# Guaranteed hot-button issues on message boards **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 5, 2006, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943 "2006-12-05T15:31:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/21 "2006-12-05T17:22:10Z")
[QUOTE=pravnik] Illegally downloading a recording of George W. Bush having sex with an overweight woman on an airplane that’s on a treadmill. [/QUOTE] …and he kicks a declawed cat while Friends plays on TV and they listen to Nickelback. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/22 "2006-12-05T17:25:16Z")
Other people drive like jerks. Apostrophe abuse. Famous people who have the gall to age or gain weight. Rush Limbaugh said what? Why’d I get a warning? I didn’t do nothin’. That swill you drink would make a possum puke/the stuff I drink is the nectar of Venus. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/23 "2006-12-05T18:04:01Z")
Wal-Mart - minion of the devil/American success story Children - having babies/childfree by choice ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/24 "2006-12-05T18:04:34Z")
Choosing not to have children is selfish / means you hate children / etc. ---
**Author:** ![shamrock227](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@shamrock227](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shamrock227)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/25 "2006-12-05T18:17:39Z")
Well, I can only really speak for this MB, but, here goes… 1. Which way do you hang the toilet paper? 2. _Showgirls_ - brilliant piece of art or shitty movie? 3. Welfare 4. Picky eaters 5. Control your demon spawn/My woogums can do whatever his widdle heart desires - deal with it. Each and every one guaranteed to end badly. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/26 "2006-12-05T18:20:39Z")
Should or should you not wear shoes indoors? _Starship Troopers_ ---
**Author:** ![shamrock227](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@shamrock227](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shamrock227)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/27 "2006-12-05T18:27:13Z")
I can’t believe I forgot… :smack: 1 Dryer lint 2 Merge - It’s proper to merge early/It’s proper to use both lanes and merge at the last possible second ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/28 "2006-12-05T18:28:26Z")
Some seemingly innocent hot-button topics: - Nintendo Wii - frequency of bath towel washing - pets (mentioned by others; someone always has to pop into the thread with “they’re just animals”) - high fructose corn syrup - MSG - cars (someone always pops in to mention how much they hate driving) - _Peanuts_ (I vividly remember one discussion in which someone popped in to complain about violence in the strip) - hardware (Snap-on vs. Craftsman, especially) - college major choice ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/29 "2006-12-05T18:35:12Z")
I have been told that on several Superman fansites, discussion about the scene in Superman II when one of the other Kryptonians throws a manhole cover into Superman hard enough to knock him back into a building tend to degenerate into total flamewar. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/30 "2006-12-05T18:39:13Z")
Not necessarily here: Enterprise vs Star Destroyer Did Brawn die in “Transformers the Movie”? ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/31 "2006-12-05T18:39:59Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] Children - Large less furry pets or just frakkin annoying? [/QUOTE] Yes, they’re both idiotic customers firearms issues (“gun control”) ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/32 "2006-12-05T18:40:40Z")
Forgot one: “Does a Balrog have wings?” ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/33 "2006-12-05T18:42:12Z")
How about using a cell phone while driving? ---
**Author:** ![Monstera\_deliciosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monstera_deliciosa/32/109_2.png) [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/34 "2006-12-05T18:42:28Z")
Spanking. What does/does not qualify as racism. Whether or not any given action by police is justified/brutality. The veracity of rape victims. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/35 "2006-12-05T18:52:59Z")
Not so much here, but on many other MBs: Proper grammar and spelling vs. l33t speak/IM acronyms. People will have pages of arguments about how “u undrst@nd what i say yes so y it matter i type fast liek this i dont see a problem y u got 2” ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/36 "2006-12-05T19:11:37Z")
The Beatles: Were they a good rock and roll band? Were they a great rock and roll band? Were they an overrated rock and roll band? Were they the best rock and roll band? Were they a rock and roll band? Blah blah blah blah blah blah ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/37 "2006-12-05T19:20:07Z")
Shakespeare in Love vs Saving Private Ryan at the Oscars ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/38 "2006-12-05T19:23:56Z")
[QUOTE=Struan] Shakespeare in Love vs Saving Private Ryan at the Oscars [/QUOTE] Or..Is Saving Private Ryan a (good)/(war) movie? ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/39 "2006-12-05T20:20:10Z")
Homeschooling Breastfeeding, especially extended nursing Atkins diet. Smilies 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943/40 "2006-12-05T21:08:05Z")
[QUOTE=elmwood] 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: [/QUOTE] Wow. Just wow. You and I must not frequent the same message boards (or perhaps I’m just not as aware of these topics), but I haven’t noticed these as particularly hot-button issues on any other forum I’ve frequented. And except for issues that are already heated in real life such as religion, abortion and gay rights, I haven’t seen much venom over the other issues presented in this thread either. I could, however, get heated up over the cell phone issue all by myself, but perhaps that doesn’t count. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guaranteed-hot-button-issues-on-message-boards/382943.md?page=3)