# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=50 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 51 --- ## [What to do about the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-the-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone/855456)
**Author:** [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Replies:** 121\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2020, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-the-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone/855456 "2020-06-27T17:01:15Z")
It’s hard to find reliable information about what exactly the CHAZ in Seattle even is – apparently the police have abandoned the precinct station there and are only responding in a limited fashion to emergency calls. Co… --- ## [Misinformation in Conservative Media Literally Killing People](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misinformation-in-conservative-media-literally-killing-people/913136)
**Author:** [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2020, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misinformation-in-conservative-media-literally-killing-people/913136 "2020-06-27T07:26:15Z")
According to the Washington Post, “three studies paint a picture of a media ecosystem that entertains conspiracy theories and discourages audiences from taking steps to protect themselves and others.” In recent weeks, … --- ## [Legal ramifications of waiving covid restrictions for Floyd protests](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-ramifications-of-waiving-covid-restrictions-for-floyd-protests/855719)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2020, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-ramifications-of-waiving-covid-restrictions-for-floyd-protests/855719 "2020-06-26T15:34:32Z")
As is pretty well known, many governors and mayors who have been pretty tough in cracking down on violations of their social distancing orders have ignored widespread flouting of these same orders in the case of recent B… --- ## [Some suggestions regarding the situation around George Floyd's death. Are these ideas simplistic?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-suggestions-regarding-the-situation-around-george-floyds-death-are-these-ideas-simplistic/854661)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 258\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2020, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-suggestions-regarding-the-situation-around-george-floyds-death-are-these-ideas-simplistic/854661 "2020-06-26T02:35:24Z")
Let’s debate some of the questions surrounding Mr. Floyd’s death and the responses of various groups, including the African-American community in Minneapolis and the police in Minneapolis. In particular, here are some o… --- ## [Is the US becoming a banana republic?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-becoming-a-banana-republic/675976)
**Author:** [@dataguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dataguy)\ **Replies:** 381\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-becoming-a-banana-republic/675976 "2020-06-25T15:44:08Z")
I came across this article. I generally agree with the points made, and have raised some of them myself. Anyone care to expand on this, or take the other side? --- ## [Named Genetic Illnesses are More Harmful than Good](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/named-genetic-illnesses-are-more-harmful-than-good/855858)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2020, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/named-genetic-illnesses-are-more-harmful-than-good/855858 "2020-06-24T17:26:12Z")
Let us assume that the human body falls on a bell curve, from the macro to the micro level. If nearly everyone has an averageish amount of serotonin, then a small fraction will have too much, another small fraction will … --- ## [Trump hypothetical (sorry in advance)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hypothetical-sorry-in-advance/855712)
**Author:** [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2020, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hypothetical-sorry-in-advance/855712 "2020-06-23T11:03:23Z")
Trump is having a rally next week in Tulsa OK. Cases there are spiking up, and it’s likely that many of the attendees will not be taking precautions like wearing masks, as their leader does not do so. What if: Trump … --- ## [Racism and Sexism: It's Complicated](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-sexism-its-complicated/667814)
**Author:** [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Replies:** 98\ **Last updated:** [June 18, 2020, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-sexism-its-complicated/667814 "2020-06-18T21:04:57Z")
Just got into a huge fight with my feminist wife whom I love dearly. And it was over this: I asserted that a woman on Facebook saying that I liked football because I was a man was sexist. I even elaborated that this f… --- ## [Vote Up = Bad / Vote Down = Good](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-up-bad-vote-down-good/855855)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 18, 2020, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-up-bad-vote-down-good/855855 "2020-06-18T17:29:30Z")
If all people are polite and do not like to vote down then, when someone says something crazy it will be left unmolested by the large multitude who see and recognize the craziness. If a person writes something reasonabl… --- ## [India/China border dispute...where is this headed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/india-china-border-dispute-where-is-this-headed/855867)
**Author:** [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [June 18, 2020, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/india-china-border-dispute-where-is-this-headed/855867 "2020-06-18T13:51:03Z")
I didn’t see a thread on this (apologies if I missed it), so thought I’d start one. This week, the ongoing border dispute between China and India turned bloody, with perhaps 20 Indian troops killed and maybe twice that … --- ## [What if fascism occurs on an implicit level](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-fascism-occurs-on-an-implicit-level/855757)
