http://www.debate.org/debates/?order=1&sort=&category=Arts Customize this RSS feed by going to http://www.debate.org/rss/ en-us 2009-11-07T09:20:27-08:00 2009-11-07T09:20:27-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Writers-debate/1/ (Voting Period) This debate is for any of you book readers, or writers. I felt the need to open this debate in order to expose creativity and entertainment. The point of this debate is for both debaters to write out a short story. The first person will start out the story, with a certain set of characters and a select few settings. In every round the Pro will present a problem in their story. The Con will then continue this same story with the same characters and settings (where rules apply), and fix the problem somewhere in the midst of the story. RULES ----------------- 1. Each story must exceed over 4,000 characters long. 2. There will be two main characters (Dennis, and Victoria in this case). Each writer is allowed to bring up to 2 extra characters in their story. They may not make any more than two. (crowds, and large groups of unknown people are the exception). Each writer may describe the character in whichever way they like, but there is no changing any cha http://www.debate.org/debates/Writers-debate/1/comments/ 2009-10-23T14:49:52-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Rap-Battle./1/ (Post Voting Period) This here is a rap battle, kids. The objective for each side is simply to make a rap, not too short but not too long, that attacks the other person. Because we're simply writing our raps, beats won't really be an issue, so the battle will essentially be more poetic than fully hip-hop like. The criteria used for judging should simply be the quality of the wordplay, taking into account creativity of the rhymes, references to outside things, etc. Flow–meaning rhythm, and the syllabic structure of each line–should not be a criterion as we are not actually rapping these verses rather than typing and reading them. My opponent should begin with a verse IN ROUND 1. If he or she fails to do so, he or she immediately forfeits the battle. The next rounds should then all contain verses. I am giving myself a disadvantage in that I am not able to write a verse in the first round–thus, I ask that my opponent refrain from writing a verse in the final round. However, http://www.debate.org/debates/Rap-Battle./1/comments/ 2009-07-02T23:26:46-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Rap-Battle./2/ (Post Voting Period) Words and phrases I could choose, but I decided just to peruse: http://www.debate.org/debates/Rap-Battle/2/ http://www.debate.org/debates/Rap-Poetry-Battle-2/1/ http://www.debate.org/debates/Rap-Poetry-Battle-2/1/ http://www.debate.org/debates/Rap-Poetry-Battle-2/1/ I'm looking for a rap battle along those lines. The same rules generally apply, most importantly that meter should not be considered in the decision. Thanks to my opponent for accepting. http://www.debate.org/debates/Rap-Battle./2/comments/ 2009-09-01T02:46:19-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Illegal-art-should-be-made-accesible/1/ (Voting Period) Illegal art must be made accessible to those who whish to view it. It will enable increased cultural interaction over issues. Deliberation is paramount. http://www.debate.org/debates/Illegal-art-should-be-made-accesible/1/comments/ 2009-09-13T17:05:30-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Monkeys-eat-their-children-from-time-to-time/1/ (Voting Period) It's true you fat idiot. http://www.debate.org/debates/Monkeys-eat-their-children-from-time-to-time/1/comments/ 2009-06-15T15:49:32-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Led-Zeppelin.....The-Greatest-Band-Ever/1/ (Voting Period) Led Zeppelin is hands down the best band to ever grace us with their presence on this earth. Jimmy Page is arguably the best guitarist ever. The late Bonzo was and still is the greatest drummer of all time. Plant was the first true metal vocalist with his distictive high pitch. And last but not least, JPJ, the most underrated musician of the modern era; great composer and played many different instruments. But a band cannot have success with just very talented members, it needs chemistry, consistency, a vision of where they want to take music; and Zeppelin and just that. http://www.debate.org/debates/Led-Zeppelin.....The-Greatest-Band-Ever/1/comments/ 2008-11-22T17:31:08-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/The-Quote-Debate/1/ (Voting Period) This quote debate, is not my idea. It orginally was rangersfootballclub's. I recently had a "quote debate" with him and find it very enjoyable (: You vote on the person with the best quotes. You may say one each round. It is optional to say who said it, and quotes that you have made up can be used. The quotes you use, should give off your self-expression,personality, and individuality. Shall we get this started? "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." - Hilary Cooper http://www.debate.org/debates/The-Quote-Debate/1/comments/ 2009-02-22T19:05:31-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Sampling-in-music-is-not-theft/1/ (Voting Period) Hi, I would first like to make it clear that I am referring to theft in a moral rather than a legal sense of the word, If you wish to debate the legality of sampling please do not accept this debate. To clarify, here are some definitions: (I use the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 10th edition revised) 'sampling: 2. the technique of digitally encoding music or sound and re-using it as part of a composition or recording.' [I point out that I would also include the rare examples of purely analogue sourced and recorded material in early sampling, but since the late 80s virtually all samples are digitally encoded at some stage in the process, the format of audio is hardly relevant to this debate however] 'theft: the action or crime of stealing.'