willingness to shell out good money for recycled material, remakes of old (or even relatively new) films have become more and more common. I ask my fellow Debatablers to take a crack at any or all of the following questions about movie remakes.

1. Should movies be remade at all? If so, what is the minimum amount of time that should pass before an original movie is remade?

2. Which movies would you like to see remade? Which should never be remade?

3. What are some of the best remakes? What are some of the worst?

(In my first attempt at a formal cross-blog post, I discuss the relative merits of the original and remade versions of True Grit over at Flick Pricks.)

Celebuddies

2011-03-09T17:18:00.001-05:00

I thought I'd move Marls' query from the recent Cease and Desist debatable to a new post:

Which celebrities would you most want to hang out with?