The Debate Chat

As always, please keep this free from abusive language, etc. Be nice. I don't know how it is around the world, but I do know that California has a bill in the works about transgender students. If a male student identifies as a girl, or if a female student identifies as a boy, then that student will be allowed to use the locker rooms and bathrooms of the gender with which they identify. What do you think? I'm having trouble with making a decision. I'm normally quite good at putting myself in other people's shoes, but I can't do it in this case because I've never cared that much about genitals. I don't know what it's like to feel like you were born wit…

I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I'm very tired of being bombarded at every turn by one holiday or another. BUT THIS! no THIS! Ugh, I'm stretched to the limit just keeping myself fed, clothed and housed in this economy without commercialism trying to seduce me into buying over-priced holiday merchandise with it's bright colours, catchy jingles and persistent pushing. I am tired. Tired of having to brace myself against the constant pressure to buy, buy, buy. I'm exagerating, of course, but really...it does feel this way a lot of the time, especially as yet another holiday is coming up. I realize many would argue that a lot of these holidays are solemn relig…

As a gamer who is a girl, I find the gaming community sexist in a way. It has been said that 45% of video game purchasers are woman. I am part of that 45% and find that the 45% can, but not always be stereotyped. I've seen comments on websites stating how there's no such thing as "girl gamers". We've all seen pictures of girls licking controllers and because of that, I feel like we aren't taken seriously. I don't play social media games. Neopets is really the only online games I play. I play games like Call of Duty and other games like that, but I also tend to play fighting, arcade, RPG, strategy and basically every game under the sun, but I don't play online or…

I have meant to post a topic like this quite a few times, but have either not gotten around to it or have avoided it because it could potentially be a really emotionally charged topic. But after reading this article, I think it's a question worth asking.. what do you think should be the punishment for those convicted of rape? As far as I'm concerned, I personally place absolutely zero value on the life of an individual who decides that violating other human beings in that way is how they are going to spend that life. People who do that, in my opinion, should be immediately, swiftly, and permanently removed from civilized society via a non-negotiable life sentence or e…

So it popped up in my mind today about this question. Are we born kind? Or is it something that is taught? Is being kind a "luxury"? Say, if someone donated a lot of money to charity would you say they're "kind"? But on the other end of the spectrum, if you're on the streets and you worked super hard to get a piece of bread but the other person on the street has none and you don't share it with them, does that make you not "kind"? For me I would say it's inborn. It's kind of complicated but I know some people that are downright unkind. It's not that they beat up people but deep down they want you to suffer. They might not show it or do anything but they want you to su…

So my friends joke with me saying I am a cat lady in training. My ex and mom feared when I saw kitties on the street because my IQ drops significantly whenever I see cats around (and because I want to feed them or take them home). My eye sight is horrible, but for whatever reason, I can spot a cat that's on the next block....I guess it's my calling haha ANYWAY Last year I was telling a friend about TNR (trap, neuter, release) to keep the feral cat population under control. I think it's a good idea, because ferals are technically wild cats, and like any wild animal, they usually dont adapt to living as a pet (or at least not as quick as some people would want them …

Since this has been trending in other places, I thought we might like to discuss the "Yes All Women" campaign that's started to bring awareness to what it's like to live as a woman in many societies. In danger of mixing my online personae (oh no!), I made a post on my Tumblr account outlining some of the experiences I've had as a woman in the U.S. (I don't think there's anything inappropriate there for younger eyes.) After writing this post, I feel angry that I've gotten so used to this kind of treatment that I've had to edit the post three times to add significant events. I've gotten angry that I've been told "that's no big deal" (in words and actions) for every si…

So recently I've been reading a lot about Scientology. Well, let me rephrase that: I've been reading a lot of testimonials from people who managed to escape Scientology. I started with these two posts from Cracked: 5 Ways Growing Up Inside Scientology Was a Nightmare and 5 Disturbing Things I Learned in Scientology's 'Space Navy'. Both are awesome, by the way. I then found this site from and for ex-scientology kids who managed to escape. I started reading a lot about Scientology and its origins, and I'm still amazed at the fact that people actually join in and believe in a religion that was completely fabricated by a well-known science-fiction writer, to the poi…

What is our responsibility to each other as human beings? Do you agree that we are out brother's keeper? Meaning: You have a responsibility to care for your fellow man. Are we only supposed to care for ourselves, or are we supposed to care for eachother?

