# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=51 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 52 --- ## [Changes in Roman civilisation between 80 BC and 80 AD](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changes-in-roman-civilisation-between-80-bc-and-80-ad/855267)
**Author:** [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 9, 2020, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changes-in-roman-civilisation-between-80-bc-and-80-ad/855267 "2020-06-09T20:06:55Z")
I’ve been reading one of Steven Saylor’s books set in Rome around 80 BC. It got me wondering. If I was a time traveller, what differences would I notice between the Rome of 80 BC and the Rome of 80 AD (when the Colosseu… --- ## [Things that are, and aren't, "both-sides-ism"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-and-arent-both-sides-ism/855214)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 9, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-and-arent-both-sides-ism/855214 "2020-06-09T17:13:13Z")
IMHO, some accusations of “both-sides-ism” are due to a confusion of people thinking that someone is saying that two sides are the same, versus saying that they think the same. For instance, there is a big difference be… --- ## [Socially liberal and fiscally conservative. Anything else and you're an idiot.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socially-liberal-and-fiscally-conservative-anything-else-and-youre-an-idiot/854973)
**Author:** [@R3d\_Anonymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R3d_Anonymous)\ **Replies:** 88\ **Last updated:** [June 9, 2020, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socially-liberal-and-fiscally-conservative-anything-else-and-youre-an-idiot/854973 "2020-06-09T16:07:42Z")
It’s hilarious how in America both of our major parties gets one issue completely wrong. Abortions - that’s a personal choice between a woman, her partner, and her doctors. The fetus has a great impact on the woman’s h… --- ## [Resolved: Everyone should be standing still on escalators](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-everyone-should-be-standing-still-on-escalators/854872)
**Author:** [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [June 8, 2020, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-everyone-should-be-standing-still-on-escalators/854872 "2020-06-08T14:02:52Z")
Supporting material. Video: “The Unseen Inefficiency of Escalator Etiquette” 1. Half of all escalator injuries of people under the age of 65 are caused by walking on escalators The uneven weight distribution cause b… --- ## [Resolved: Suicide should be considered when discussing gun in America](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-suicide-should-be-considered-when-discussing-gun-in-america/855081)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [June 8, 2020, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-suicide-should-be-considered-when-discussing-gun-in-america/855081 "2020-06-08T04:17:24Z")
I know, I know, we’ve been here and done this a million times on the SDMB. However, some new evidence has come to light which I think should allow for a re-examination of past arguments made. Quite often, when discussi… --- ## [Is BLM real?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blm-real/850923)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [June 7, 2020, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blm-real/850923 "2020-06-07T22:47:04Z")
Within a day of the shooting of Michael Brown, witness testimony was already being quoted on Wikipedia stating that Brown seemed to have attacked the officer through the window of his car. Similarly, Philando Castile doe… --- ## [Resolved: That the Real Issue concerning the death of George Floyd is not who gets to be president.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-the-real-issue-concerning-the-death-of-george-floyd-is-not-who-gets-to-be-president/854966)
**Author:** [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [June 7, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-the-real-issue-concerning-the-death-of-george-floyd-is-not-who-gets-to-be-president/854966 "2020-06-07T15:42:45Z")
My thesis is that police forces are not operated by the community at the Presidential level, and that I am getting enough campaigning for the President already, and that talking about Trump is changing the subject. You … --- ## [Reasons for racial demographic difference between police and army ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-racial-demographic-difference-between-police-and-army/855181)
**Author:** [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 7, 2020, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-racial-demographic-difference-between-police-and-army/855181 "2020-06-07T13:36:49Z")
This chart gives the racial demographics of the US army: This chart gives the police demographics for race : What are some of the factors to account for the disparity between the … --- ## [Chicago's downtown deathtrap...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicagos-downtown-deathtrap/854773)
**Author:** [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [June 7, 2020, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicagos-downtown-deathtrap/854773 "2020-06-07T12:27:16Z")
Amid the protests over George Floyd, Chicago’s mayor shut down the downtown and imposed a curfew with late notice, then shut down public transit and raised most of the bridges in that area. Now protestors are stuck in a … --- ## [Centrist countries/societies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centrist-countries-societies/854778)
