What's your controversial opinion?

[ChicagoTed]

Pedophiles should be publicly branded with large P's on both sides of each hands.

 

[Magnethead]

There's just as much truth in the Bible as there is in the theory of evolution.

How anyone chooses to interprate this is up to them.

I agree, in the same way there's just as much water in a litre as there is in an ocean.

 

[JoshGod]

I believe that voting is not a right, but a privilege that you should have to show your worth to gain (by worth i mean political awareness and understanding).

That sounds suspiciously like "if your opinion matches my opinion, you can vote". And even if that's not the intention, that's how I could see it ending up as.

The people who don't know anything about politics are less likely to vote anyway. Those who still do vote without knowing anything I doubt make enough of a splash.

I mean basic understanding of politics, being able to justify their views. And let me extend on that while answering your second point about those who don't know, in the last election for the AV system my mum worked in a polling station, most people turned up asking 'what is av' and she was not allowed to tell them, yet they voted anyway.

But how would you justify it? If someone's voting for the BNP because they hate anyone whose got a different skin pigment or who wears a turban, that doesn't make their vote any more thought out, nor is it a particularly good justification from someone else's point of view.

And fair enough, but you could argue that's down to a wider issue with referendums themselves, as opposed to people. I don't truly believe that would be the case at a general election, but maybe so.

The same way you justify a driving license, you wouldn't let someone drive who hasn't passed as it would put people lives at risk, so why should you allow people to vote on who runs the country without showing they are not gunna vote stupidly. I realise this makes me sound like I want everyone to vote like me, I don't, I want people to vote with intelligence.

Well no, not the same way you justify a driving license. If you can drive, you can drive. Trying to gauge if someone should vote by how they justify what they're choosing is near-impossible. Who is anyone to say that voting for Labour because they aren't the Tories is any less a justifiable reason than voting for Labour because they like their manifesto?
I appreciate that, however you can easily gauge someone general politcal awareness.

 

[DaMullet]

Bawhahahahahaha....

Oh no, you did not just ask me that....

Let's make a short list shall we?

- The advancement of Science is helping prove the existance of God.

- Skinny women are gross.

- Having children is one of the most selfish acts that you can do.

- Male/Male couples that adopt children have a better chance of getting into heaven then most bible beaters.

- Samus in Other M is who Samus is and was all along.

- To vegans; I say that a tomatoe plant is just as much an animal in the way of 'rights' as any tuna and turkey.

 

[Alon Shechter]

I think stupid people have no right to live and should be executed brutally.
Especially the kids that throw rocks at you and then run away like morons.
Well, at least that's what my dreams tell me about myself.


..What? You asked for an outrageous opinion.

 

[madmatt]

Morals and ethics have no place in science and that progress for progress sake should be encouraged rather than discouraged, moral questions only hold us back.

An example of this would be Golden Rice, a rice that is rich in vitamin A genetically engineered and therefore baned form consumption and production.

thousands of people dying of vitamin A deficiency to appease busybodies who claim genetic engineering is evil.

I can see where you're coming from. It's worth remembering that there is a scientific argument as well though, i.e. that GM crops out-compete local variants, and spread uncontrollably when used on a large scale through wind etc and enforce genetic homogeneity by replacing local crops, which in turn makes areas at risk to disease if there is a genetic weakness.

I see your point though. I do think there is a place for morals in science, but it shouldn't be done by weight of public opinion or feelings, but on reason and logic. It is very frustrating though, I agree.

 

[Magnethead]

OT: Human life is valueless. Sorry guys, but that's just how I see it in the long run. If I died, it wouldn't have any affect on the future because the future doesn't exist yet. I would just 'die'. Same goes for everyone.

Also, the afterlife. Death is not a 'next step'; it's simply an absence of life. There is no heaven or hell or anything. When we die, we just... cease to live.

Those are the two I get flack for most.

I wouldn't agree that human life is valueless, but it's certainly not as valuable as some people try and make it out to be. And of course, it's value fluctuates wildly based on geography and skin colour. Pro-lifers in the USA will picket medical centres (and kill the occasional doctor) that dares to perform a few hundred or a few thousand abortions per year, yet they seem perfectly happy to let tens of millions die of AIDS or starvation in Africa. If they were really so concerned with saving lives surely that's a more worthwhile use of their time.

Also, isn't a particular resource valued by it scarcity? There are 7 billion of us, and that number's going up all the time. As far as a renewable resource goes, we're right up there with solar power and farmed pine trees.

 

[JoshGod]

I believe that voting is not a right, but a privilege that you should have to show your worth to gain (by worth i mean political awareness and understanding).

That sounds suspiciously like "if your opinion matches my opinion, you can vote". And even if that's not the intention, that's how I could see it ending up as.

The people who don't know anything about politics are less likely to vote anyway. Those who still do vote without knowing anything I doubt make enough of a splash.

I mean basic understanding of politics, being able to justify their views. And let me extend on that while answering your second point about those who don't know, in the last election for the AV system my mum worked in a polling station, most people turned up asking 'what is av' and she was not allowed to tell them, yet they voted anyway.

But how would you justify it? If someone's voting for the BNP because they hate anyone whose got a different skin pigment or who wears a turban, that doesn't make their vote any more thought out, nor is it a particularly good justification from someone else's point of view.

And fair enough, but you could argue that's down to a wider issue with referendums themselves, as opposed to people. I don't truly believe that would be the case at a general election, but maybe so.

The same way you justify a driving license, you wouldn't let someone drive who hasn't passed as it would put people lives at risk, so why should you allow people to vote on who runs the country without showing they are not gunna vote stupidly. I realise this makes me sound like I want everyone to vote like me, I don't, I want people to vote with intelligence.

