# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=199 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 200 --- ## [Does anyone REALLY believe in two wrongs not making a right?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-really-believe-in-two-wrongs-not-making-a-right/717193)
**Author:** [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2015, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-really-believe-in-two-wrongs-not-making-a-right/717193 "2015-04-10T03:37:48Z")
It seems like it’s nothing more than something mothers tell their kids so they stop fighting. It seems like pretty much everyone, religious people, atheists, liberals and conservatives alike take glee in the suffering of… --- ## [Police Brutality and the Racial Component](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-brutality-and-the-racial-component/717251)
**Author:** [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2015, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-brutality-and-the-racial-component/717251 "2015-04-10T01:13:55Z")
There may be a racial component in cops killing black people at higher rates but I don’t think its much of a difference when you also look at violent crimes committed when broken down by race “young black men accounted f… --- ## [Unitarian wanted to explain Christophanies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitarian-wanted-to-explain-christophanies/717122)
**Author:** [@Dionysius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dionysius)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitarian-wanted-to-explain-christophanies/717122 "2015-04-09T22:40:31Z")
What would the Unitarian answer to apparent Christophanies be? For example: Is the “word” who came to Hosea the same as the “word” of John 1? Who/what did Manassa converse with? Who judged Sodom with Abram? Ect? You d… --- ## [Is there a counterpoint to the law of accelerating returns, like a law of diminishing benefits](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-counterpoint-to-the-law-of-accelerating-returns-like-a-law-of-diminishing-benefits/717258)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-counterpoint-to-the-law-of-accelerating-returns-like-a-law-of-diminishing-benefits/717258 "2015-04-09T20:43:16Z")
In thisthread I mention that according to one article, the speed of medical knowledge has been growing exponetially. By the next decade medical knowledge could double several times a year. I’m not sure what counts as ‘kn… --- ## [How does a culture of oppression affect the oppressors](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-culture-of-oppression-affect-the-oppressors/717156)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-culture-of-oppression-affect-the-oppressors/717156 "2015-04-09T15:45:46Z")
Lets say you have a nation/culture with two groups. One group is dominant, the other group is exploited and mistreated. Its not hard to find examples, but the dominant group is going to become afraid the subjugated group… --- ## [Memory "flashbacks"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-flashbacks/717083)
**Author:** [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2015, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-flashbacks/717083 "2015-04-08T23:29:11Z")
Do people literally feel as if they are back in time when they have a traumatic (or any other sort of) flashback, or is it just an extremely vivid memory combined with feeling the same feelings? I’ve heard people who hav… --- ## [Was a very low-key, less costly response to 9/11 practical?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-a-very-low-key-less-costly-response-to-9-11-practical/717018)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2015, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-a-very-low-key-less-costly-response-to-9-11-practical/717018 "2015-04-08T21:37:46Z")
9/11 led to an enormously costly war in Afghanistan. (Yes, Iraq was a bad war, but we’ll leave that out for now.) Was a much more low-key, subtler approach - like the Israeli assassination campaign after the 1972 Munich… --- ## [How did the most of West outgrow blood feuds](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-most-of-west-outgrow-blood-feuds/717147)
**Author:** [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2015, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-most-of-west-outgrow-blood-feuds/717147 "2015-04-08T21:19:38Z")
In relation to like the Middle East, Albania, Sicily etc, they seem to have a big problem of families fighting each other and having blood vendettas for years on end, however in most of the West as I know, this is largel… --- ## [Wikimedia, ACLU, "The Nation" & others sue the NSA](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikimedia-aclu-the-nation-others-sue-the-nsa/717049)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2015, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikimedia-aclu-the-nation-others-sue-the-nsa/717049 "2015-04-08T16:20:03Z")
The lead-name plaintiff is Wikimedia. Editorial by Wikimedia’s Jimmy Wales & Lila Tretikov: “Stop Spying on Wikipedia Users.” From the ACLU website: The Nation magazine joins in the suit. Issues for debate: The … --- ## [Should the late Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore be eulogized or damned?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-late-lee-kuan-yew-of-singapore-be-eulogized-or-damned/716771)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-late-lee-kuan-yew-of-singapore-be-eulogized-or-damned/716771 "2015-04-07T19:21:13Z")
Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 through 1990, died March 23. He built and ran a state both prosperous and authoritarian. Western leaders are eulogizing him – Obama called him a “true giant of histor… --- ## [Is there serious racial discrimination against Asians in US college admissions?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-serious-racial-discrimination-against-asians-in-us-college-admissions/605481)
