# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=198 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 199 --- ## [Are "trigger warnings" really a commonly needed thing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-trigger-warnings-really-a-commonly-needed-thing/715306)
**Author:** [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Replies:** 88\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2015, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-trigger-warnings-really-a-commonly-needed-thing/715306 "2015-04-21T02:07:21Z")
The disclaimer “Trigger warning” is now being used with remarkable frequency in Internet discussions, Facebook posts, and the like, to precede, well, a lot of controversial things. A few years ago it was mostly limited … --- ## [Catholicism, Geocentrism, and Galileo](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholicism-geocentrism-and-galileo/191261)
**Author:** [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2015, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholicism-geocentrism-and-galileo/191261 "2015-04-21T01:13:59Z")
Why did the Catholic Church not only accept the claim that the Earth was at the center of the universe, but make it part of its doctrine? A site about Galileo and the Inquisition Here’s a brief selection from that site… --- ## [Does government and society in general need to be concerned about the loss of jobs to automation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-government-and-society-in-general-need-to-be-concerned-about-the-loss-of-jobs-to-automation/717402)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 158\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-government-and-society-in-general-need-to-be-concerned-about-the-loss-of-jobs-to-automation/717402 "2015-04-20T20:01:24Z")
I haven’t seen any discussions in the news about what happens when automation deletes too many jobs. I’ve seen first hand many jobs disappear. The grocery stores eliminated some checkers and baggers with scan it yourse… --- ## [Missing White Woman Syndrome in news coverage](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-white-woman-syndrome-in-news-coverage/715790)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2015, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-white-woman-syndrome-in-news-coverage/715790 "2015-04-20T16:14:29Z")
Could or should anything be done about Missing White Woman Syndrome in news coverage? (I didn’t make that term up; it’s actually an established phenomenon in media. Missing white woman syndrome - Wikipedia ) Since t… --- ## [How horrible is Wikipedia really? (concrete examples, please)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-horrible-is-wikipedia-really-concrete-examples-please/713765)
**Author:** [@Apollon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollon)\ **Replies:** 152\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2015, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-horrible-is-wikipedia-really-concrete-examples-please/713765 "2015-04-20T01:39:49Z")
People in here keep bitching about how unreliable and biased Wikipedia is. Almost every time someone dares to quote a Wiki article, they feel the need to add “I know, I know”, as if to ward off the disgrace that comes wi… --- ## [A lengthy late-era conventional NATO/Warsaw Pact conflict?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lengthy-late-era-conventional-nato-warsaw-pact-conflict/718013)
**Author:** [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lengthy-late-era-conventional-nato-warsaw-pact-conflict/718013 "2015-04-19T18:55:09Z")
First off, I realise this scenario is extraordinarily unlikely but wars do have a habit of not playing out as expected. It was generally, and probably correctly, expected that a NATO/WP conflict would have gone nuclear … --- ## [Was Jesus Real or a Myth?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-jesus-real-or-a-myth/713360)
**Author:** [@SeekerofTruth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeekerofTruth)\ **Replies:** 408\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-jesus-real-or-a-myth/713360 "2015-04-18T21:10:22Z")
I’ve been doing a LOT of reading about Jesus, man or myth lately. The evidence overwhelming supports the idea that Jesus at most was a simple completely human man who was a rabbi in a turbulent time when the Jews getting… --- ## [Norway Most, North Korea Least Democratic Country in the World.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norway-most-north-korea-least-democratic-country-in-the-world/717596)
**Author:** [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Replies:** 84\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norway-most-north-korea-least-democratic-country-in-the-world/717596 "2015-04-18T18:02:26Z")
http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy\_Index The Economist recently published another Democracy Index, scoring countries in terms of how democratic they are in the world. The first edition was published in 2006. … --- ## [Should other countries try "open prisons" like Finland?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-other-countries-try-open-prisons-like-finland/717800)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2015, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-other-countries-try-open-prisons-like-finland/717800 "2015-04-18T09:33:34Z")
Story here. It’s amazing. Since they started this experiment a few decades ago, Finland has gone from the highest imprisonment rate in Europe to the lowest, and the crime rate has not increased. And it costs less than… --- ## [Are the Rich Less Compassionate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-rich-less-compassionate/716459)