- 'steal: 1. take (something) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it - dishonestly pass off (another person's ideas) as your own.' As I have stated that in this debate we are co http://www.debate.org/debates/Sampling-in-music-is-not-theft/1/comments/ 2009-03-27T10:00:31-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/John-Lennons-song-Imagine-reflects-a-bleak-existence-rather-than-a-socialist-utopia./1/ (Voting Period) In the lyrics of his song Lennon asks the listener to imagine a world with "nothing to kill or die for". It is my contention that an existence in which there is nothing we value enough to give our life for or for which we are willing to take the life of another who wishes to deprive us of that which we value is ultimately an unfulfilled life. http://www.debate.org/debates/John-Lennons-song-Imagine-reflects-a-bleak-existence-rather-than-a-socialist-utopia./1/comments/ 2009-03-08T14:00:42-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/The-Offspring-is-a-more-influential-band-to-punk-rock-than-Blink-182/1/ (Post Voting Period) aff goes first http://www.debate.org/debates/The-Offspring-is-a-more-influential-band-to-punk-rock-than-Blink-182/1/comments/ 2009-05-29T23:32:58-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Muse-The-Best-Band-Ever/1/ (Post Voting Period) About a year or two ago I was first introduced to Muse and I immediatley began to like them. It was like something that i had never heard before. I loved Muse so much that everytime I wanted to listen to something it just wasn't the same. Everytime I listened to something other than Muse it was uncomparable to Muse and I had to listen to Muse Right away. Muse is made up of Matthew Bellamy (guitarist/vocals), Dominic Howard (Drummer), and Chris Wolstenholme (Bassist/backup vocals). First I want to start with Chris. Chris is one of the most amazing bassists i ever seen. There are many songs that are very bass oriented like "Hysteria", "Time is Running Out", and "Feeling Good". Without Chris most of Muse's songs would not be the same. Second, there is Dominic. Also one of the best Drummers I have ever heard play. He can take just about any song and come up with the most complex beat that no one could ever figure out. He has great interdependence of each limb a http://www.debate.org/debates/Muse-The-Best-Band-Ever/1/comments/ 2008-11-21T18:25:11-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Voters-should-be-required-to-post-their-reasoning-behind-each-vote-they-make./1/ (Voting Period) I like debate. I like debate.org. I think it is a really cool idea. However I find myself often dissatisfied with the voters. In debates where I feel I have clearly won its not so bad because to some extent I can justify my loss in my head with the thought, "Wow... those people are idiots!" Its when I'm debating someone of equal or similar skill level to myself that this annoys me the most. To lose a debate that I am unsure of how I did on and personally feel was close is o.k. in itself. But when I do not know why I have lost that debate I can't actually modify my strategy or improve my debating skills. Therefor I advocate that each time someone votes they should be required to post a reason for why they have voted in such a way. While many comments will doubtlessly say something to the effect of, "~INSERT DEBATER~ IS STUPID!" or just a persons personal view on the issue I feel that some would actually post helpful criticism. (The voting comment section http://www.debate.org/debates/Voters-should-be-required-to-post-their-reasoning-behind-each-vote-they-make./1/comments/ 2008-02-28T19:46:40-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/My-opponent-will-win-receive-the-most-votes./1/ (Voting Period) My opponent will win since, tehrefore he will. Here, I have committed the fallacy of begging the question. Surely you would not vote for me because of this. I have also presented no evidence to prove that my opponent will win, so you have to vote for him/her. I havee also not bothered to spell check or check for grammatical errors in this post. In short, I am being nonsensical. http://www.debate.org/debates/My-opponent-will-win-receive-the-most-votes./1/comments/ 2008-01-30T10:03:56-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Poetry-is-nothing-except-underdeveloped-fiction./1/ (Voting Period) Good fiction (short stories, novels, any kind of story-telling, really) conveys philosophical, personal, emotional, historical and educational concepts. It also provides these within a framework of a story, which immerses the reader in the concepts in a way that would otherwise be impossible. Poetry, especially modern poetry, conveys some of the same concepts but it does so in a much shorter and often formless way. Often, it conveys nothing at all. I submit that people who write and read poetry instead of fiction are lazy. The poetry writers throw out some phrases or words which do not even have to rhyme or follow any structure at all, and the readers thank them because this means they can "fill in the blanks" with their own concepts. It's easy for both, safe for the world-views of both, and it accomplishes nothing. Nothing was actually communicated, because the interpretation is from the reader himself. The reader could get the same kind of inspi http://www.debate.org/debates/Poetry-is-nothing-except-underdeveloped-fiction./1/comments/ 2007-12-24T07:56:28-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Rap-music-of-the-gangsta-variety-is-degrading-our-society/1/ (Voting Period) I am not in favor of rap music and the gang culture that has emerged hand in hand with it. The true purpose of rap does not seem to be to create anything of beauty but instead to challenge, indeed, to pick a fight with the status quo of American