# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=177 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 178 --- ## [When workplace and personal values clash...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-workplace-and-personal-values-clash/736181)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2015, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-workplace-and-personal-values-clash/736181 "2015-11-16T15:10:50Z")
How best should an employer ask employees to apply workplace ethical values when the employee’s personal ethical values clash? For example there may be a workplace ethical standard that says we don’t discriminate on the… --- ## [Paris is Burning](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-is-burning/737523)
**Author:** [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Replies:** 200\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2015, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-is-burning/737523 "2015-11-16T09:44:15Z")
Anyone watching the news tonight is probably shocked by this highly sophisticated attack in Paris, killing over 100 people. France has closed it borders. This is apparently the worst attack in France since WWII. As th… --- ## [License to buy alcohol](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480)
**Author:** [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2015, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-to-buy-alcohol/737480 "2015-11-16T04:33:48Z")
I believe that much like driving a car, people should be licensed in order to buy alcohol. If people can be shown to have a history of misusing the alcohol that they buy, whether personally or through their distribution… --- ## [How to dissuade a newbie Trump supporter?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dissuade-a-newbie-trump-supporter/737551)
**Author:** [@HotDogWater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HotDogWater)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [November 15, 2015, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dissuade-a-newbie-trump-supporter/737551 "2015-11-15T20:28:06Z")
I have a friend who is excited that Trump is speaking in our city soon. When she asked me if I wanted to go with her, I laughed and said “He’s an idiot”. But that’s all I had. Can someone please help me with concrete fa… --- ## [Website Outerplaces.com: Physicists Claim that Consciousness Lives in Quantum State After Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/website-outerplaces-com-physicists-claim-that-consciousness-lives-in-quantum-state-after-death/736991)
**Author:** [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Replies:** 151\ **Last updated:** [November 14, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/website-outerplaces-com-physicists-claim-that-consciousness-lives-in-quantum-state-after-death/736991 "2015-11-14T16:33:27Z")
The thread title taken from this article: http://www.outerplaces.com/science/item/4518-physicists-claim-that-consciousness-lives-in-quantum-state-after-death Some claims from the article: Im not nearly knowledgeabl… --- ## [Is there a compelling interest for race-based diversity in sports?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-compelling-interest-for-race-based-diversity-in-sports/736791)
**Author:** [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Replies:** 83\ **Last updated:** [November 14, 2015, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-compelling-interest-for-race-based-diversity-in-sports/736791 "2015-11-14T08:48:17Z")
I am an aggressive supporter of race-based AA university admissions on the grounds that race-based diversity is a worthy goal for academia. I hold that no criterion other than a consideration of self-identified race is … --- ## [If There Were Intelligent Life on Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-were-intelligent-life-on-mars/737038)
**Author:** [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [November 14, 2015, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-were-intelligent-life-on-mars/737038 "2015-11-14T05:51:03Z")
Just something I have been wondering about. I was torn between GQ and GD. Hypothetical: Both earth and Mars support life, and both planets develop intelligent life on roughly the same timescale, such that their life is … --- ## [Homeschool family not educating kids expecting rapture: what should happen in court?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeschool-family-not-educating-kids-expecting-rapture-what-should-happen-in-court/736479)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2015, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeschool-family-not-educating-kids-expecting-rapture-what-should-happen-in-court/736479 "2015-11-13T21:07:00Z")
So, from my understanding of this story: there’s this family in Texas who homeschools their kids. Back in 2005, the uncle of the kids told the school district that they weren’t learning much of anything because the pare… --- ## [Cultural Appropriation: What's Wrong With It?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultural-appropriation-whats-wrong-with-it/737271)
**Author:** [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Replies:** 132\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultural-appropriation-whats-wrong-with-it/737271 "2015-11-13T16:46:54Z")
Until recently, complaining about cultural appropriation has been mostly associated with the same small segment of the population that uses the word “intersectionality” in daily conversation and thinks that Noam Chomsky … --- ## [Fantasy Sports = Gambling ???](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-sports-gambling/737301)
**Author:** [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2015, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-sports-gambling/737301 "2015-11-13T16:30:06Z")
I don’t follow sports too much and I don’t know how fantasy sports betting works, but… How is this NOT considered gambling? They say there is skill involved. How is that different from betting on the trifecta at the K… --- ## [If the Invasion of Iraq was like the opening of Pandoras Box, are the Kurds..](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-invasion-of-iraq-was-like-the-opening-of-pandoras-box-are-the-kurds/737418)