**Author:** [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Replies:** 66\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2015, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-rich-less-compassionate/716459 "2015-04-18T02:32:32Z")
Ever since the advent of the Great Recession in 2007/8, the rising income inequality in the United States and elsewhere in the developed world has become a prominent political issue discussed by politicians, pundits, and… --- ## [Do any other wealthy, developed nations have the level of police violence in the US](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-wealthy-developed-nations-have-the-level-of-police-violence-in-the-us/717153)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 112\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2015, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-wealthy-developed-nations-have-the-level-of-police-violence-in-the-us/717153 "2015-04-17T21:08:11Z")
I have read the US has upwards of 1000 citizens killed by police per year vs something like \<10 per year in Australia, Germany, Japan, UK, Canada. Does any wealthy country have this problem other than the US? What about… --- ## [Explain the "Harry Potter is evil" meme?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-harry-potter-is-evil-meme/715107)
**Author:** [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Replies:** 69\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2015, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-harry-potter-is-evil-meme/715107 "2015-04-17T16:59:29Z")
(Apologies in advance if this belongs in Cafe Society, but it’s primarily about religious witnessing, so I’m putting it here.) I’m reading a memoir by a dear friend who’s quite religious in a way that I, for comparison’… --- ## [Should police officers carry guns?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-police-officers-carry-guns/717548)
**Author:** [@CaptainAmerica\_1987](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptainAmerica_1987)\ **Replies:** 118\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2015, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-police-officers-carry-guns/717548 "2015-04-17T12:26:56Z")
I’m starting to think that police should be using non-lethal weapons only. There have been way too many questionable shooting and killings by the police throughout the country. Yes? No? --- ## [Castro Absolves Obama of Fault For US Blockade](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castro-absolves-obama-of-fault-for-us-blockade/717442)
**Author:** [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castro-absolves-obama-of-fault-for-us-blockade/717442 "2015-04-16T22:27:15Z")
Castro Absolves Obama of Fault For US Blockade Questions for debate: What, if anything, does this do to the perception of Obama both and home and abroad? What will normalization of relations mean for both the US and … --- ## [In Pursuit of Utopia](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-pursuit-of-utopia/717236)
**Author:** [@Potestas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potestas)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2015, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-pursuit-of-utopia/717236 "2015-04-16T19:59:02Z")
I’ve read Thomas More’s book Utopia and I’ve always pondered over the notion of a utopian society. It seems to me that every political ideology and every value system and every philosophical world view is trying to achie… --- ## [What exactly did the Indiana GOP \*think\* was going to happen when they passed this anti-gay law?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-did-the-indiana-gop-think-was-going-to-happen-when-they-passed-this-anti-gay-law/716378)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 444\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2015, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-did-the-indiana-gop-think-was-going-to-happen-when-they-passed-this-anti-gay-law/716378 "2015-04-16T15:05:31Z")
In conservative Indiana, bemusement amid boycott threats over religious freedom law Per the above article I’m sure you have seen in the news that there is a huge backlash building against the legislation the Indiana Sta… --- ## [Discrimination on the basis of attractiveness/physical appearance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discrimination-on-the-basis-of-attractiveness-physical-appearance/717680)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discrimination-on-the-basis-of-attractiveness-physical-appearance/717680 "2015-04-15T20:36:42Z")
It seems that in the wake of banning employment discrimination on the basis of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, handicap, etc., that a next logical step would be to ban employment discrimination on the basis of phy… --- ## [Why do I need a prescription for eyeglasses?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-a-prescription-for-eyeglasses/717549)
**Author:** [@Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Itself)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2015, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-a-prescription-for-eyeglasses/717549 "2015-04-15T04:24:09Z")
I need a new pair of glasses. The ones I currently have are perfectly fine other than having recently been scratched up a bit due to my clumsiness. I have all the data from my prescription and know the exact frame I want… --- ## [Is US Federal debt sustainable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-us-federal-debt-sustainable/711001)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 240\ **Last updated:** [April 14, 2015, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-us-federal-debt-sustainable/711001 "2015-04-14T02:53:02Z")
IIRC, we are already at the point where a new bond is issued in order to pay off an old one. When regular citizens keep borrowing money to pay old debt, they end up bankrupt fast. How long can we keep up this charade be… --- ## [Bring back the battleships](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bring-back-the-battleships/716806)
**Author:** [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Replies:** 162\ **Last updated:** [April 13, 2015, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bring-back-the-battleships/716806 "2015-04-13T21:07:26Z")
Ever since Billy Mitchell, a lot of people have claimed that battleships are obsolete–a sentiment that became common after WW2. I don’t believe it. I believe that battleships have a role to fill in modern force-project… --- ## [Denominations of Islam--A Sincere Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denominations-of-islam-a-sincere-question/717047)
