Serious topics vs Playful topics

[Alfieri]

My question here today is why do people get ridiculed for having debates with others about playful topics like why a video game got bad reviews, or if an anime character died or whatever? It seems like people prefer when others put their mind into "things that matter" and debate about more serious topics like abortion or presidency.

What I don't get is that, why is it such a problem if two or more people want to debate about something playful like video games and anime instead of politics? Just because two people have a debate about abortion, doesn't mean their debate is gonna make the government be like "oh okay, let's work on this law now." It's just two people debating with no one else being affected; just like if two people were to argue about Pokemon, no one else will be affected. It has no effect on other people so why care? Their debates aren't gonna change the world so have fun.

 

[Somewhere_]

The debates can potentially change the other's mind and anyone watching. For example, the presidencial debate last night (which I unfortunately missed) was meant for people to change their mind and reaffirm beliefs to decide who would be the best candidate for them.

Honestly, thats the best thing I can think for now (im busy) for the purpose of debates other than it is in human nature to bicker and argue.

 

[twocows]

My question here today is why do people get ridiculed for having debates with others about playful topics like why a video game got bad reviews, or if an anime character died or whatever? It seems like people prefer when others put their mind into "things that matter" and debate about more serious topics like abortion or presidency.

What I don't get is that, why is it such a problem if two or more people want to debate about something playful like video games and anime instead of politics? Just because two people have a debate about abortion, doesn't mean their debate is gonna make the government be like "oh okay, let's work on this law now." It's just two people debating with no one else being affected; just like if two people were to argue about Pokemon, no one else will be affected. It has no effect on other people so why care? Their debates aren't gonna change the world so have fun.

I don't think I've seen this phenomenon to any significant degree. If it exists, then it's silly. We're not required to spend all our time triaging the world's problems and doing whatever is the absolutely most necessary. There's nothing wrong with talking about why you think a game or movie is good or bad or somewhere in between or whatever. In fact, I believe criticism contributes meaningfully to the world, so complaining about it is asinine.

 

[gimmepie]

Does this relate specifically to the Round Table? If it does then the answer is quite simple. This forum solely exists for serious discussion of current events, ethics, the sciences etc etc. That is its very purpose. I don't think it needs to be all doom and gloom or anything, but "lighthearted topics" like the ones mentioned in the OP are all better suited to other forums (for example, the Treehouse, Anime & Manga or Video Games).

If you're talking about outside the forum, well I didn't think such a prejudice existed. If anything I've seen it more the other way around. Most people don't want to get involved in serious discussions about things like politics or ethics and would be much more content discussing the most recent episode of their favourite TV show.

 

[Universe]

Really it just comes down to ego-- people wanting to make others feel crappy for the things they choose to spend their time on. They are literally comparing what you consider important to what they consider important and deeming theirs as top dog importance.

In an ideal world people would be allowed to have interests without ridicule but sadly there's still those who think they're better than others and choose to be loud about it.

 

[£]

beauty is in the eye of the beholder
seriousness is in the eye of the beholder

on a forum note since I'm guessing it's the angle a lot of people will obviously think of:

people are going to interpret topics differently and put their own spin on it. putting a topic on a forum means you're pushing the boat out to a sea of posters, and goodness knows what angles they'll crash against your dear topical boat.

you can post a topic about something in here or General Chat but if a moderator sees it as something that should be the other way around, then they're the ones who have that discretion. (I have had a case or two where I felt the move shouldn't have been made but that's not at my discretion so it's a case of tough titties for ol' George)

I don't think there's any problem with wanting a debate on a lighthearted topic or a very satirical chat about the events of WW2. however, putting that into a public domain means you're exposed to the risk of other people having their opinions.

and.

boy.

do. (no link, this word is dedicated to all the youtube comments out there. u kno who u r)

people.

have.

opinions.

 

[Palkia]

Because it's silly and childish to get worked up on meaningless shit when there's much more important things to talk about. While I do like to talk about things like Pokémon here, I know that Pokémon is one of the least important things in my life. The closest I get is when I talk about Gen V and how much I think it sucked, but Gen V is not out to get me, I just found it lacking lol.

 

[Alfieri]

Because it's silly and childish to get worked up on meaningless shit when there's much more important things to talk about. While I do like to talk about things like Pokémon here, I know that Pokémon is one of the least important things in my life. The closest I get is when I talk about Gen V and how much I think it sucked, but Gen V is not out to get me, I just found it lacking lol.

It's also silly to get worked up on politics because it has no effect on the government. So what if people decide to talk about "more important" things? The government is not going on a Pokemon forum to find out what people's opinions about abortion are. They're not gonna walk down to someone's house and listen to them and their friends discuss Obamacare. Just like no one will care if people get heated up about whether or not Gen 5 was good.

 

[Palkia]

It's also silly to get worked up on politics because it has no effect on the government. So what if people decide to talk about "more important" things? The government is not going on a Pokemon forum to find out what people's opinions about abortion are. They're not gonna walk down to someone's house and listen to them and their friends discuss Obamacare. Just like no one will care if people get heated up about whether or not Gen 5 was good.

I can see where you're coming from. Pokémon doesn't affect everyone in the world the same way that racism or politics does those. These are real things that are actually happening and affecting people. Talking about Pokémon really doesn't matter compared to something like racism. That affects huge amounts of people globally, no one will be killed unrightfully if someone dislkies a certian Pokémon (unless someone takes that too seriously).

I'm not saying that talking about everyday things is bad, it's something people naturally do. You can only get worked up so much on certian things without looking like a fool.

 

[Alfieri]

I can see where you're coming from. Pokémon doesn't affect everyone in the world the same way that racism or politics does those. These are real things that are actually happening and affecting people. Talking about Pokémon really doesn't matter compared to something like racism. That affects huge amounts of people globally, no one will be killed unrightfully if someone dislkies a certian Pokémon (unless someone takes that too seriously).