**Author:** [@Max1981](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max1981)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 6, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centrist-countries-societies/854778 "2020-06-06T17:14:28Z")
Hopefully this is the right forum here to post this on. I’ve always been kinda apolitical and never really thought much about whether democrats or republicans are in power. I figured America will always be a centrist c… --- ## [Is racism a psychological disorder?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-racism-a-psychological-disorder/854929)
**Author:** [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [June 6, 2020, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-racism-a-psychological-disorder/854929 "2020-06-06T08:02:34Z")
In light of what has been going on recently, I’m convinced that racism is some sort of psychosis used to justify White supremacy and has entrenched itself into the power structures of Western society. I’m not dismissing… --- ## [Tribal behavior by police and some professionals but not others ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribal-behavior-by-police-and-some-professionals-but-not-others/854691)
**Author:** [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2020, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribal-behavior-by-police-and-some-professionals-but-not-others/854691 "2020-06-04T18:40:05Z")
I was really bugged by the Minneapolis video more by the other cops who stood by and did nothing presumably as a tribe culture of protecting their own first. I have seen this culture also amongst doctors and lawyers who … --- ## [Whether, when and how the Floyd protests will go seriously violent](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whether-when-and-how-the-floyd-protests-will-go-seriously-violent/854800)
**Author:** [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [June 3, 2020, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whether-when-and-how-the-floyd-protests-will-go-seriously-violent/854800 "2020-06-03T13:54:02Z")
So far, a lot of the protests have been peaceful with some riots. The riots themselves don’t seem to be on the level of Watts '65. I’m wondering if they’ll go the same way as the Northern Irish riots of the '70s. Police… --- ## [Supporting Floyd and BLM while opposing violence](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-floyd-and-blm-while-opposing-violence/854860)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [June 2, 2020, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-floyd-and-blm-while-opposing-violence/854860 "2020-06-02T19:47:07Z")
I am seeing Facebook memes/posts: MLK quotes “A riot is the language of the unheard” and memes: “White people: Can’t black people protest peacefully? (Image of Kaepernick kneeling) NOT LIKE THAT!” The consensus appears … --- ## [Difference between "good political correctness" and "bad political correctness"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-good-political-correctness-and-bad-political-correctness/854825)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [June 2, 2020, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-good-political-correctness-and-bad-political-correctness/854825 "2020-06-02T09:25:03Z")
IMHO, the main reason the fight over political correctness is so fierce is because both sides do not even agree on what PC means, nor do they recognize that there is good PC and bad PC. “Good PC” entails the following: … --- ## [To what extent do racists and angry asshole types overlap?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-do-racists-and-angry-asshole-types-overlap/854703)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2020, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-do-racists-and-angry-asshole-types-overlap/854703 "2020-06-01T11:30:12Z")
I’m starting this thread to debate one aspect of racism in the US in 2020. As I posted in the other thread, one of my assumptions that I have about racist people is that they tend to be the type of people who are either… --- ## [Mark Twain and the Christian Right.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mark-twain-and-the-christian-right/854657)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2020, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mark-twain-and-the-christian-right/854657 "2020-05-31T22:23:51Z")
I don’t presently have a cite. But I’ve read about it in more than one place. Conservative Christian’s just don’t like Mark Twain. They ban his books in their children’s schools, they quote him on religion and the Bible.… --- ## [Paid for something, but others get for free - legit grounds for grievance?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paid-for-something-but-others-get-for-free-legit-grounds-for-grievance/853841)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 108\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2020, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paid-for-something-but-others-get-for-free-legit-grounds-for-grievance/853841 "2020-05-31T03:21:52Z")
Back when Elizabeth Warren was still a candidate in the running, one of her most-touted campaign platforms was a promise to forgive college student debt for millions of such debtors. This, naturally, led to a backlash w… --- ## [Has the term 'Karen' become racist and sexist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-term-karen-become-racist-and-sexist/848253)
**Author:** [@pakputeh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pakputeh)\ **Replies:** 171\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2020, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-term-karen-become-racist-and-sexist/848253 "2020-05-31T02:55:13Z")
Originally, the appellation ‘Karen’ meant “demanding older White woman” in the context of customer service. After seeing the term used to describe certain older White female politicians, I started thinking that much of … --- ## [New final straw:Soliciting a felony by Tweet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-final-straw-soliciting-a-felony-by-tweet/854629)
