6 Innocent sounding topics that are guaranteed flame wars

The New Intimacy

6 Innocent sounding topics that are guaranteed flame wars

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Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
Ok, I'm sharing this not because I'm trying to press anybody's buttons or stir anything up, but because I never really thought about just how much these topics have become issues that really press peoples buttons, and I think that Cracked did a decent job of highlighting them without choosing a side. So since we're all adults here, I thought I would share it in the hopes that we might share a chuckle over "oh hey, look at these things that seem like they wouldn't start huge fights but apparently do." Please don't actually start a flame war here.

"There are certain topics everybody knows are going to start a fight - politics, religion, abortion, video game consoles - important things like that.

But there's a lot of topics not on the standard hot-button list that are guaranteed to stir a forum thread into a white-hot frenzy. Topics that you would think people could disagree on reasonably, like dog poop disposal or tipping, that somehow drive people to threaten physical violence."


6 Innocent-Sounding Topics That Are Guaranteed Flame Wars
10/04/2011
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Contributor: Ansley Ansley
I have witnessed every single one of these! Thanks for posting Sam!
10/04/2011
Contributor: ToyTimeTim ToyTimeTim
Seen a few of these arguments myself, funny how folks just want to argue about something.
10/04/2011
Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
I've seen more than my fair share of these too. My group has adopted a "you can have your opinion and I'll have mine and let's not try to change each other's minds then" policy. There have been a few heated debates lol.
10/04/2011
Contributor: Kkay Kkay
I disagree that all of these are innocent-seeming, but I've definitely seen the wars.
10/04/2011
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Oh humans! Yeah... I've seen most of these debates. Not dog poop, actually, but I'd believe it.
10/04/2011
Contributor: WhoopieDoo WhoopieDoo
Ok. I was playing the board game Consensus with my family a few weeks ago...

In this game, ten noun cards are placed face up. A card with an adjective is drawn and everyone votes on which noun best matches the adjective. The people who vote for the card that gets the majority get to move ahead.

The adjective was "Dysfunctional"

Eight of the noun choices were crap, and two were really good.
One of them was "Belief in God"....the best answer, but nobody's going to put that because I'm a closet atheist among a devout Missouri Synod Lutheran family...

Frustrated that I can't put the answer I feel most strongly about, I go with the next best answer, which is still a REALLY GOOD answer: "Circumcision"...

I wasn't intending to incite any heated responses. I knew nobody was going to put the same answer as me, but all the other answers were so retarded that I couldn't bring myself to choose them.

My brother started to FREAK OUUUUUT, talking about how he was circumcised and his son (my four-year-old nephew) was circumcised....and it was really an awkward moment to say the least...I was really flustered and didn't know what to say (well actually I did know what to say but I didn't want to have a circumcision debate at my gramma's house with my family) so I just kind of said whatever and tried to push the game along.
10/04/2011
Contributor: Kindred Kindred
They forgot breast feeding in public.
10/04/2011
Contributor: wrecklesswords wrecklesswords
Some of those just seem ridiculous to start flame wars, but then again, I look back at the times that I've blown up over the most petty things and later apologized for being an asshole.
10/04/2011
Contributor: Alan & Michele Alan & Michele
Sad thing is, a lot of the things people fight over the most falls firmly into the rhelm of personal choice. Like veganism... how can people get so pissed off about that? It doesn't anyone if the person sitting next to us doesn't choose to eat the same things!
10/05/2011
Contributor: Errant Venture Errant Venture
Some of those I'd never even thought about, but following the logic (if that can be applied here) then it does make sense. The only one I've been caught up in was the tipping one. That's because I said I'm not a believer in tipping, as I feel that you get paid to do a job, and do it well, you shouldn't be paid more for doing what you should be doing in the first place. However, one woman got annoyed with me over it, citing that she only gets paid $2 an hour, and that she lives on tips. At which point I told her that minimum wage is enforced in my area, and that those who regulate these things are pretty harsh with those who pay less, but that's something that is rare in my area. She wasn't happy about that ...
10/05/2011
Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
Quote:
Originally posted by Alan & Michele
Sad thing is, a lot of the things people fight over the most falls firmly into the rhelm of personal choice. Like veganism... how can people get so pissed off about that? It doesn't anyone if the person sitting next to us doesn't choose to ... more
Exactly! And then there's more bacon for me! <----- bad joke
10/05/2011
Contributor: Yaoi Pervette (deleted) Yaoi Pervette (deleted)
I've seen fights involving all of these topics.

