Controversial Questions meme

Today’s meme comes from Melodramatic Diary of a Cynic, who stole it from elsewhere on the Internet.

I always find it odd what people consider “controversial”. I guess I’m just wired differently.

1. Would you do meth if it was legalized?

I was going to say I wouldn’t do anything that was concocted in a bathtub or the like but then I realized I was drinking a Coca-Cola.

I would personally have to say “no”. But I can barely handle what alcohol does to me.

2. Abortion: for or against?

I would say I’m against it. But I probably have a slightly skewed perception on this since I was adopted. I could have just as easily been aborted and then no one would have had to endure knowing the pain that is me… although some might say that would have been a good thing.

However, since I have a penis I feel my opinion shouldn’t really matter on the subject.

3. Would our country fall with a woman president?

Males on average sure don’t seem to have done it all that well for the last 200 years. Why not give females a shot?

I think it would do better run by a woman. There’s that “females of the species are more deadlier than the males” bit. And how many mothers wouldn’t kick someone’s ass that messed with her children? Seriously. My mom ran our household far better than my father did.

4. Do you believe in the death penalty?

It really depends on the the reason behind the penalty, but I’m all about the eye-for-an eye business. And public executions. I think they are an effective—and if properly done, money-making—deterrent to crime.

5. Do you wish marijuana would be legalized already?

Forget pot! There are many more important things I wish were legal—like oral and anal sex between consenting adults.

Why do governments make something illegal when it could just as easily be legal and taxed? I think the governments are missing a huge money-making opportunity here. Quit taxing income; legalize and tax vices.

6. Do you believe in God?

Whose “God” you are talking about? Beliefs are funny like that—believe in the “wrong” thing and you are going to be tormented.

Since I have to assume most of my readers read the question in the context of the Christian God, I’ll address the question in that light. I have always thought the dichotomy of the Christian God odd. Why change course from a wrathful, vengeful deity (Pentateuch/Old Testament) to a loving, caring deity (New Testament)? If a deity is truly omniscient, should not it have stayed the course? To do otherwise suggests the deity is not actually omniscient. And if not, how is the deity any different than a feeble human in that it can’t deliver a consistent message?

7. Do you think same-sex marriage should be legalized?

I am torn on this. I’m sure many of my readers already have their own answer on the tip of their tongue.

But marriage—as shown by recorded history—was about the transfer of “property” (i.e., the dowry and the wife being the property). Marriage was not even considered a “romantic notion” until the last 150 years or so (depending on your location). I know the tradition has changed, but do I really want to be “chained” to the tradition of being property?

Then there is the “Sanctity of Marriage” argument which has only surfaced in the last few decades. If marriage is such a sacred device then why not make divorce illegal first before deciding who can and cannot marry? I am pretty sure that if any couple knew they only had one shot—and it was forever (sans the big three as laid out by the Bible, if you must)—there would be a lot less marriage… of any kind.

For me it is an issue about not having the same rights. Sure, there are other methods to accomplish receiving some of the benefits gained through the act of “marriage”, but it’s a pain in the ass and they can be challenged. How would those of you with spouses handle not being allowed into the hospital room of your spouse if something happened to them? Or when your spouse dies having your spouses’ kin come and take everything you worked so hard to build together?

8. Do you think it’s wrong that so many Hispanics are moving to the USA?

No—and why should I? I don’t care where anyone is from as long as everyone does it in a legal fashion.

9. A 12 year old girl has a baby… should she keep it?

If she was old enough to spread her legs in the first place, then she should be old enough to get a job and support whatever pops out.

Actually, who the hell has sex with a 12 year old person? That is so beyond not right. This is why Chris Hansen should still be doing the “To Catch A Predator” stuff.

10. The alcohol age be lowered to 18?

I know a lot of people over the age of 21 who shouldn’t be allowed to drink.

If you are old enough to fight and die in armed service then you should be allowed to drink. If the drinking age was lowered to around 13 years old (or how about not one at all!), how much less binge drinking would there be by young adults because it wouldn’t be a big deal to do anymore?

