Top 10 Non-Political Issues to Stir the Pot
After tackling the Presidential election, Betsy and Sal brainstorm other topics -- like Lance Armstrong and tattoos -- that are sure to get people talking.
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In case you missed our article last week, here’s a quick synopsis: we set our sites on the presidential debates, threw our thoughts into a big pot, grabbed a giant stick, and stirred.
We thought we were being both amusing and canny. But if comments are to be trusted, a great many of our readers turned on their fans and threw their opinions at the whirling blades in an effort to express themselves.
It got ugly.
But hey, that’s what makes this country great, right? Freedom of speech and the ensuing ability to express ourselves in the light of opposition. And, if current polls are to be trusted even a little bit, we’re living in a time of great divisiveness as well as a time of extraordinarily revived enthusiasm for engaging in heated discourse.
Or, put more succinctly, everyone’s itchin’ for a fight.
So come Nov. 7, when everyone awakens bleary eyed to either a decisive victory or an extended recount or a newer and shinier version of the hanging chad debacle, what are we going to do?
We’ve come up with a brilliant idea. Why not get agitated and vitriolic over topics beyond the political arena? And why wait for Nov. 7? After all, the debates are over, and we need something to do.
Herewith, we propose a few topics to get the blood flowing and the gastric juices gurgling upward. We can’t think of any reason to calm down, take it easy, or just feel groovy. The doctors all say it’s good to keep the heart rate elevated for at least 30 minutes each day, so why not bump into someone the next time you’re in line at the coffee house and start in on a topic that is sure to draw ire. Let this be your online primal scream for the day. It’s downright patriotic.
Consider us your tour guides for nonpartisan topics, conversation starters or simple statements sure to get a rise at nearly any dinner party, checkout line or family function.
- Lance Armstrong: Tainted victor or cheating louse? Should he really be stripped of his medals? Why can’t he just strip?
- Tattoos: Okay, some of us have lost the battle with our kids, but can we take adults seriously when they get their first tattoos after their 40th birthdays?
- Eating: Gluten free if you’ve got Celiac. Otherwise, eat the damn bread.
- Yoga: It’s an exercise, not a religion.
- Adult dating: Men- date age appropriate women. Women- date women.
- Sharrows: Why can’t the bikers and the drivers be friends?
- Lululemon: Why pay less when you can pay more? (Note: the authors are divided on this topic.)
- Cell phones: Hang-up if you’re driving or if you’re with living, breathing people. This shouldn’t even be controversial. We just can’t resist saying it again.
- Newsweek: Going out of print. Who cares?
- Choice: Don’t be silly. We’re talking about Snickers or Milky Way. It’s almost Halloween after all.
chris
8:23 am on Saturday, October 27, 2012
I participated in your forum last week. It was heated to be sure. I don't know that November 7 th will be a bleary eyed event? I suspect that no matter who wins, there will be some real trouble for months following. This election cycle has been the most divisive, nasty and dangerous one I have witnessed in my nearly fifty years on this spinning rock. And that timeline takes me through the bitterness of Carter versus Reagan. A campaign so sour that to this day, committed liberals still refer to "Zap-Ray Gun" and conservatives pronounce Carters name with their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths to feign a stupid southern accent. This latest election will be fought over for years to come. This is the first time since prior to the civil war that people have chosen political parties over friends and relatives. So regardless of the outcome, this will be a very different nation afterwards. I think the world knows it, which would explain why they want to put in U.N. observers for the first time in our history. Which is bound to create problems all by itself. Lululemon and Lance Armstrong aside, this is going to be a very rough time in our history.
Michael Ioffe
7:53 pm on Saturday, October 27, 2012
I am not a member of any party. In my opinion both parties haven't any good ideas how to create jobs.
As example, I use Steven Jobs company-Apple.
Steven Jobs had all money, which he need and the best inventions in the world.
In result he create few thousand high paying jobs and ten thousand distribution jobs for his product in USA.
MOST OF JOBS WERE CREATED OVERSEAS.
Conclusion: money alone and not all innovation will improve jobs in USA. We need support all innovation, but pay more attention to those, which will create jobs in USA.
From 2000and 2012 Killer beetles destroyed more than 100,000,000 acres of forests almost equal for USA (50,000,000) and Canada (50,000,000).
Right now Republicans, Democrats and all population of USA must make priority #1 cleaning area from dead trees and regrow forests as soon as possible.
In my opinion the best way to do this job is building small power plants in affected forests and use wood from dead trees as the cheapest source of energy for electricity, heat, hot water production.
Michael Ioffe
7:53 pm on Saturday, October 27, 2012
It will be zero emission energy production.
It will be very profitable businesses with jobs, which will never go overseas despite globalization.
It will be real cooling of continent of North America by cooling process of evaporation of water from soil by trees and increasing probabilities of rain.
It will be more probabilities of increase of production by farmers, because more of rain.
It will be very helpful to start cleaning all ponds, lakes, streams, creeks; to start building of reservoirs to collect spring water. These jobs we could start in this fall.
The same as in this fall we could start creation of systems to relocate water from flooded area to dry.
These jobs, also will never go overseas and will be very profitable.
Another Point
10:26 am on Sunday, October 28, 2012
With all do respect Betsy and Sally, as journalists you know that everything is political, right?