History Main / CavemenVsAstronautsDebate

* Alternate History is notorious for this: Napoleon's armies vs Roman legions etc. A newspaper headline from a clash of two biker gangs read "Banditos vs. Mongols"; the challenge was to find a historical path that made the headline real.[[/folder]]

Needless to say, TruthInTelevision--just see BrokenBase for a number of media-centric examples (also see UnpleasableFanbase and BaseBreakingCharacter, though we don't keep examples for those anymore). Frequently overlaps with HypotheticalFightDebate, FandomRivalry (including the all-famous UsefulNotes/{{Console|Wars}} and UsefulNotes/ComputerWars), and ShipToShipCombat.

-->'''Ted:''' Then why don't we take, a rabbit, a duck, stick 'em in a cardboard box and let them fight it out?!\\

'''Angel & Spike:''' NO.
-->-- ''Series/{{Angel}}'', "A Hole in the World"

* The ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episode "[[Recap/AngelS05E15AHoleInTheWorld A Hole in the World]]" is the TropeNamer. Wesley walks in on Spike and Angel after they've spent 40 minutes shouting at each other about who would win in a fight between cavemen and astronauts. Pretty soon everyone in the show is getting in on the act; it's all [[IronicEcho built up to]] the episode's WhamLine: [[spoiler: "[[RuleOfSymbolism cavemen win,]] ''of course'' the cavemen win", one character's last words]].

* On ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', Ted brings a picture that could either be a rabbit or a duck to make a point about how a date might seem right for someone but turn out to be wrong, and vice versa. Then the gang disagrees over which represented the bad choice, the duck or the rabbit. According to Older Ted, it was the longest, most intense argument they've ever had. It even drags in their regular limo driver and by the end, Marshall is drenched in sweat.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': WhoWouldWin in a fight, Lizzie Borden or Anne Frank?

* Franchise/MarvelUniverse example from ''A+X'' #6: [[ComicBook/CarolDanvers Captain Marvel]] and ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} get into a literal Caveman vs. Astronaut debate during [[HeroesGoneFishing a poker game]]. Carol, who starts the argument, even [[ShoutOut mentions]] that she first heard it on ''Series/{{Angel}}''. Made especially relevant since Carol and Logan are, more or less, an astronaut and a caveman respectively.

This is when a SeinfeldianConversation becomes SeriousBusiness. When it happens in RealLife -- [=YouTube=] comments in particular are full of these -- some people theorize that it's because the combatants are people with an extremely fragile sense of self worth, and they view their opinion as a source of validation. In other words, they think that if they're wrong (or if someone else disagrees with them) about whether Franchise/SpiderMan's costume is made of nylon or spandex, it lessens their inherent degree of value as a human being. Other people just enjoy having [[WebVideo/SuperCarlinBrothers serious discussions about trivial subjects]].

* Creator/DCComics had to [[WhyFandomCantHaveNiceThings shut down comments on their blog]] due to a flame war over whether Franchise/{{Superman}} or Franchise/TheFlash was faster.

** One book informs us that, when they were younger, Jake and Marco would spend entire afternoons arguing about whether or not cheese tastes yellow (Marco thought it tasted sorta green). Now that they're older, they have more serious, adult debates, like Who Would Win: Comicbook/SpiderMan or Franchise/{{Batman}}?

* In video-game fandom circles, the debate of "if one billion lions were to face off against one of each Franchise/{{Pokemon}}, [[HypotheticalFightDebate which side would win]]" has sparked numerous heated arguments. Some argue that the Pokémon would win due to [[OlympusMons the existence of several godlike Pokémon with incredibly powerful abilities]] and the fact that Pokémon can control things like electricity and fire while lions cannot. Others argue that the lions would win due to the fact that, since there are only 896 Pokémon, the lions would have them beat by sheer force of numbers, and considering both this and the fact that lions hunt in groups, the lions would be able to ZergRush their Pokémon foes. This debate has even become sort of an inside joke in the Pokémon fandom, and the source of [[https://twitter.com/Jope_exe/status/1331672048976932869 many]] [[https://twitter.com/drprofpatches/status/1338425441049214977 memes.]]

* The whole [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dress black and blue/white and gold dress]] debacle. People are literally only able to see it one way. It was revealed to be black and blue, though the company that produced it made a one-off white and gold one for a charity event.
** And the very next year, it was a soundbite where people could hear either "Laurel" or "Yanny" - this was eventually revealed to be the result of whether the person listening registered higher or lower pitches of voice better.