@Alan & Michele, I think a lot of the trouble starts when people judge others based on their decision or try to "convert" others to their way of thinking.
10/05/2011
Contributor: Beck Beck
Haha I have seen fights for all of these, expect veganism. Must be because I do not know anyone who is one.

My one neighbor lady and her neighbor constantly argue over dog poop. Have even called the police over it. Seriously set a bag and throw it out. No need to get the crime lab to come over and say "well there is no way it came from that small dog!" I am serious too, they didn't have the crime lab there. However their was a complaint about it and they assumed it was the neighbor cause they had a dog, however they had a Chihuahua and it was a huge pile. No way it was that tiny dog.
10/05/2011
Contributor: unfulfilled unfulfilled
I've seen a lotof arguments over crazy stuff like that. I try to be the peace keeper and hate being in or starting fights. I beleve everyones entitled to their own opinion and I leave it at that.
10/05/2011
Contributor: Alan & Michele Alan & Michele
Quote:
Originally posted by Jul!a
Exactly! And then there's more bacon for me! <----- bad joke
ROFL! Alright but you have to save some for me!
10/07/2011
Contributor: Alan & Michele Alan & Michele
Quote:
Originally posted by Yaoi Pervette (deleted)
I've seen fights involving all of these topics.

@Alan & Michele, I think a lot of the trouble starts when people judge others based on their decision or try to "convert" others to their way of thinking.
So true. That's what I've seen in the majority of the flame wars I've witnessed... the trying to "convert" people thing.
10/07/2011
Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
Also on the topic of internet commenting: The 6 stupidest internet reactions to shocking news stories.
10/25/2011
Contributor: karay123 karay123
They should add vaccinations to the list...
10/25/2011
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
LOL! I didn't know anyone was against tipping of all things.

Not only are wait staff allowed to be paid less than minimum wage in many states (including mine, where one of my daughters is working wait staff to make money to go back to college) but don't these people know those people on the wait staff have access to your food before you get it? What's a couple of bucks? Hell, I tip the dude who parks my car at the doctor's office (even though they tell you you don't have to) the dude at the car wash, and I often pay the toll for the person in back of me. I guess it depends on how attached you are to "your" money? The love of $$$$ isn't a huge deal for some of us, and even though I don't have a lot of it, I DO believe in spreading what I do have around.

My daughter (who has a degree in Early Childhood Development but makes better money waiting tables) did tell me that some people don't tip, and I was appalled. I was raised that that was just something you do. I asked her about the people who don't ever tip, she smiled and said, "We just remember them for the next time they come in." I have NO idea what she means by this.

The whole cat declawing argument defies me. Math? We're arguing about math?

And, of course, I love all the "Hitler" comparisons.

*sigh*
10/25/2011
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Quote:
Originally posted by P'Gell
LOL! I didn't know anyone was against tipping of all things.

Not only are wait staff allowed to be paid less than minimum wage in many states (including mine, where one of my daughters is working wait staff to make money to go back to ... more
"...but don't these people know those people on the wait staff have access to your food before you get it?"

That's why tipping AFTER the meal is customary. It's a very hot topic and the people who don't tip, typically rely on the argument that waitresses and waiters are supposed to report their tips and therefore if they don't make enough to meet minimum wage requirements for their state then the employer must pay out the difference. This of course gets trashed in practical application because waiters/waitresses are required to tip out to bartenders and sometimes kitchen staff as well. I've never seen a conversation about tipping that didn't end up in serious name-calling.
10/25/2011
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
"...but don't these people know those people on the wait staff have access to your food before you get it?"

That's why tipping AFTER the meal is customary. It's a very hot topic and the people who don't tip, typically ... more
Wow. I had no idea it was such a hot button issue. In our area, tipping is usually a given. It's just a given that those people need that money to make ends meet. My daughter says only a very few people never tip and some are poor tippers around here. But, I didn't realize it was such an argument with some people.

Weird.
10/25/2011
Contributor: AngelvMaynard AngelvMaynard
We just watched the vegan issue this weekend!! A woman in Savannah was so upset at the Pirate's House because there were not proper vegan choices on the menu. She was wearing her poor waiter out going back and forth to the kitchen to see if they could make special stuff for her! I felt sorry for the guy. She continued to rail on everything southern for the rest of the meal because southerners eat so much meat. Everyone in the room wanted to stuff a fried chicken leg in her mouth by the time her meal was over!!
10/25/2011