society. In other words, it declares "we [i.e. the rappers] are going to say the most provoking things towards the status quo that we can imagine. What are YOU going to do about it?" While challenging the status quo is true of many forms of music, rap music is unique in the threat of violence that stands behind its message. Rap culture has TWO essential ingredients: provocation and violence. As rap music has black origins, one might accuse me of racism for holding such views but this I flatly deny. I would disagree EMPHATICALLY with any idea that "gangsta" rap music and black culture are the same thing. This very idea lies at the core of the problem. If rap music threatens non-conforming society and to take a stance aga http://www.debate.org/debates/Rap-music-of-the-gangsta-variety-is-degrading-our-society/1/comments/ 2007-12-15T14:51:53-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Jodie-Marsh-is-a-Real-American-Hero/1/ (Post Voting Period) The Negative will prove that there exists a spectrum of character that ranges from Real American Hero to the AntiChrist and Jodie Marsh falls squarely on the latter end of that scale. Definitions: Jodie Marsh - Incompetent English Floozy Real American Hero - It has been widely known since 1982 that G.I. Joe is the embodiment of the Real American Hero. Refer to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.I._Joe:_A_Real_American_Hero Contention 1: Jodie Marsh's character can be judged by the intelligence of her followers. I would like to submit the following quote from an anonymous Jodie Marsh fan, "Peoples perception on Jodie marsh are usually negative , people ridiculing and proclaiming she is a " whore" slut" etc, Though people are naieve and dont realise the good she has done for young teenagers, her problems have been outcasted because of her risque appearence, but dosent society say dont Judge a book by its cover?! So why are we constantly contridi http://www.debate.org/debates/Jodie-Marsh-is-a-Real-American-Hero/1/comments/ 2009-10-16T15:54:14-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Haiku-Debate-Beauty/1/ (Post Voting Period) This debate is focusing on who can produce the more beautiful haiku, as decided by the voters. I do not want to become involved in a trash-talking Haiku battle. One haiku per round. My first haiku: Droplet Leaves the Bough Ripples Spread Upon the Steam A Beautiful Sound http://www.debate.org/debates/Haiku-Debate-Beauty/1/comments/ 2009-07-14T19:35:36-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Emergency-public-announcements-shouldnt-be-made-through-the-medium-of-dance/1/ (Voting Period) Have you ever been to a contemporary dance workshop? If you have, you will have noted that the performers endeavour to convey all sorts of concepts through the medium of dance. Now, have you ever been in the situation where the police have driven past your house announcing some kind of emergency over a loudhailer? If the answer is 'yes' to both of the above then it must have occurred to you that the police could be better deployed elsewhere and the job of warning the public of impending disasters could be done by troupes of modern dancers instead. No? Just me then. Anyway, I think this would be a crazy idea because the meaning of the dance could be open to misinterpretation. To illustrate this point, let's consider the following hypothetical scenario: Hubby - Darling, look out the window, there's an impromptu street performance taking place outside. Wifey - Don't be silly, dear, that's not street theatre, that's an emergency public announcement. http://www.debate.org/debates/Emergency-public-announcements-shouldnt-be-made-through-the-medium-of-dance/1/comments/ 2009-05-14T05:37:37-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Colors-of-Stairway/1/ (Post Voting Period) This will be short and sweet 2 round 12 hour voting time debate that I will win. Stairway is best represented by the color green. Green symbolizes hope, and Stairway to Heaven is a song of hope(as introduced by Robert Plant, The Song Remains the Same.)And also, people with certain disabilities such as an alteration in their sense recipticals, or some form of retardations can see colors when they hear a song. I do have these alterations and a few retardations, and as as the flute comes in, the song shifts from its silver gray colors of a forest mist, to a green best represented by a gnome standing on a forest floor, looking up past the green canopy to heaven. Oh and gray is a color of neutrality and stoicness. So if your bored when you hear Stairway, you probably see the colour/color of gray/grey.soon http://www.debate.org/debates/Colors-of-Stairway/1/comments/ 2008-11-29T15:06:31-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/The-Best-Band-Ever-Pink-Floyd/1/ (Post Voting Period) Pink Floyd, in my opinion, was not only the most underrated band full of the most underrated musicians, but it was also the most talented and most creative bands of all time, paving the road for all progressive rock bands that followed them. I would like someone to challenge my opinions with whomever they think is the best band, or why Pink Floyd wasnt as great as I say they are. I suppose I will give my introduction to my opinion of Pink Floyd. I have been reading another debate about the best band ever, and I disagree with the format they have set up. I think the best band should have great members, great ideas, an ability to express their ideas, a combination of great words with great music, and when it all comes out on an album, it needs to be something you dont skip or only listen to half of it. In my opinion, Pink Floyd had four outstanding members, two of which are the best musicans of all time. I will start with Roger Waters(focusing on his role as fr http://www.debate.org/debates/The-Best-Band-Ever-Pink-Floyd/1/comments/ 2008-11-20T15:51:22-08:00