# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=42 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 43 --- ## [I earn the money in this relationship! What I say goes!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-earn-the-money-in-this-relationship-what-i-say-goes/928343)
**Author:** [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2021, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-earn-the-money-in-this-relationship-what-i-say-goes/928343 "2021-01-11T03:48:28Z")
Ok not for me specifically. My wife has her own career and makes a roughly equivalent salary (which creates its own challenges). I made a comment in another thread that in relationships where one spouse is the breadwin… --- ## [So when was American Democracy NOT in decline?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-was-american-democracy-not-in-decline/930049)
**Author:** [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2021, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-was-american-democracy-not-in-decline/930049 "2021-01-10T03:05:56Z")
After the events at the Capitol the other day, I’ve heard a lot of commentary about how this was an assault on Democracy, and more importantly, how American Democracy has been on the decline, and this might be how it end… --- ## [Is it strategic NOT to arrest 1/6 MAGA-insurrectionists now?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-strategic-not-to-arrest-1-6-maga-insurrectionists-now/929929)
**Author:** [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [January 9, 2021, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-strategic-not-to-arrest-1-6-maga-insurrectionists-now/929929 "2021-01-09T17:02:49Z")
Just spitballin’ here–is it a strategy on police parts to investigate, scrutinize video, take statements, etc until Biden takes office so Trump cannot pardon anyone arrested or charged with committing a crime? Or can Tru… --- ## [Could an "Astronaut Farmer" mission actually succeed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-an-astronaut-farmer-mission-actually-succeed/455336)
**Author:** [@scrambledeggs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scrambledeggs)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [January 8, 2021, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-an-astronaut-farmer-mission-actually-succeed/455336 "2021-01-08T18:13:23Z")
The “Astronaut Farmer” movie with Billy Bob Thornton shows a rocket scientist, living on a farm, able to build an apollo like rocket with spare parts and rocket fuel. Could such a thing happen, realistically? A genius-l… --- ## [Is the term "Jew" Derogatory?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-term-jew-derogatory/928328)
**Author:** [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Replies:** 164\ **Last updated:** [January 7, 2021, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-term-jew-derogatory/928328 "2021-01-07T20:31:12Z")
Really this is a factual question, but I have posted in GD for fear it might cause some excitement. Any word might be spat out as an epithet. In modern American usage, may I still use the word Jew as a neutral term? My … --- ## [US officials who resigned on principle to protest Trump](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-officials-who-resigned-on-principle-to-protest-trump/929703)
**Author:** [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [January 7, 2021, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-officials-who-resigned-on-principle-to-protest-trump/929703 "2021-01-07T18:17:22Z")
One of the biggest disappointments in the Trump era has been that the overwhelming majority of government officials cared more about their careers than about speaking up for and protecting our democratic ideals. One opt… --- ## [What would it take for someone to be charged with sedition or treason?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-someone-to-be-charged-with-sedition-or-treason/929606)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [January 7, 2021, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-someone-to-be-charged-with-sedition-or-treason/929606 "2021-01-07T12:45:07Z")
Obviously this is about Trump and his attempted coup. I’ll list some of the things that have gone on so far and some potential things that may happen on or after 1/6/2021. The list is of course not exhaustive. The que… --- ## [Were Neolithic Women Repressed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-neolithic-women-repressed/926807)
**Author:** [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2021, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-neolithic-women-repressed/926807 "2021-01-06T16:57:01Z")
Someone on a lesser part of the Internet claimed that women have been oppressed for “40,000 years.” I have no idea how they came up with that number. I know gender studies people have noodled over this sort of thing a l… --- ## [How perception of Christian persecution in America could become self-fulfilling](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-perception-of-christian-persecution-in-america-could-become-self-fulfilling/929540)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2021, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-perception-of-christian-persecution-in-america-could-become-self-fulfilling/929540 "2021-01-06T16:49:10Z")
Not sure if this is GD or Politics, so I’ll let the admins sort that: TL;DR at the beginning - by believing they are persecuted, American Christians could annoy people into persecuting them, thus causing a vicious cycle… --- ## [Amazon, JP Morgan, Berkshire Hathaway & healthcare reform](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-jp-morgan-berkshire-hathaway-healthcare-reform/807829)