**Author:** [@Askreddit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askreddit)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [June 18, 2020, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-fascism-occurs-on-an-implicit-level/855757 "2020-06-18T02:13:18Z")
Let’s say an ideology, organization, or other self aware entity decides to engage in activity which resembles key defined aspects of fascism, meaning palingenetic instrumentality, using means to justify ends, violence, a… --- ## [Where is the line re: monuments and other public things?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-line-re-monuments-and-other-public-things/855251)
**Author:** [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [June 18, 2020, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-line-re-monuments-and-other-public-things/855251 "2020-06-18T01:08:05Z")
So recently at my alma mater (Texas A&M) there’s been a Change.org petition to remove a statue of one of the seminal university presidents (Lawrence Sullivan Ross) out of a desire to be more inclusive, because Ross was a… --- ## [Covid numbers driven by increased test coverage?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-numbers-driven-by-increased-test-coverage/855846)
**Author:** [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [June 17, 2020, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-numbers-driven-by-increased-test-coverage/855846 "2020-06-17T20:06:58Z")
I tried to depoliticize this enough for QZ and I realized it was hopeless, so it will be a debate. In popular awareness, we’re judging our COVID-fighting performance by the metric of new cases per day. Depending on wh… --- ## [So what can people really do to promote "equality"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-can-people-really-do-to-promote-equality/855508)
**Author:** [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [June 17, 2020, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-can-people-really-do-to-promote-equality/855508 "2020-06-17T12:54:36Z")
So everyone on my social media is all about #BlackLivesMatter and being #woke and shit. But I kind of feel like it’s all mostly bullshit. Like it’s not like I don’t believe they legitimately aren’t into equality and di… --- ## [A catastrophic flaw in the Banking system that must be rectified](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-catastrophic-flaw-in-the-banking-system-that-must-be-rectified/855282)
**Author:** [@Askreddit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askreddit)\ **Replies:** 140\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2020, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-catastrophic-flaw-in-the-banking-system-that-must-be-rectified/855282 "2020-06-16T23:37:16Z")
Say that bank A has $1 with a 10 percent reserve requirement. Bank A lends $10 to bank B. Then, bank A dissolves and gifts everything to B. Does the $10 lent to B somehow dissapear? Or because it remains, and Bank B ca… --- ## [Unidentified troops on streets of DC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086)
**Author:** [@Turki-lurki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turki-lurki)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2020, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unidentified-troops-on-streets-of-dc/855086 "2020-06-16T21:46:32Z")
What are we to make of the ‘unlabeled’ troops deployed in Washington DC streets? They wear no insignia, badges or name tags. They are heavily armed, but apparently some are wearing dirty sneakers and underarmor shirts! … --- ## [SCOTUS vs the donald on healthcare](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotus-vs-the-donald-on-healthcare/855713)
**Author:** [@Turki-lurki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turki-lurki)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2020, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotus-vs-the-donald-on-healthcare/855713 "2020-06-16T00:51:48Z")
I haven’t gotten my head around the implications of today’s Supreme Court ruling. It seems to say that discrimination against LGBTQ persons is sex discrimination and is unconstitutional. Does this stop the donald’s new p… --- ## [Is there a racial disparity in police shootings in America?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-racial-disparity-in-police-shootings-in-america/855150)
**Author:** [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Replies:** 132\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2020, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-racial-disparity-in-police-shootings-in-america/855150 "2020-06-15T18:06:00Z")
One or even a few incidents of improper police shootings do not point to a racial disparity or systemic racism in the police force. Here are some studies finding no racial disparity in police shootings: An Empirical Ana… --- ## [Minneapolis to Disband Police Dept.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-to-disband-police-dept/855247)
**Author:** [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Replies:** 77\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-to-disband-police-dept/855247 "2020-06-15T17:02:27Z")
\*\* Minneapolis lawmakers vow to disband police department in historic move. \*\* It remains to be seen if this is just political showmanship or whether it is actually going to happen. Assuming the latter for the sake of … --- ## [A Culture of Safety in the police](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-culture-of-safety-in-the-police/855525)
**Author:** [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2020, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-culture-of-safety-in-the-police/855525 "2020-06-15T03:56:23Z")
The aviation industry has reduced the number of fatalities in plane crashes from ~2400 in 1972 to ~60 in 2019 by treating every “accident” as a possible systemic problem that could be fixed by changes to the system. O… --- ## [Recurring patterns of injustice and the lack of understanding thereof](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-patterns-of-injustice-and-the-lack-of-understanding-thereof/855631)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2020, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-patterns-of-injustice-and-the-lack-of-understanding-thereof/855631 "2020-06-15T00:03:18Z")