**Author:** [@Salvor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salvor)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-invasion-of-iraq-was-like-the-opening-of-pandoras-box-are-the-kurds/737418 "2015-11-13T15:36:03Z")
Are the Kurds akin to the single ray of hope left inside? I have a mixed attitudinal history on Iraq. I was against the invasion in 2003 because I did not see the point and thought WMD was not a sufficient reason to go… --- ## [US students vs. students in other countries: A "motivation gap?"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-students-vs-students-in-other-countries-a-motivation-gap/737317)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2015, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-students-vs-students-in-other-countries-a-motivation-gap/737317 "2015-11-13T05:13:34Z")
Do American students typically lag behind students from certain other countries (think Finland, Japan, Israel, South Korea, etc.) in terms of motivation, desire to succeed academically, or willingness to push themselves … --- ## [Should long term capital gains be taxed progressively?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-long-term-capital-gains-be-taxed-progressively/737313)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2015, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-long-term-capital-gains-be-taxed-progressively/737313 "2015-11-13T01:41:26Z")
Instead of taxing long term gains at a flat rate of 15% or whatever, should these be taxed at a progressive rate? Should they be counted as ordinary income? Can the chilling effect on investment be quantified? Thanks, … --- ## [Will this offensive ad by a Hispanic group hurt or help Trump more?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-offensive-ad-by-a-hispanic-group-hurt-or-help-trump-more/736698)
**Author:** [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Replies:** 124\ **Last updated:** [November 12, 2015, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-offensive-ad-by-a-hispanic-group-hurt-or-help-trump-more/736698 "2015-11-12T17:24:00Z")
So here is a video that’s making its way around the internet. It’s very professionally done, and shows two young Hispanic kids, probably 10ish and 6ish, lambasting Trump. As I’ve stated other times on this board, I thin… --- ## [What if Zizek is wqrong, and China and Russia do become fully democratic ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-zizek-is-wqrong-and-china-and-russia-do-become-fully-democratic/737003)
**Author:** [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [November 12, 2015, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-zizek-is-wqrong-and-china-and-russia-do-become-fully-democratic/737003 "2015-11-12T17:15:48Z")
So expanding capitalism, trade and social liberties eventually make Russia and China into US/European style liberal democracies. The USA can now be said to have served it’s purpose, and can now be retired as global leade… --- ## [Rape or not rape?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rape-or-not-rape/730595)
**Author:** [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [November 12, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rape-or-not-rape/730595 "2015-11-12T17:00:44Z")
A woman in the UK named Gayle Newland is on trial for 5 counts of sexual assault. Apparently she tricked a friend into having sex with her by pretending to be a man. She insisted that the complainant wear a blindfold dur… --- ## [Veterans only parking](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veterans-only-parking/737203)
**Author:** [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [November 12, 2015, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veterans-only-parking/737203 "2015-11-12T13:38:00Z")
I saw a “Veterans Only” parking sign at a local grocery store recently. It seems to be permanent and not just for Veterans Day. Come on. I can see giving special spaces to people who need them because they have extra t… --- ## [I'm a Baby of the Atomic Bomb — and So Are You](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-baby-of-the-atomic-bomb-and-so-are-you/736741)
**Author:** [@Kamakiri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamakiri)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [November 12, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-baby-of-the-atomic-bomb-and-so-are-you/736741 "2015-11-12T02:27:34Z")
(That head comes with a subhead: “If you are American.”) I’m not into starting flame wars, but it just occurred to me, after watching Ken Burns’s The War — the part in which the war is finally over and everyone is comin… --- ## [Is emotional response to music innate or learned?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-emotional-response-to-music-innate-or-learned/737291)
**Author:** [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [November 11, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-emotional-response-to-music-innate-or-learned/737291 "2015-11-11T20:55:15Z")
And if it’s learned are stage/film/television the main devices it’s learned through? If you could go back maybe 150 years and find folks who’ve never been exposed to live music and played them some instrumental passages… --- ## [Do Elephants Demonstrate Funeral Rites?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-elephants-demonstrate-funeral-rites/737260)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 11, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-elephants-demonstrate-funeral-rites/737260 "2015-11-11T20:14:33Z")
\[I know this one is in GD. But I still would like to submit it to Cecil, if possible.\] Anyways, I know this one is going to sound far out. But one time, as a child, I was watching this TV program, on elephants. They mou… --- ## [Legal Parenting and Lesbian Couples](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-parenting-and-lesbian-couples/737101)