**Author:** [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Replies:** 122\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2021, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-jp-morgan-berkshire-hathaway-healthcare-reform/807829 "2021-01-05T03:03:26Z")
So the news this morning is that Amazon, JPMorgan and Berkshire Hathaway have come together on addressing healthcare costs…somehow. Presumably this means, probably, self-insuring their own employees. At least that’s my u… --- ## [Do Famous People Have the Same Expectation of Privacy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-famous-people-have-the-same-expectation-of-privacy/925826)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2021, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-famous-people-have-the-same-expectation-of-privacy/925826 "2021-01-03T17:14:54Z")
Up until now, the Supreme Court of the United States has said that they don’t. But that may all change with the new conservative court. That is why I ask that now. I have to tell you all, I was racking my brain trying t… --- ## [Are there any infinities in the universe? Could there be?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-infinities-in-the-universe-could-there-be/927978)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 173\ **Last updated:** [January 2, 2021, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-infinities-in-the-universe-could-there-be/927978 "2021-01-02T15:19:25Z")
The thread about extra light in our universe and the comment on a closed topology got me thinking. Is there anything in our universe that is either known or could possibly be infinite in quantity? My knowledge comes fr… --- ## [Is there a social benefit from complicated/risky financial schemes/products?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-social-benefit-from-complicated-risky-financial-schemes-products/929117)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-social-benefit-from-complicated-risky-financial-schemes-products/929117 "2020-12-30T23:22:59Z")
I’m currently reading Michael Lewis’ Boomerang, discussing how banks and governments got themselves into trouble in the oughts. One passage succinctly said something I have long believed: “The global financial system m… --- ## [Hypothetical: What if the historic Jesus had been born during the Grecian rule of Jerusalem.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-what-if-the-historic-jesus-had-been-born-during-the-grecian-rule-of-jerusalem/832918)
**Author:** [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-what-if-the-historic-jesus-had-been-born-during-the-grecian-rule-of-jerusalem/832918 "2020-12-30T04:06:51Z")
I was recently pondering onhistory Rome being the center of Catholicism and of course my mind wandered to what I know of the early church and how conversion of Roman Emperors was critical to the church’s survival. Then … --- ## [The next pandemic in the U.S. must be met by brutal force](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-pandemic-in-the-u-s-must-be-met-by-brutal-force/928765)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [December 28, 2020, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-pandemic-in-the-u-s-must-be-met-by-brutal-force/928765 "2020-12-28T20:24:09Z")
If there’s any lesson to be had from this Covid disaster in America, it’s that many millions of Americans will rebel against simple measures like mask-wearing, distancing and quarantining even in the face of horrific num… --- ## [Standalone student debt forgiveness is a terrible policy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standalone-student-debt-forgiveness-is-a-terrible-policy/925976)
**Author:** [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Replies:** 192\ **Last updated:** [December 27, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standalone-student-debt-forgiveness-is-a-terrible-policy/925976 "2020-12-27T19:17:58Z")
Standalone student debt forgiveness is a terrible policy, and I can’t get my head around why intelligent people are supporting it. For reference, Chuck Schumer suggests Biden could eliminate student debt via executive o… --- ## [Future of fascism in America?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/future-of-fascism-in-america/921269)
**Author:** [@razordance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/razordance)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [December 27, 2020, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/future-of-fascism-in-america/921269 "2020-12-27T18:04:50Z")
I don’t see much, really. There’s been a lot of talk comparing the Trumpers to a fascist movement, but I don’t think Trump’s nativist populism really qualifies. Fascism, being a product of the hubristic 20th Century, i… --- ## [Solve the Middle East](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-the-middle-east/926934)
**Author:** [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Replies:** 122\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2020, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solve-the-middle-east/926934 "2020-12-26T18:49:33Z")
The more time passes, the more the conflicts in the Middle East seem intractable. If you were writing a novel that began with the Middle East as it is today, and ended with a state of permanent peace in the region, how … --- ## ["Someone more skilled" than Trump could really do damage](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-more-skilled-than-trump-could-really-do-damage/928739)
**Author:** [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2020, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-more-skilled-than-trump-could-really-do-damage/928739 "2020-12-26T01:52:30Z")
With different language, it seems to be the consensus that Trump won’t be able to engineer a takeover of the United States but that someone with more skill perhaps could. What would “someone more skilled” look like? S… --- ## [Prison/criminal-justice reform: The huge vindictiveness roadblock](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-criminal-justice-reform-the-huge-vindictiveness-roadblock/927591)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [December 25, 2020, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-criminal-justice-reform-the-huge-vindictiveness-roadblock/927591 "2020-12-25T12:22:49Z")