I realize that not a lot of people are educated on the topic of gender, so I'll explain it as best I can. Binary genders - male and female. Nonbinary genders (nb) - genders that fall outside of the male-female binary. Nonbinary Genders There are a lot of these, so I'll try to explain as many as I can as simple as I can. Agender - not identifying as a gender. Androgynous - partly male and partly female. Genderqueer - an umbrella term used for many nonbinary genders. Bigender - identifying as two different genders, with no gender taking preference over the other. (can be male and female, or a binary gender and a nonbinary gender) Trigender - identifying as …

I saw this article on facebook last night, and the video left me in both happy and sad tears. I was disgusted by the way most acted, but when those two guys stood up for them I bawled like a baby. I was reading the comments and saw a lot of "It doesn't matter if you're gay or straight, I don't want to see you making out while I'm trying to eat" What are your thoughts?

With the ever increasing frequency of gun-related shootings and crimes, is it time to strengthen gun control? Or is gun control the opposite of what we need to do (more guns, more people to react to these incidents)? Where does the government fit into this? Should they dictate what we can and can't own? When is the second amendment appropriate to cite and when isn't it? All this and more in this thread.

Do you agree with the following statements, and if you do, to what extent and why? If you don't, then why do you oppose that idea? Your past defines you Your upbringing and childhood defines you There is no definitive meaning to life, and thus we should not search for a 'true' meaning The meaning of life is to live a life with meaning We should acknowledge more antiquated theories in science as possibly holding some merit, so long as they have not been outright disproven or corrected (i.e. Newton's idea of gravity and force would not qualify for this) If life has no definitive meaning, then we should oppose all institutions which attempt to impose…

Right now fracking is a big political issue in the area that I live in. For those who don't know what fracking check this link here http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-14432401. Personally I'm against fracking since it's bad for the environment and also it can cause health prblems for people who live near an area where fracking takes place.There has been fracking next to schools in states such as California and Colorado.Teachers have noticed that children got nosebleeds and seemed more tired when fracking was happening nearby the schools. Also the noise disrupts the classrooms making it harder for the kids to learn. I'm curious to see what other people's opinions on fracking are s…

Ohai there! Now this is something that interests me a lot. When I was a teen, I was a fan of Finnish metal bands, and got to read a lot about Finland and Nordic countries. I remember being very surprised when finding out that, in those countries, and maybe in Europe as a whole, people don't have much physical contact with each other. Actually, in Nordic countries, almost not at all. For example, in those countries people only hug when they're very, very intimate. I also remember a soap opera character, again when I was a teen. Part of the story happened in the US and there was an American character, a teacher in a class for toddlers, who despised physical contact…

I read that Victoria's Secret doesn't want to design bras for women that have had mastectomies because it's "complicated". That form of cancer runs in my biological dad's side of the family and it is no laughing matter and I think its sad that a store that promotes confidence won't even bother with that. Women who have had that procedure deserve bras that don't look like granny bras. What do you think?

First off, I'm not an American, so I never celebrated Thanksgiving. But as a former History student and having an interest in History in general, I've read quite a lot about it, and I understand there is a polemic regarding the Native Americans, who find it an insult since they've suffered the loss of lands, hunger and poverty in the hands of the same "White People" who celebrate this date. I'd like to know you guys' opinions, not only Americans but anyone interested in this subjects. If you're American, do you celebrate it? Regardless of nationality, what do you think of Thanksgiving as a celebration? Do you think it's a valid holiday or an example of hypocrisy?

When I was growing up, I had to help around the house but my brother didn't. I always complained about it to my parents, and they would just say "he's a boy, he doesn't have to". This still upsets me when I think about it, and it's part of the reason why I hate housework so much. Housework is usually boring regardless, but I feel that if I had learned that housework is everyone's responsibility, I wouldn't hold such a grudge against it. So, how was housework dealt with when you were growing up? And if you had (or have) kids, how would you (or how do you) deal with it? a ) Girls do all the work, boys do none b ) Girls do most of the work, boys do some c ) Sam…

(apologies if a topic on this already exists, I couldn't find one) I'm sure everyone's heard of this case and the riots in Ferguson, for an overview of the situation check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-30193354 The bare facts (as I understand them) Police Officer Darren Wilson was driving his police car when he encountered Michael Brown and a friend. Officer Wilson fired 12 bullets, at least 7 of which struck Brown. Brown died from the bullet wounds sustained to his head and chest. What actually happened is, of course, unknown, there are lots of different witness accounts, three separate autopsy reports and hundreds of expe…

As an artist, I've asked myself this question for a long time. What do you all think? Do you think it's right/acceptable for artists with more developed skills to criticize those with lesser artistic skills? If you've ever seen this happen, how did you react?