**Author:** [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [November 11, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-parenting-and-lesbian-couples/737101 "2015-11-11T16:08:08Z")
Don’t know if this should be in GD or GQ. Mods, feel free to relocate. Suppose a lesbian couple gets legally married in the US. One of the pair gets impregnated, without the knowledge or consent of her partner. \[ul\]\[… --- ## [The dyslexia myth](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395)
**Author:** [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Replies:** 117\ **Last updated:** [November 11, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dyslexia-myth/570395 "2015-11-11T15:03:15Z")
OK, I don’t have cable and so I’m addicted to this website. One of the featured documentaries is something called The Dyslexia Myth. I don’t have dyslexia or know anyone that’s ever been diagnosed with it, but I though… --- ## [Who where the first terrorists coining the phrase?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-where-the-first-terrorists-coining-the-phrase/737255)
**Author:** [@tooldtocare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tooldtocare)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [November 11, 2015, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-where-the-first-terrorists-coining-the-phrase/737255 "2015-11-11T06:00:53Z")
\*\*IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT REAL TERRORISM IS THEN READ THE FOLLOWING. \*\*THE TERRORISTS WERE NOT MUSLIMS THEY WERE ZIONIST JEWS AND THEY WERE THE “FIRST TERRORIST” COINING THE PHRASE If you cannot read the text hold dwon… --- ## [Love the Stranger as thyself -Or not-?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/love-the-stranger-as-thyself-or-not/701014)
**Author:** [@tooldtocare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tooldtocare)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [November 11, 2015, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/love-the-stranger-as-thyself-or-not/701014 "2015-11-11T05:11:48Z")
STRANGER—The term “stranger” is mentioned 123 times in the Holy Bible (Mal 3:5 KJV) And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against … --- ## [Do private gun sellers have any liability if the purchaser uses the gun to commit a crime?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-private-gun-sellers-have-any-liability-if-the-purchaser-uses-the-gun-to-commit-a-crime/735465)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 105\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2015, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-private-gun-sellers-have-any-liability-if-the-purchaser-uses-the-gun-to-commit-a-crime/735465 "2015-11-10T21:03:48Z")
The GQ part of this is: do people selling or otherwise transferring ownership of a firearm to another individual currently bare any civil or criminal liability if the weapon is used in a crime? I am pretty sure that the… --- ## [Am I a self-hating Negro?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-self-hating-negro/136141)
**Author:** [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Replies:** 165\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2015, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-self-hating-negro/136141 "2015-11-10T15:55:59Z")
Just came back from hanging with my girl. We met in high school (it seems relevant to me that it was a specialized high school for smarties—my friend would say that thinking this fact relevant is a symptom of my self-loa… --- ## [What determines the maximum health care someone receives?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-the-maximum-health-care-someone-receives/737040)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-the-maximum-health-care-someone-receives/737040 "2015-11-10T15:45:55Z")
To start, I’m extremely ignorant about insurance and medicare. So perhaps this is a matter on which I merely need my ignorance fought. Second, my questions may be founded on misinformation, but here goes. Was talking … --- ## [Lalo Alcareaz, are you a hypocrite? (Boycotting Trump on SNL)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lalo-alcareaz-are-you-a-hypocrite-boycotting-trump-on-snl/736963)
**Author:** [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2015, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lalo-alcareaz-are-you-a-hypocrite-boycotting-trump-on-snl/736963 "2015-11-10T00:14:23Z")
Alcaraz, whose work I generally enjoy, and whose politics I generally share, has called for a boycott of SNL over Trump’s hosting. On NPR, he mentioned that his new cartoon series is going to be on the Fox Network. Murd… --- ## [Is nationalism a religion ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nationalism-a-religion/736745)
**Author:** [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [November 5, 2015, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nationalism-a-religion/736745 "2015-11-05T23:52:49Z")
Some people think their prophet can do no wrong, some people think other’s prophets can do no right. Some people think their nation can do no wrong, some people think other’s nations can do no right. Are a country’s na… --- ## [Would tobacco prohibition actually work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-tobacco-prohibition-actually-work/736632)
**Author:** [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Replies:** 68\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-tobacco-prohibition-actually-work/736632 "2015-11-08T15:04:43Z")
Prohibition has obviously been disastrous for alcohol and marijuana, and I’d always assumed that it would be that way for tobacco too, but then I saw an episode of Minority Report where some folks were growing illegal to… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=176) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=178)