Regardless, people are voting on things that affect them. Whether it be a new system, or representative, or regulation, if it affects the person they should be able to vote.

In today's society, intelligence isn't an issue. It's how those higher up can play those down below. If you were truly intelligent you would either..

1) Be in the position that you would be trying to obtain votes, or
2) Not have posted this here, because you don't care enough about the situation.
Evidently, you are not a part of either option.

I don't follow how posting my opinion instead of not posting makes me unintelligent, and perhaps i care, but am increadibly lazy and have given up on the political system, also I realise my opinion is controversial and hence would not become a reality and any campainging would be a waste. Also people may be affected by something, but that doesn't mean they understand both sides, and then they make an uninformed decicision.

 

[UltraDeth]

I think incest should be legalised.

Provided both partners use birth control

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

I think abortion should be illegal.

And yet simultaneously place a low value on individual human lives.

 

[The_Echo]

Spoiler'd to avoid unintentionally offending anyone. Topic is paedophilia.

Spoiler

I feel paedophiles get viewed worse than they should. You rape a child, then by all means you're bringing down the rightful hatred of those around you, but paedophiles aren't destined to do harmful things. That they're judged as a whole for the worst possible manifestation of their condition seems wrong to me.

I agree completely. It's not their fault.

Spoiler: More controversial opinions

Personally, I think that under the right circumstances, a pedophile should be allowed to have a relationship with a child. (Circumstances relating to mental maturity of the child, an inherent platonic nature of the relationship up to a certain age, etc.)

Spoiler: Different opinion. Topic: the N word

Niggers are a type of person, not a color of skin. Anyone can be a ****** if they act like one, and thusly the term shouldn't be considered a racial slur anymore.

 

[TheEndlessSleep]

I feel that followers of all religions are either deluded or incredibly misguided.

Can't get much more contraversial than that in such a god-fearing world...

 

[Roofstone]

I find fat people disgusting, lazy and not worth living.

Spoiler

People who just eat unhealthy, don't take care of themselves and above all are incredibly lazy. Not people with health conditions or that of the sort.

I agree, though it only applies to the fat people who complain and nag about their rights.. And "people like them".

 

[crop52]

*yawn*
i'm seeing a whole bunch of very reasonable opinions here, i mean i might not agree with them, but they're very reasonable,
so here's my "controversial" opinion,

everyone loves sharing their opinions as if they've got life all figured out, and as if they're the only one to have figured it out,

is that a hypocritical opinion?

 

[Tweedledum]

I don't even think this one is really that controversial, but it's been bugging me for a while so I thought I'd share it with you guys.

Spoiler

Let's put the whole "God exists/ God doesn't exist/ Religion is evil/ Religion is good/ etc" debate aside and look at the whole problem from, like, a really, really neutral point of view. God may or may not exist, we don't know that yet. But the fact that he does exist and the fact that he does not exist are both completely made up, because neither has been proven and nobody can really say these things for sure. If you're making a statement about something you don't know and can't really understand, you may end up right, but it doesn't mean you actually knew it, you just got lucky.
Now look at all the impact religion as a whole (that actually includes atheism, because it's also about making up facts about the existence of God) has made on the history of humankind. Good impact, bad impact, doesn't really matter.
And now just run it through your head: all that stuff happened just because people made shit up. You just need to feel that thought. Ever since it hit me, I can't unthink it.

I didn't read the whole thread so I apologize if somebody had already expressed a similar opinion.

 

[The_Yeti]

I believe sex is a special, meaningful act that you should share only with the person you are married to. I get some really weird looks from people when they first ask if I'm a virgin and I say yes, then they ask why and I give them that answer.

The problem with that outlook is that you can't possibly understand sex, having not engaged in it yet.

Thats... like saying you can't understand what it means to get set on fire just because you haven't been, sex is but a greedy pleasure and a biological imperative, it, just like pain, they entirely predictable and understandable, however both can cause insanity and physiological addiction, personality and intellect dictate ones choice in handling both, so the basic standing is the foolish sleep around and risk enslaving their own future by unplanned pregnancy / diseases, while the person that understands we don't need to plant seeds like Davy Crockett chooses to find someone that'll be there through the thick and thin intently, rather then by enslavement by poor choice making(not saying abortion isn't an option, or that one cant take contraceptives, but either has a good chance of leaving the woman relatively scarred or ill both mentally and physically)

In the end the choice in the matter is, do you prefer fun or stability, and one should choose prior, a lot of stable minded folk won't be willing to take in a regretful skin rag of a person once they've hit 30 and realized they hate/blame themselves for their sleeping around/time wasted on cheap thrills.

There is the third option, being single and or a virgin till the day you die of course, I've pretty much chosen this one myself and peoples first assumption is that my life is/has been empty, but quite the contrary, I work a modest job, make a modest wage, get the stuff I desire, and enjoy all of the little things senselessly(especially when you catch a microwave on 0:00, thats awesome.) I've got my interests and desires and I'm not immune to the biological imperative but I've found through sheer force of will I can laugh it off, as I've got no ambition for children or the future, just the knowledge that i am but a functioning cog in this world performing a meager task 40 hours a week to have the joy of the next delightfully chilling star/moon lit night, among other things.

Time to ponder, Time to learn, Time is all I ask to get out of life.

 

[Sansha]

I firmly believe in re-education and reclamation centers, to forcefully 'educate' people into changing their beliefs. Those who determinately don't, disappear.

This is obviously for religious extremists, both terrorist and harmless but annoying and provoking anger, like the Westboro Baptists, but also people who are just loud and fucking stupid, like the Tea Party lunatics of the US.

 

[Knusper]

I think Slipknot is a pretty good band.

 

[bluewolf]

Brink suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks! Sorry I don`t know how to use spoiler tags.