**Author:** [@funky\_little\_lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funky_little_lee)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [April 13, 2015, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denominations-of-islam-a-sincere-question/717047 "2015-04-13T02:59:48Z")
So here is where I’m coming from. I’ve read the Quran twice, read some short books about Islam, but with the other thread that talked about this I started wondering if there is a way to understand the variations of Islam… --- ## [Capitalist ethics?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalist-ethics/715922)
**Author:** [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Replies:** 136\ **Last updated:** [April 12, 2015, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalist-ethics/715922 "2015-04-12T04:07:32Z")
Capitalists, as I understand it, are people whose goal is to realize the greatest profit, for the least risk and smallest investment. The equivalent for workers, then, would be to work as little as possible, for as much… --- ## [What is Capitalism?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-capitalism/716638)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [April 11, 2015, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-capitalism/716638 "2015-04-11T23:06:38Z")
This is a term that i see bandied about here to mean private ownership of the means of production, the opposite of Communism, total disdain for any regulation, the philosophy of greedy slime who plot child enslavement in… --- ## [Should artwork be judged by the artist's person?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-artwork-be-judged-by-the-artists-person/717196)
**Author:** [@MorphinePoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MorphinePoet)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [April 11, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-artwork-be-judged-by-the-artists-person/717196 "2015-04-11T21:59:56Z")
I am an Egyptian. I’m 31 years old, and I spent most of my life living in pre-revolution Egypt, where opinions weren’t so divided or polarized as they are now. Egypt has always had significant and influential media prod… --- ## [Ethics of Bank Robbery During Economic Depression](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-bank-robbery-during-economic-depression/717202)
**Author:** [@Potestas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potestas)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [April 11, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-bank-robbery-during-economic-depression/717202 "2015-04-11T20:43:31Z")
Hello I’m brand spankin new here and I have a general two part question. If banks fail completely as some did during the Great Depression in the 20s & 30s, who does the money belong to? (Obviously this would mean that… --- ## [Income \[in\]equality - is it a bad thing? Why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/income-in-equality-is-it-a-bad-thing-why/716226)
**Author:** [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Replies:** 103\ **Last updated:** [April 11, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/income-in-equality-is-it-a-bad-thing-why/716226 "2015-04-11T17:05:47Z")
Something that’s come up several times in recent threads is that a poster of the more liberal stripe (including me) has mentioned income inequality as being a problem facing the US today, and a more conservative poster h… --- ## [Are the 90s really, truly over?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-90s-really-truly-over/716948)
**Author:** [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [April 11, 2015, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-90s-really-truly-over/716948 "2015-04-11T05:59:05Z")
By the “90s” I don’t mean 1990-99, but the overall zeitgeist that defined those years and the themes of that decade. It seems like many of them still applied or at least did until recently. The Post-Cold War utopianism w… --- ## [Can a lawyer leave a client high and dry? (SC cop shooting related)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-lawyer-leave-a-client-high-and-dry-sc-cop-shooting-related/717345)
**Author:** [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2015, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-lawyer-leave-a-client-high-and-dry-sc-cop-shooting-related/717345 "2015-04-10T21:02:06Z")
Apparently the lawyer for the South Carolina cop Michael Slager who shot Walter Scott, has resigned. Is this OK? While I get that the cop is scum, isn’t there some sort of lawyerly duty in play here? I guess lawyers s… --- ## [Charleston SC case.....why bother to chase him ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charleston-sc-case-why-bother-to-chase-him/717335)
**Author:** [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2015, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charleston-sc-case-why-bother-to-chase-him/717335 "2015-04-10T20:28:48Z")
Concerning the recent shooting in Charleston SC. Seeing the recent released video from the dashcam of the patrol car leaves me with a big question. Why bother to even chase the guy ? The cop has his license, registratio… --- ## [Reichian "Emotional Armoring", Good Science Or Hokum?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reichian-emotional-armoring-good-science-or-hokum/717264)
**Author:** [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reichian-emotional-armoring-good-science-or-hokum/717264 "2015-04-10T14:28:14Z")
Wilhelm Reich believed, among other things, that emotional trauma could result in a sort of permanent cramp. Correctly stimulating the affected muscle would bring out the emotions and memories of the trauma. He called th… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=197) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=199)