Something I’ve been thinking about that I thought might be useful to talk through (and refine, with input from y’all). I know I touch upon a lot of related topics and this might be a bit to spread out, but I hope my main… --- ## [China's 'secret' 2020 plan for Taiwan. Thoughts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinas-secret-2020-plan-for-taiwan-thoughts/854566)
**Author:** [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Replies:** 166\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2020, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinas-secret-2020-plan-for-taiwan-thoughts/854566 "2020-06-14T22:35:26Z")
So, for a while now, China has had an open secret that they plan to essentially bring Taiwan back into the fold by 2020 by whatever means possible. This includes military, but a lot of it has hinged on subversion of sev… --- ## ["Excited Delirium" - Real, or 'Police killed this guy?'](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excited-delirium-real-or-police-killed-this-guy/855110)
**Author:** [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2020, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excited-delirium-real-or-police-killed-this-guy/855110 "2020-06-13T15:10:09Z")
Police and their defenders often talk about the danger of people dying from “Excited Delirium”, and blame a great many deaths of people in custody on it. But the American Psychiatric Association, the American Medical Ass… --- ## [Which countries have functional, law-abiding, non-hostile law enforcement...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-countries-have-functional-law-abiding-non-hostile-law-enforcement/855409)
**Author:** [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2020, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-countries-have-functional-law-abiding-non-hostile-law-enforcement/855409 "2020-06-13T03:13:42Z")
…and what lessons can the US take from them? Okay, the past couple of weeks have convinced me that America’s police forces are, in the main, rancid dumpster fires, as opposed to the proverbial few rotten apples. A lot o… --- ## [Armed groups at polling stations](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-groups-at-polling-stations/855304)
**Author:** [@Turki-lurki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turki-lurki)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 12, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-groups-at-polling-stations/855304 "2020-06-12T21:24:09Z")
Partisan poll workers are pretty common in elections. In Virginia at least they are held back (about 50’ I think)from the polling place. In some places in recent years they have apparently been intimidating to some voter… --- ## [Resolved: An order to fire upon and kill unarmed American citizens would be illegal and refused](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-an-order-to-fire-upon-and-kill-unarmed-american-citizens-would-be-illegal-and-refused/854951)
**Author:** [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [June 11, 2020, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-an-order-to-fire-upon-and-kill-unarmed-american-citizens-would-be-illegal-and-refused/854951 "2020-06-11T18:24:04Z")
See closed thread here and ATMB discussion here. If President Trump gave such an order any soldier receiving it would have a have a legal (let alone moral) obligation to refuse such an order. Now I’ll grant an exceptio… --- ## [What is (or will be) the ultimate goal of the protests?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-or-will-be-the-ultimate-goal-of-the-protests/855454)
**Author:** [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [June 11, 2020, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-or-will-be-the-ultimate-goal-of-the-protests/855454 "2020-06-11T14:23:39Z")
Is there an an endgame? Some type of specific legislation that will eventually be demanded? While the murder of George Floyd and racism was what kicked things off, I think frustration and disgust with the system in gene… --- ## [Why haven't we heard anything about/from the various police Internal Affairs dept's?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-we-heard-anything-about-from-the-various-police-internal-affairs-depts/855216)
**Author:** [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 10, 2020, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-we-heard-anything-about-from-the-various-police-internal-affairs-depts/855216 "2020-06-10T03:39:05Z")
In all of the stories and blogs and such that I’ve read, one thing is starkly absent; any press releases or indicated actions by the internal affairs departments in question. Are these departments so toothless and point… --- ## [The most advanced tech mankind has ever made](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-advanced-tech-mankind-has-ever-made/854942)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [June 10, 2020, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-advanced-tech-mankind-has-ever-made/854942 "2020-06-10T00:16:18Z")
I’ve been doing some reading on EUV (extreme ultraviolet) technology used for semiconductor lithography and am fascinated. I have no background in the field, but wonder if what Holland’s ASML has done here would count a… --- ## [Time or Money? And why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-or-money-and-why/853528)
**Author:** [@cornflakes2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes2)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [June 9, 2020, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-or-money-and-why/853528 "2020-06-09T21:14:41Z")
I already know what I’d choose but here are the details of the debate. Let’s say you have two choices: A) You are 20 years old but have $0 in the bank or B) You are retired at 65 years old and have $1 million in the … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=49) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=51)