On just about every message board, there are certain topics that almost always seem to result in long, ugly threads, often culminating in thread closings and/or bannings. From what I’ve seen here, on the board I run, and a few others I visit, some of those topics include:
The desirability of overweight women (“People should be free to be attracted to whoever they want” vs “People who aren’t attracted to large women are shallow,” “One shouldn’t let society/peer pressure determine who they find attractive”, “What’s on the inside is what’s important, not what the person looks like”, etc.)
Circumcision
Picky eating (“I really can’t control it” vs. “It’s all in your head”, “Quit being a child”, etc.)
Flaws in the Linux operating system that hinder its acceptance among the general public (Regular users pointing out strange program names, awkward program interfaces, unintuitive directory structure, etc. vs geeks who proclaim its security, their love for command line interfaces, and their hatred towards Bill Gates)
SUV ownership SUVs (predictable response: tens of people chiming in to defend their SUV ownership by claiming they use them to pull large horse trailers up winding mountain roads every weekend.)
What are some of the other forum hot-button issues out there?
Here, 0.999… is a very hot-button topic. And the Monty Hall problem can generate a lot of heated debate. Issues like that are much more seriouis than the existence of God, or the Iraq War.
Religion: (‘I believe’ vs ‘only an idiot would believe without FACTS’)
Discrimination disguised as religion or ‘national security’ issues:
homosexuality (“God hates gays”) Islam (“all Muslims want to kill everyone so we have to Look Out for them”) versus voices of reason.
Not just the desirability of overweight people, but the topic of overweight and weight loss in general. IE: It’s easy to lose weight by eating fewer calories than you expend.
Is there a club of people who hate, mock, and pity those who play sports? I want to join, so I can have my fun but without the fighting.
Anything about sex and the morality of the circumstances under which one should engage in sexual activity is a hot topic. Along these lines, the definition of love.
Abortion has been mentioned, but I will add “When does life begin?”
Now if we had a thread about whether guns should have been used to force Barbara Bush to have an abortion while pregnant with George W., it might go on for 1000 pages.