I was reading lately how effective Norway’s rehabilitation system is and unfortunately the main roadblock to any such reform in the United States - effective though it could be - is the big V word: Vindictiveness. The d… --- ## [Is Millenarianism dead?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-millenarianism-dead/928600)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [December 24, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-millenarianism-dead/928600 "2020-12-24T15:42:17Z")
With a pandemic still raging, where are all the doomsday prophets and Marian apparitions ? Is the media just not covering them or have Catholics just changed ? --- ## [The Real Spirit of Advent?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-spirit-of-advent/928732)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [December 24, 2020, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-spirit-of-advent/928732 "2020-12-24T01:06:56Z")
Please note the following lyrics: God rest ye merry gentlemen Let nothing you dismay Remember Christ our Savior Was born upon this day Jesus was born on this day. That is how they sing it in Britain. Because they ma… --- ## [What message would it take to make obesity rates plummet dramatically?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 188\ **Last updated:** [December 22, 2020, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-message-would-it-take-to-make-obesity-rates-plummet-dramatically/841154 "2020-12-22T08:54:43Z")
On the one hand, fat-shaming can make obesity worsen even more. On the other hand, body positivity causes obese people to believe that they are not obese - additional source here. Obesity clearly continues to be preval… --- ## [Prosecutorial and Police Discretion, and Gays (Among Others)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prosecutorial-and-police-discretion-and-gays-among-others/928175)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [December 18, 2020, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prosecutorial-and-police-discretion-and-gays-among-others/928175 "2020-12-18T04:13:52Z")
I first learned about it in Street Law class in high school. Discretion. Specifically prosecutorial and police discretion. Believe it or not, it’s usually a good thing. I mean, if police and prosecutors pursued every cas… --- ## [Lower the U.S. Voting Age to 16](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lower-the-u-s-voting-age-to-16/927434)
**Author:** [@BigDfromLA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigDfromLA)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [December 17, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lower-the-u-s-voting-age-to-16/927434 "2020-12-17T15:56:36Z")
I strongly believe that the U.S. voting age should be lowered to 16. I am a long time Social Studies teacher at the high school level and as someone who has interacted with 16 and 17 year olds at a high level, believe me… --- ## [MSG and racism](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-and-racism/927200)
**Author:** [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [December 17, 2020, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-and-racism/927200 "2020-12-17T10:47:26Z")
I know there’s a lot of noise on the internet about how bad people consider Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) to be, and then there’s also a fair bit of discussion about how those claims are overblown; this is fairly typical fo… --- ## [Is Facebook a Doomsday Machine?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-facebook-a-doomsday-machine/928090)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [December 16, 2020, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-facebook-a-doomsday-machine/928090 "2020-12-16T23:42:57Z")
Question prompted by this Atlantic article The Atlantic allows four free articles per month to non-subscribers. Read the whole article (which is really long) for context, but here is the crux: … … The social web i… --- ## [Are we on the verge of another cold war?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-on-the-verge-of-another-cold-war/928148)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [December 16, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-on-the-verge-of-another-cold-war/928148 "2020-12-16T17:54:54Z")
But with China this time, not Russia. I keep hearing in the news on how China’s military is being beefed up at an alarming pace, and the U.S. is… very concerned. Not just because of what China is doing, but with the sta… --- ## [The morality of draft avoidance/dodging during Vietnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-draft-avoidance-dodging-during-vietnam/927194)
**Author:** [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Replies:** 152\ **Last updated:** [December 15, 2020, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-draft-avoidance-dodging-during-vietnam/927194 "2020-12-15T15:34:41Z")
One of my best friends is a 56-year-old American, so old enough to remember the Vietnam War. He also hates Donald Trump. One of his criticisms of Trump is that he avoided the draft. When he said this, I asked for a simpl… --- ## [Paying it Forward Legitimacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-it-forward-legitimacy/927849)
**Author:** [@Dingbang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dingbang)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [December 14, 2020, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paying-it-forward-legitimacy/927849 "2020-12-14T23:23:39Z")
A Dairy Queen in Minnesota had a “pay it forward” chain of 900 cars at it’s drive-through, over two and a half days. Lots of gushing about all the generosity and Christmas spirit, kindness of strangers, etc. \[Over 900 ca… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=41) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=43)