# Is there something we can all agree on? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 26, 2006, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911 "2006-03-26T01:39:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/21 "2006-03-26T15:54:57Z")
> [@Digital Stimulus](#): > > I think, restated in less snarky terms, this is a good example. Rephrasing: _no one is perfect_. Alternatively, _everyone is/has been wrong about something_. Coverse to that last, perhaps: _everyone is/has been right about something_. I don’t think that everyone can agree to this. Religious folks are apt to claim that this or that prophet was perfect. And I doubt you could’ve gotten many folks in Stalinist Russia to admit to any flaws in Stalin, at least not out loud. > [@](#): > > I once started a poll asking people who they like better, Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse. Every single person said they liked Bugs Bunny better. Considering the wide range of backgrounds and opinions present on this board, I feel it is acceptable to regard our members as a fair representative sample of humanity. So we resolved that it was a proven fact: Bugs Bunny is better than Mickey Mouse. Did you ask Michael Eisner? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/22 "2006-03-26T16:03:33Z")
> [@Snowboarder Bo](#): > > Well, this is true, but it’s not really a principle… its just a biological fact. How are you defining “principle”? Would a proof in geometry count as a principle? Or does it have to be something with moral dimensions? ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/23 "2006-03-26T16:04:40Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > And fetuses breathe embryonic fluid Do they? I thought they received oxygen through the umbilical cord. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/24 "2006-03-26T16:12:48Z")
> [@Malodorous](#): > > Do they? I thought they received oxygen through the umbilical cord. What they receive is oxygen-enriched blood. But they don’t get anything out of the embryonic fluid. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/25 "2006-03-26T16:15:24Z")
> [@Malodorous](#): > > Do they? I thought they received oxygen through the umbilical cord. What don’t you remember? They do get 02 from the cord, but ‘breath’ the fluid, that I think I may have misnamed. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/26 "2006-03-26T16:59:33Z")
> [@Malodorous](#): > > I don’t think that everyone can agree to this. Religious folks are apt to claim that this or that prophet was perfect. And I doubt you could’ve gotten many folks in Stalinist Russia to admit to any flaws in Stalin, at least not out loud. Yeah, that occurred to me. However, in the case of Christians, one might add the stipulation “borne of man and woman” (i.e., not the result of immaculate conception). In other cases, perhaps similar qualifications can be added. Perhaps it should be modified to be _I’m not perfect_. Nonetheless, in the situation given in the OP, there are two notable things: (1) it’s asking for a _principle_, which I think is a bit weaker than a universal and (2) it’s taking place after death. In the case of (1), we can derive some further useful ethical principles (e.g., just because Robertson/Phelps/Dawkins/etc. says so doesn’t mean they’re right; therefore, one should always retain a modicum of skepticism. Additionally, one should not subscribe to blind faith, nor should one be unwilling to examine one’s own beliefs). As to (2), it removes the Stalinist Russia example (or other coercive scenarios). ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/27 "2006-03-26T17:04:18Z")
The designated hitter is an abomination. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Clam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@Happy\_Clam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Clam)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/28 "2006-03-26T17:17:00Z")
If I have learnt anything, it is that I know nothing. (plato) Plus, I think “And this, too, shall pass.” is not only a pretty good universal truth, but quite possbily the only one. I would have said “Nothing means anything.” but I think I’d be questioning my atheism once I faced the Owl God. (“I don’t believe in the gods!” “No, but the god believe in **you** ”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/29 "2006-03-26T17:31:10Z")
“The Lord loves a workin’ man/Don’t trust Whitey/See a doctor and get rid of it” is pretty much all you need to know to get through life, if you don’t mind being a bit of a jerk. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/30 "2006-03-26T18:05:27Z")
> [@The Scrivener](#): > > Don’t trust Whitey I tried this for awhile, but being white myself, it led to an anti-solipsist position that was completely untenable. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/31 "2006-03-26T18:12:51Z")
> [@Digital Stimulus](#): > > Yeah, that occurred to me. However, in the case of Christians, one might add the stipulation “borne of man and woman” (i.e., not the result of immaculate conception). In other cases, perhaps similar qualifications can be added. Perhaps it should be modified to be _I’m not perfect_. Not sure “I’m not perfect” works either. Their are doubtless half a hundred religious nut jobs out there who think they are perfect. David Koresh, for example, thought he was Jesus come again, so I presume that would include thinking he was perfect. > [@](#): > > (2) it’s taking place after death… (2), it removes the Stalinist Russia example (or other coercive scenarios).(quote edited for clarity) I don’t think that everyone in totalitarian states belive the hype about thier various leaders purely out of fear for thier lives, though. Propaganda becomes a sort of state religion, and the people do end up thinking their leader is perfect. As an example, I watched a PBS special a few weeks ago with a women who had lived through the Great Leap Forward in China describing her feelings for Mao at the time. She really did think of him as infalable, to the point of coming up with complicated and unlikely scenarios to explain the failings of the Chinese state. How about “drink plenty of fluids”? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/32 "2006-03-26T18:34:35Z")
> [@Malodorous](#): > > How about “drink plenty of fluids”? Nope. You could be suffering from problems with the upper gastro area, where liquids by mouth are contraindicated. > [@Frank](#): > > The designated hitter is an abomination. This one I can go with. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/33 "2006-03-26T19:48:27Z")
Orgasms are fun. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![raindog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@raindog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindog)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/34 "2006-03-26T20:09:45Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > I once started a poll asking people who they like better, Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse. Every single person said they liked Bugs Bunny better. Considering the wide range of backgrounds and opinions present on this board, I feel it is acceptable to regard our members as a fair representative sample of humanity. So we resolved that it was a proven fact: Bugs Bunny is better than Mickey Mouse. > > It may not be profound, but you take your universal truths where you can find them. I was thinking that I had no idea to answer the OP and then I stumbled on this post. I immediately took a poll of my 12 & 14 year old. Without hesitation they said: “Bugs Bunny.” (without prompting) I’m inclined to go with **Little Nemo** on this one. ---
**Author:** ![raindog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@raindog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindog)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/35 "2006-03-26T20:10:58Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > The designated hitter is an abomination. An abomination _before God._ (who is surely a Cub fan) ---
**Author:** ![Tevildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/36 "2006-03-26T20:16:09Z")
Another couple of suggestions - aphorisms rather than principles, but still. “Hear all, see all, say nowt, and if tha ever does owt for nowt, do it for thissen.” “Keep your mouth shut and your bowels open.” ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/37 "2006-03-26T20:53:56Z")
“John Edward is the Biggest Douche in the Universe.” ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/38 "2006-03-26T21:04:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Is there something we can all agree on? I think we can all agree that no, there is _not_ something we can all agree on. Go ahead, try to disagree with that! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/39 "2006-03-26T21:09:21Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > Humans can be amazingly argumentative. No they can’t. ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911/40 "2006-03-26T21:13:48Z")
> [@the raindog](#): > > I was thinking that I had no idea to answer the OP and then I stumbled on this post. I immediately took a poll of my 12 & 14 year old. Without hesitation they said: “Bugs Bunny.” (without prompting) Again, I imagine that the folks at Disney would hold, even before the Owl God, that MM is the better cartoon character. I’ve also heard people (usually of the elder generation) express a dislike for the rabbit and a preference for the mouse because they feel Loony Toons, with its emphesis on the anvil smashing and TNT explosioning of its villians to be too sadistic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-something-we-can-all-agree-on/349911.md?page=3)