Need controversial debate topic

Well, like Svol, we're having debates this year.
Thing is, so far, I am pretty sure I have to take a theme from a paper supplied with suggestions for themes, and from there, find a controversial question stemming from that theme, and team with 2 others against 3, making a total of a group of 6 per theme, 3 vs 3.
Is it ever so hard! We could not find a subject on time, so we asked the teacher for a grace period of the weekend, and he accepted. We must have some topic by monday, and it better have some aspects and arguments that prove it can be a worthy topic which lasts. Average time per student in the team is 5 minutes, totalling 30 minutes at least!

Ok, so here are a few themes we are interested in. If you have a controversial aspect of a theme, state the "question", one which someone can go up and say: I am with, I am against, here's why...
And if you can also, supply arguments, just some to show me this topic can be developped, even researched upon to be prepared for a long but damn hooking/interesting debate:

-Video games
-Internet and young ones

I know we could've had more themes, but our previous suggestion had two disagreeing on it, and damn it! And please, if you're gonna suggest the same ol' "violence and vgames", at least gimme some controversy that really does hook you up, because the thought of violence and vgames would likely put all of the team on one side, all being gamers!

I urge you guys to help me before monday!
Lou, I know you had given me previously help on my school topics, maybe your husband and you can find me something genius like last time.

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This post is brought to you by Eden, on a Via Eden, in the garden of Eden.

d00d, you guys should have a debate on which form of discrimination affects people the worst, race or looks. I swear a good looking person of any race has more oportunities in life than an ugly person of any race.

Take me as an example. I look like a roughneck. Even though I dress clean, have good maners (in public), and excellent hygene, I find it very difficult to get any kind of white collar job.

<font color=blue>Watts mean squat if you don't have quality!</font color=blue>

I suppose going for Internet & youngies you've got a few spin off themes, such as censorship, parental responsibility, the dangers of creating the "nanny state" against the possibility of "too much of a good thing", early indoctrination of extremist views, enabling terrorism on a wider scale than previously possible. All heady stuff. Best of luck, whatever U go with.

- -
I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite.

Children should be out having fun, not sitting in their rooms on PCs all the time.

They're out of shape, can't communicate and will prolly have health issues by the time they're 30.

<b><font color=blue>~ <A HREF="http://forums.btvillarin.com/index.php?act=ST&f=41&t=324&s=58e94ba84a16bedfebbf0f416d5bac48" target="_new">Nice sig 81.</A> ~<font color=blue></b>

some links for the argument about computers reducing communication

http://www.ime.usp.br/~vwsetzer/video-g-risks.html

http://www.game-research.com/art_c [...] search.asp

and this one is for the argument that computers assist in communication
http://www.rit.edu/~easi/itd/itdv02n2/ward.html

p.s. i didn't read most of them coz i'm lazy
and i have seen cases on techtv where kids have had bad communication skills because of computer games.

so you may want to search at www.techtv.com for the topic

cockrings - should they be mandatory in the Netherlands.

<font color=red>
<A HREF="http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?dhlucke" target="_new">If you were to have sex with your clone would that be considered incest or masturbation?</A></font color=red>

Hey Eden...sorry I didn't see this thread until now.

I think the communication thing is a good topic. I know personally that my children are given limited time to play video games (1hr/day....oldest child gets 2hrs/day on weekends), and so I don't see them as being adversly affected with regards to their communication skills.

However, you might also look into things like repetetive injury issues occuring at younger ages (can't remember the real name for that right now), health issues related to more sedentary lifestyle (with obesity being the #1 health issue in America and something like 60% of kids being overweight). You could correlate the rise in childhood obesity with the rise in videogame proliferation.

Perhaps your topic statement could say:

"Is prolonged exposure to computer software such as video games and the internet to blame for increased health problems and decreased social skills in young people?"

The people who take the "yes it is to blame" side will have plenty of medical evidence...the people who take the "no it's not to blame" side may have to rely further on the parental control arguments...and lack of time restrictions etc. The whole...guns don't kill people...people kill people argument.

Hope that helps...and good luck!!

<font color=purple>"If you can put fear aside, you're unstoppable."<i>
~J Hagberg</i></font color=purple>

I guess I meant that obesity (along with other health related issues) has increased since the inception and proliferation of computers and video games. It goes to the same argument.

Also...for the person who argues that video games are not so bad...they might also explore the idea that being an avid gamer may actually <i>help</i> young people who are looking to break into that market as adult employees of software companies...giving them valuable insights through exposure to gaming/internet technology. They may have communication skills that others <i>don't</i> have due to their technological knowledge. Just a thought...



<font color=purple>"If you can put fear aside, you're unstoppable."<i>
~J Hagberg</i></font color=purple>

Ah but if you shoot him and run to his spawn point you can continuously kill him.

<A HREF="http://forums.btvillarin.com/index.php?act=ST&f=41&t=324&s=58e94ba84a16bedfebbf0f416d5bac48" target="_new">I reckon all women should learn how to do an engine re-build so they can get the right to vote.</A>

Ok well we went with the modified question:
CAN the exposure to content like video games and internet cause negative consequences?

Made it very general so the side that says no, can have an easier and fairer time.

In a few days I will create a post, and see what arguments you guys can give out.
I'll research as well, to anticipate any replies they might go with.

Thanks again yall.

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This post is brought to you by Eden, on a Via Eden, in the garden of Eden.