**Author:** [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Replies:** 72\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2015, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-serious-racial-discrimination-against-asians-in-us-college-admissions/605481 "2015-04-07T15:29:15Z")
http://news.yahoo.com/asians-college-strategy-dont-check-asian-174442977.html Lanya Olmstead was born in Florida to a mother who immigrated from Taiwan and an American father of Norwegian ancestry. Ethnically, she consi… --- ## [Why do black pupils in the US underachieve academically when one factors out poverty?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-pupils-in-the-us-underachieve-academically-when-one-factors-out-poverty/482948)
**Author:** [@alexandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alexandra)\ **Replies:** 1014\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2015, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-pupils-in-the-us-underachieve-academically-when-one-factors-out-poverty/482948 "2015-04-07T12:26:31Z")
\[Yes, I said “pupils”. Subject line was getting long.\] In the thread “what are the benchmarks for Black Americans to overcome”, \*\*Chief Pedant \*\*and \*\*brazil84 \*\*seem to argue that the following statistics are most like… --- ## [Should American Students Get Islamic Holidays Off from School?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-american-students-get-islamic-holidays-off-from-school/714215)
**Author:** [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Replies:** 179\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2015, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-american-students-get-islamic-holidays-off-from-school/714215 "2015-04-07T11:30:36Z")
And will the school staff be paid for these holidays too? I am negative about this for cost and educational reasons. Anyone else have any thoughts? --- ## [Why doesn't stuff that improves our genetic fitness make us happy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-stuff-that-improves-our-genetic-fitness-make-us-happy/716466)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2015, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-stuff-that-improves-our-genetic-fitness-make-us-happy/716466 "2015-04-07T03:58:27Z")
In positive psychology they talk about how the stuff you think will make you happy doesn’t. Wealth, being attractive, health, having high quality sex partners, kids, fame, etc. Not only that but things like advanced medi… --- ## [Absolute Truth and God](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-truth-and-god/716250)
**Author:** [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Replies:** 85\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2015, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-truth-and-god/716250 "2015-04-07T03:30:55Z")
So in a facebook conversation the other day about truth, science, and the like, I had this exchange: (Yes, it’s that kind of discussion.) But this is actually getting under my skin. I’m curious of two things, mainly: … --- ## [Are humanoid intelligent extraterrestrials becoming more likely?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humanoid-intelligent-extraterrestrials-becoming-more-likely/716045)
**Author:** [@Valteron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valteron)\ **Replies:** 100\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humanoid-intelligent-extraterrestrials-becoming-more-likely/716045 "2015-04-06T20:50:20Z")
There was a time when I felt that classic sci-fi like Star Trek, the original series and The Next Generation were ridiculous in assuming so many humanoid life forms in the universe. In the 1960s, we did not even know if … --- ## [Does God Hate Marijuana?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-hate-marijuana/716834)
**Author:** [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Replies:** 130\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2015, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-god-hate-marijuana/716834 "2015-04-06T19:33:38Z")
I grew up in a place infested with Baptists and Catholics, and they never quite quit gritchin’ at each other about the booze. I finished growin’ up years ago, and have since grown OUT, and I continue to hear the godly g… --- ## [The ideal media coverage of mass murderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ideal-media-coverage-of-mass-murderers/716636)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ideal-media-coverage-of-mass-murderers/716636 "2015-04-06T14:02:47Z")
People often complain that the media gives a great deal of attention and notoriety to mass murderers (such as a gunman going on a killing spree or a pilot crashing an airplane on purpose,) thus giving incentive for poten… --- ## [Were Deng and Gorbachev good or bad guys?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-deng-and-gorbachev-good-or-bad-guys/715351)
**Author:** [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2015, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-deng-and-gorbachev-good-or-bad-guys/715351 "2015-04-06T13:51:12Z")
Overall would you consider Deng Xiaoping and Mikhail Gorbachev good or bad leaders? Both of them are responsible for the fall of communism, though neither of them ever stopped identifying as Communist. The big blemishes… --- ## [Is Venezuela really a security threat to the U.S.?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-venezuela-really-a-security-threat-to-the-u-s/716561)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-venezuela-really-a-security-threat-to-the-u-s/716561 "2015-04-06T00:59:19Z")
On March 7 Obama signed an EO declaring Venezuela a national security threat to the U.S. and personally sanctioning seven officials. Look, that’s all nasty stuff, but how does it threaten America’s security? It has ne… --- ## [Is suicide inherent proof of mental illness?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-suicide-inherent-proof-of-mental-illness/586423)