11. Should the war in Iraq be called off?

If we are not there (or anywhere) to take over and keep their resources, then we shouldn’t be there. I seriously miss the days of “colonial” conquest. You invade a country, kick their butts, then keep the land. Even better if you start displacing people and move them all around so they can’t be pissed off in a group together (and a faster way to homogenize Earth’s population!). The Babylonians had it right—they just failed to follow through properly.

12. Assisted suicide is illegal… do you agree?

If someone wants to die, why not let them?

13. Do you believe in spanking your children?

I think everyone deserves a good whack now and again—both children AND adults. How many times have you wanted to hit someone else’s child in the grocery store or restaurant because they weren’t doing it?

14. Would you burn an American flag for a million dollars?

A flag is just a collection of different pieces of cloth that meant nothing until they were sewn together in a specific configuration. At what point did they become “special” and not burnable?

I know the flag is a symbol: to some it means everything; to others it means nothing. Flag burning can be used to make a statement, or to respectful dispose of a worn flag. (The U.S. Flag Code states, “The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning”.)

15. A mother is declared innocent after murdering her 5 children in a temporary insanity case… what do you think?

She has to live with it the rest of her life. But as I stated above, I’m all about an eye-for-an-eye.

16. It’s between you and a person who is being kept alive by life support machines… one has to die? Who?

Are we both kept alive by life support machines, or just the other person? If just the other person, I’ll gladly pull the plug for them.

I have never wanted to be kept alive artificially, and I have a DNR order in my health records. Whether or not the Husbear honors that when the time comes might be a different matter though, as no one wants to let a loved one go.

17. Are you afraid others will judge you from reading some of your answers?

I’m accustomed to being judged. And everyone judges. It is a human’s way to make sense of things to which we object.

I’m curious as to what others may think actually. I know these things stir up passion in people, but that’s no reason we can’t have a civil discourse about it.

Until next time...
Erik

7 thoughts on “Controversial Questions meme

  1. That is quite a MEME; most people are either too squeamish to talk about these things, or too ‘in your face’ about their views.
    I wish these topics could be discussed with more dialogue and civility; nowadays people shout down and destroy all those who oppose their takes. I think it gets down to fear – if I don’t wipe you out first you will wipe me out rather.
    It is all rather sad.

  2. I must agree with Urspo. I believe there are a handful of things going against our ability to have meaningful dialogue. First, people text short one-liners at each other (sound bites), not well thought-out paragraphs (this is an instant gratification society; therefore, meaningful dialogue would take too long). Second, reading and thinking takes too much effort nowadays. Third, unfortunately, forums (even blog sites like this) are rather anonymous, and it’s easy to be unthinking and uncivilized with people whom you have no connection to. Fourth, anyone on a forum can have an opinion weighted equally with others, including children and run-of-the-mill assholes, so you never know who’s shouting you down.

    My therapist told me that those who can hold cogent conversation and actually be open to changing their minds on an issue are in the sore minority. This was actually quite liberating to me who was sabotaging my emotional well-being trying to convince my religious right family that I’m a good person.

  3. 1. Meth. no way in hell… have you seen how ugly it makes you? 2. In general against abortion but I think it is better to give options that make abortion unecessary that to criminalize women in a bad situation. 4. On the death penalty… I am against it… you can’t bring back the dead if you find out later they are innocent. 6. I am Buddhist and believe Gods (real or not) distract us from our own true potential. 7. I am same sex married, CA last October.