**Author:** [@Turki-lurki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turki-lurki)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2020, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-final-straw-soliciting-a-felony-by-tweet/854629 "2020-05-31T00:41:37Z")
So reports are the donald has re-tweeted some wingnut’s remark that the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat. Apparently some frantic butt covering followed by the original author, but to my mind the damage was done. W… --- ## [Mask Wars, Wacko's , and the new normal](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mask-wars-wackos-and-the-new-normal/854366)
**Author:** [@Turki-lurki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turki-lurki)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mask-wars-wackos-and-the-new-normal/854366 "2020-05-30T15:40:46Z")
By now everyone has heard about violence caused by people who do not want to wear masks or observe social distance. It’s getting worse. For example, this morning in a neighborhood bulletin board discussion a local righ… --- ## [Oppression](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppression/854583)
**Author:** [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2020, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppression/854583 "2020-05-29T23:31:24Z")
Oppression doesn’t benefit oppressors. If oppression benefits oppressors, quit what you’re doing right now and go out and seek power over others. Because it will make your life better, because it will benefit you. If y… --- ## [Is this potentially the final straw? Please?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-potentially-the-final-straw-please/854569)
**Author:** [@Turki-lurki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turki-lurki)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2020, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-potentially-the-final-straw-please/854569 "2020-05-29T20:23:57Z")
The donald has done many contemptible things in 3 years, and the Senate has protected him along party lines. If tRump carries through with his threat and tries to shut down Twitter for contradicting him, how might he do … --- ## [Human life Vs Politics](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2020, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528 "2020-05-29T17:35:06Z")
I will attempt to frame the debate as I go here. I am starting to feel like politicians in general should be left out of handling things like a pandemic. All the wrong incentives are in place and can be used by either si… --- ## ["I became a police officer to help people"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-became-a-police-officer-to-help-people/854640)
**Author:** [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-became-a-police-officer-to-help-people/854640 "2020-05-29T15:33:24Z")
What do you think of this notion. “I did this job to help people who need me, I am a peacemaker, etc.” I will not categorize all police officers as bad, because they are not. But there is a policing problem in America. … --- ## [Should a white person be ashamed for being white?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-a-white-person-be-ashamed-for-being-white/854634)
**Author:** [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-a-white-person-be-ashamed-for-being-white/854634 "2020-05-29T15:31:25Z")
The resurgence of police chokeholds and racism under Trump has made some people feel that white people should be ashamed of being white. What do you think? --- ## [US pulling out of Open Skies treaty. Thoughts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pulling-out-of-open-skies-treaty-thoughts/854509)
**Author:** [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2020, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pulling-out-of-open-skies-treaty-thoughts/854509 "2020-05-29T04:09:21Z")
So, seems like Trump et al are poised to pull the US out of yet another international treaty, this time the Open Skies treaty. The reason given is…Russia has basically broken the treaty repeatedly almost since it was in… --- ## [What might the eviction crisis actually look like?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-the-eviction-crisis-actually-look-like/854544)
**Author:** [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2020, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-the-eviction-crisis-actually-look-like/854544 "2020-05-29T03:12:11Z")
There’s an article in today’s New York Times titled, An ‘Avalanche of Evictions’ Could Be Bearing Down on America’s Renters. The main argument of the piece is that, as stimulus checks and boosted unemployment payments d… --- ## [What effect will Covid-19 have on social security and Medicare?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-will-covid-19-have-on-social-security-and-medicare/854363)
**Author:** [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2020, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-will-covid-19-have-on-social-security-and-medicare/854363 "2020-05-27T20:55:32Z")
Has anyone modelled what the long term effects of of the corona virus will be on U S entitlements? Is this part of the reason that Republicans want to get rid of lock downs? If this would do better in GD, feel free to … --- ## [How Democrats Can Act Like Republicans (and vice-versa)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-democrats-can-act-like-republicans-and-vice-versa/854458)
**Author:** [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2020, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-democrats-can-act-like-republicans-and-vice-versa/854458 "2020-05-27T20:10:40Z")
When a Democrat does right-winged shit, their base will let them get away with it, and of course the other side likes it. War, Wall St. bail-outs, warrant-less surveillance, corporate trade deals with no respect for work… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=50) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=52)