**Author:** [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Replies:** 101\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2015, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-suicide-inherent-proof-of-mental-illness/586423 "2015-04-05T21:01:02Z")
This might be more of a GQ, I suppose, but it also calls for opinion. Does suicide fit into the range of “normal” human behavior, or is it aberrant? --- ## [The peculiar case of abortion of the unborn vs. capital punishment for murderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-peculiar-case-of-abortion-of-the-unborn-vs-capital-punishment-for-murderers/716379)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 109\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-peculiar-case-of-abortion-of-the-unborn-vs-capital-punishment-for-murderers/716379 "2015-04-04T19:56:13Z")
One of the most peculiar situations that one will find in American politics is when pro-lifers argue, “Pro-choicers are hypocritical because they oppose capital punishment for murderers, while supporting abortion of the … --- ## [How much has Chinese culture changed since China went Communist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-chinese-culture-changed-since-china-went-communist/715448)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-chinese-culture-changed-since-china-went-communist/715448 "2015-04-04T15:38:12Z")
From Bertrand Russell’s The Problem of China (1922). Can all of that still be true, today, in one of the fastest-industrializing countries in the world? Can that attitude have survived decades of indoctrination by an… --- ## [When will the United States replace Soldiers with PMCs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-the-united-states-replace-soldiers-with-pmcs/716711)
**Author:** [@Barack\_Obama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barack_Obama)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2015, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-the-united-states-replace-soldiers-with-pmcs/716711 "2015-04-04T13:02:34Z")
We will be carrying out more PMC(Private military Company) contracts, and the PMCs will continue to expand, grow and soon enough take on more Military Operations. Using own our armed forces will only backfire and we have… --- ## [Nitpick about Plato's Republic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-about-platos-republic/714864)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 66\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-about-platos-republic/714864 "2015-04-04T00:16:38Z")
ISTM that Socrates, who expounds the City in Speech, would himself have no place in it. There is an official propaganda system in place to propagate the “noble lies” on which the city’s constitution is based. Art and m… --- ## [Canadian Parliament Attacked](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-parliament-attacked/702149)
**Author:** [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Replies:** 380\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2015, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-parliament-attacked/702149 "2015-04-04T00:15:07Z")
Active shooter in Parliament Building http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/breaking-news-oct-22/article21217602/ https://twitter.com/josh\_wingrove has pictures in the building on the scene. --- ## [Could the Mongols have conquered Europe?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-mongols-have-conquered-europe/599007)
**Author:** [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2015, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-mongols-have-conquered-europe/599007 "2015-04-03T22:04:28Z")
The death of Ogedei Khan in 1241 is sometimes referred to as “the death that saved Europe”, summoning back his princes when they were at the edge of Europe. For sake of argument, assume that Ogedei, who died at age 55, g… --- ## [Mandatory birth control for welfare?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandatory-birth-control-for-welfare/435832)
**Author:** [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Replies:** 249\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2015, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandatory-birth-control-for-welfare/435832 "2015-04-03T22:01:25Z")
The title pretty much says it. What would be the positives and negatives for forcing people who are on welfare to take birth control. This is assuming that enforcement of this policy is 100% effective and completely sa… --- ## [Teachers being politically unbiased/objective in the classroom](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teachers-being-politically-unbiased-objective-in-the-classroom/716565)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teachers-being-politically-unbiased-objective-in-the-classroom/716565 "2015-04-03T17:20:14Z")
I think the majority of people would agree with the following statement, or some version of it: “Teachers should be politically unbiased when teaching their students, and not try to promote an agenda in the classroom.” … --- ## [Bill O'Reilly and his Falklands War experience](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-and-his-falklands-war-experience/713359)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 243\ **Last updated:** [April 2, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-and-his-falklands-war-experience/713359 "2015-04-02T21:13:11Z")
Since it has nearly derailed this thread on NBC’s Brian Williams: Brian Williams Helicopter story: blowhard BS, but not a fireable offense - Great Debates - Straight Dope Message Board Have at it! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=198) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=200)