  4. I didn’t get to actually respond to the talking points:
    1. No meth, no way, ever. I’ve seen what it does to people. Not pretty. I’ve also seen what pot and alcohol can do to people. Any drug to excess will cause problems. The stronger the drug, the faster it creates problems.
    2. Abortion? Nobody out there thinks it’s a great idea. The problem is that the people against it are also against preventing unwanted pregnancy, i.e. against sex ed and free condom/birth control distribution.
    3. 50% of the population are female. 50% of those likely to bring ruin on the country are female. Ergo, there is a 50% chance that it would happen. QED.
    4. Do I believe in the death penalty? You mean, like, do I believe in Peter Pan, or Santa Claus? Sure. I believe in the death penalty for both of them.
    5. I live in the pot capital of the country. The smell is everywhere. Everyone thinks it’s all natural (it’s the herb, dude! it’s all good!) and that it’s okay to smoke it three times a day. They think it makes them more spiritual. They think alcohol is evil. These people live in a pot cloud of stupidity. And it doesn’t make conversation more interesting. It’s also waaayyy stronger than it was 20 years ago. It’s really not the benign drug it used to be. So, no, I’m not itching to make it legal.
    6. Do I believe in God? No. Do I believe in a universal mulligatawny soup that contains energy, spirit, and memory? Perhaps. Likely.
    7. Same-sex marriage? Absolutely. If people give the word marriage that much weight, then to have anything else would be to create a “separate but equal” class of people, shown to only perpetuate prejudice. (And my husband and I were the first male couple in Humboldt to get married).
    8. Hispanics moving to the U.S. of A.! Good god! Since when?! (Gee, um, since 1492).
    9. This question is, like, 10 kinds of wrong. And kinda irrelevant.
    10. Drinking age. No. In an uncivilized country, we need laws like this (unfortunately). But, of course, laws were made to be broken! 😉
    11. Iraq? Interesting take on it, Erik. But we’re not barbarians, are we?! We must take over using civilized means, like setting up Home Depots and WalMarts and giving everyone in Iraq the promise of minimum wage jobs under fluorescent lighting!
    12. Assisted suicide? What would you do if were diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer? or Alzheimer’s? Yep. Stock up on the Restorils!
    13. Spanking. Yeah. Our children are fucked.
    14. Burn the American flag? Did someone say ‘volunteer?’
    15. There sure are some insane people in this country. But no one asks what to do with an insane president who sends thousands off to die killing hundreds of thousands of people in a country that had nothing to do with 911.
    16. Well, I’m often kept alive with my husband’s tube down my throat. And that’s way more important.
    17. Judge? Me? Who would do that? It’s not like I have opinions or anything.

  5. 1) I was too busy firing up my bong to answer the question.
    2) I don’t have a uterus so I’m not qualified to really answer this question.
    3) Hello? Sarah Palin? Hello?
    4) No. It’s barbaric and you can’t un-dead the innocent.
    5) See question 1.
    6) Nope. Atheist.
    7) Absolutely. Why shouldn’t we be as equally as miserable as straight folks?
    8) Nope. Mas Latino la pinga para mi!
    9) The question begs: Who’s fucking a 12 year old? Seriously. Who?
    10) 18 should be the drinking age. If you can fight go to war and shoot
    people, you should be able to at least have a beer afterward.
    11) Let’s just declare victory and get the fuck out already.
    12) We may not able to determine when we come into the world, we should at
    LEAST be able to decide when to leave.
    13) Spanking no. Being put into a dog cage until they eat their
    vegetables, yes.
    14) What makes you think I haven’t already and for free!
    15) She has to live with the consequences of her actions. Her nightmares
    will be sufficient punishment.
    16) If the only thing that’s keeping me alive is a machine – pull the
    fucking plug.
    17) Don’t care. People will judge you regardless. You’ve seen my blog, right?

  6. Your answer for number two, is the exact same thing I have said many time.

    However question 14 we stand on different sides. The mostly worthless scraps have little to no meaning…sure. But when they are put together it becomes a flag and a symbol for our country. I swore an oath to support and defend our constitution, and I stand by that oath to this day. The burning in this context is not disposal of a worn flag, but an act of disrespect to the flag, our country, and by extrapolation, me. I do not like flag burners, and would enjoy seeing it when karma catches up, So should it be illegal? I think our constitution covers this as well…freedom of expression/speech. To make this rude act illegal would take another amendment to the constitution.

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