I'm not saying that talking about everyday things is bad, it's something people naturally do. You can only get worked up so much on certian things without looking like a fool.

Wonderful use of sarcasm.

I'm not saying that other topics such as racism are not important. What I'm saying is that two random people not affiliated with the government having a debate at their house about racism has 0 effect on people. No one is hearing their voice, no one is being persuaded. Now when there are two politicians or just two people in general being broadcast on television having a heated discussion then yes it matters a whole lot more. There are people listening and paying attention. They're trying to persuade people to follow their sides either for the better or for the worse. However, what I was comparing to in my earlier replies did not bring mention to this example. I was speaking more about private debates. Of course there are private serious discussions that can lead to actions that affect the general public like gangs but I wasn't trying to speak of those extremes.

Anyways, what I'm saying is that people who ridicule others for wanting to debate about simpler topics come off as pretentious people who use their freedom of speech as an excuse to bother someone.

 

[Palkia]

Wonderful use of sarcasm.

I'm not saying that other topics such as racism are not important. What I'm saying is that two random people not affiliated with the government having a debate at their house about racism has 0 effect on people. No one is hearing their voice, no one is being persuaded. Now when there are two politicians or just two people in general being broadcast on television having a heated discussion then yes it matters a whole lot more. There are people listening and paying attention. They're trying to persuade people to follow their sides either for the better or for the worse. However, what I was comparing to in my earlier replies did not bring mention to this example. I was speaking more about private debates. Of course there are private serious discussions that can lead to actions that affect the general public like gangs but I wasn't trying to speak of those extremes.

Anyways, what I'm saying is that people who ridicule others for wanting to debate about simpler topics come off as pretentious people who use their freedom of speech as an excuse to bother someone.

I'm not saying that talking about everyday things is bad

I wasn't being sarcastic lol. I don't want to censor people talking like that, I just don't respect people as much who do go off like that.

I don't think that talking about simple everyday things is wrong, but becoming passiontly angry about it is kinda pathetic imo. Something like the disco sucks trend in the late 70's irks me. I mean yeah, it was silly dance music but at the end of the day it really didn't matter that much (it changed it's name to europop and everyone forgot about it iirc). Meanwhile rioting about the systemic racism in america is something I support, people are getting killed because of their skin colour when behaviour like that should've stopped several decades ago. I feel the same way when someone talks about it either online or in real life. I just don't have the energy to deal with people who get angry about stuff I don't really think matters in the grand scheme or not. Call me pretentious or not, that's just how I feel. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Alfieri]

I wasn't being sarcastic lol. I don't want to censor people talking like that, I just don't respect people as much who do go off like that.

I don't think that talking about simple everyday things is wrong, but becoming passiontly angry about it is kinda pathetic imo. Something like the disco sucks trend in the late 70's irks me. I mean yeah, it was silly dance music but at the end of the day it really didn't matter that much (it changed it's name to europop and everyone forgot about it iirc). Meanwhile rioting about the systemic racism in america is something I support, people are getting killed because of their skin colour when behaviour like that should've stopped several decades ago. I feel the same way when someone talks about it either online or in real life. I just don't have the energy to deal with people who get angry about stuff I don't really think matters in the grand scheme or not. Call me pretentious or not, that's just how I feel. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

My mistake about the sarcasm remark. I read the sentence wrong.

 

[Kanzler]

Discussing political issues adds to one's political consciousness. Democracies work better when the people are politically conscious because such a political system ostensibly relies on consulting the interests and opinions of the people. Not every debate or discussion leads to a changed vote or a letter to an official, but it's part of the bigger picture of political consciousness - it's not the droplet of water but the current that counts. In a democracy, if it's okay for anybody to get worked up about politics, then it should be okay for everybody to get worked up about politics.

Even though I can understand why it's small in the grand scheme of things, I don't genuinely believe that a discussion actually has 0 effect on people. People who go into a discussion or a debate with the full knowledge or expectations that their views will not be changed or will not entertain even a modicum of alternative views would quite possibly be not affected at all, but I don't consider that a fault of discussion or debate, but rather a fault of the people holding that attitude. Then the discussion fails to be a transformative experience and instead a self-indulging experience.

It's not uncool to "debate" less serious topics, but usually the issues just aren't contentious enough to warrant that kind of attention. With discussions like those, you can always fall back on "it's your opinion" and leave it at that. It's largely just a matter of taste, until you start talking about how that might affect the direction of a genre, or the finances of the business producing media, and then it becomes more substantial. But usually people just discuss issues of taste from a personal perspective, not even a comparative perspective, so even though such a discussion doesn't have any real-life consequences, the discussion isn't even about anything with real-life consequences. I actually find it pretentious when people equate the seriousness of media discussions with those about politics for that reason, because politics is clearly about real-life consequences.

tl;dr largely subjective debates with zero attempt to speak about the issue in objective terms don't deserve to be considered "serious"

 

[Evening]

That's just how the human mind works.

 

[Juno]

In the context of this forum, it really depends on where you take the discussion, like gp said. If you want to have a serious discussion about a video game, do it over in VG - that kind of discussion is very encouraged over there, but would be inappropriate for The Round Table.

In general though, I think it's silly to ridicule anyone for discussing whatever they want. I have a passion for video games and I love talking about them in in-depth discussions with anyone that will listen/continue the conversation with me, but I also don't see a problem with discussing things like racism and abortion even if it doesn't help change anything in any significant way; it's interesting to see what other peoples' perspectives are. Just talk about whatever it is you are passionate about. It's pretentious to ridicule others for wanting to debate anything, not just simpler topics.