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| 16 | ->'''Spike:''' Look, if cavemen and astronauts got into a fight, who would win?\ |
| 17 | '''Wes:''' You've been yelling at each other for forty minutes about this? ''[beat]'' ...Do the astronauts have weapons?\ |
| 18 | '''Angel & Spike:''' ''No''. |
| 19 | -->-- ''Series/{{Angel}}'', "[[Recap/AngelS05E15AHoleInTheWorld A Hole in the World]]" |
| 20 | |
| 21 | It's common, when people are having a long discussion stretching across a number of different topics, that something will come up that they disagree on. Most of the time, they'll discuss this for a little bit, then move on to talking about something else. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | Not this time. No, ''this'' time the argument becomes truly heated. Voices are raised. Curses are spit out. Friends are insulted. [[IHaveNoSon Parents threaten to disown children.]] Furniture is thrown across the room in fury. [[BloodOnTheDebateFloor Fights break out]]. No one involved is willing to back down until they convince the others that they are right ''right'' ''RIGHT'', ''DAMMIT!!'' |
| 24 | |
| 25 | ... all over something as mundane and inconsequential as whether or not peanut butter technically counts as a sauce.[[labelnote:note]]For the record, it DOESN'T, and [[SelfDemonstratingArticle if you say otherwise, I'll KILL you.]][[/labelnote]] It's stupid, pointless, and really shouldn't be worth so much passion, but the characters ''just. Can't. Let it.'' '''''Go'''''. |
| 26 | |
| 27 | 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 MediaNotes/{{Console|Wars}} and MediaNotes/ComputerWars), and ShipToShipCombat. |
| 28 | |
| 29 | 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 ComicBook/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]]. |
| 30 | |
| 31 | Not to be confused with the 1960s Astronauts in Caveman Days comedy ''Series/ItsAboutTime'', or a [[BettyAndVeronica Ginger or MaryAnn debate]]. Not related to AncientAstronauts. |
| 32 | |
| 33 | ---- |
| 34 | !!Examples: |
| 35 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 36 | |
| 37 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 38 | * In ''Manga/OnePiece'' when Buggy reveals that he knows Shanks we get a flashback to his days on Gold Roger's ship alongside Shanks. The very first scene we see is Shanks and Buggy literally at each other's necks arguing over whether the North Pole or South Pole is colder all the while the other crew members cheerfully egg them on. The argument is broken up when Rayleigh cuffs both of them and exasperatedly states that [[LampshadeHanging nobody cares which pole is colder]]. It's implied that Shanks and Buggy get up to this sort of thing ''a lot''. |
| 39 | [[/folder]] |
| 40 | |
| 41 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 42 | * Many, many arguments in ''ComicStrip/KnightsOfTheDinnerTable''. Whether dwarven women have beards is one that occurs multiple times, with various characters citing evidence from their favorite fantasy novels, games, etc. Sara has grabbed male characters' shirts and threatened physical violence over the issue. |
| 43 | * Creator/DCComics had to [[WhyFandomCantHaveNiceThings shut down comments on their blog]] due to a flame war over whether ComicBook/{{Superman}} or ComicBook/TheFlash was faster. |
| 44 | * Many issues of Creator/MarvelComics' ''ComicBook/MarvelTeamUp'' comics line cashed in on these kinds of arguments. Want to know if the [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] or [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] is stronger? There's an issue where they fight each other. |
| 45 | * In ''ComicBook/{{Starman}}'' #13, one of the Mist's goons has a bizarre conversation with the captive Mikaal about who the best big screen ''Literature/PhilipMarlowe'' was. He then admits that he once murdered a man for daring to claim it was George Montgomery. |
| 46 | ** Another issue had drugrunners tensely arguing over the best Sondheim musical. |
| 47 | * Franchise/MarvelUniverse example from ''ComicBookAPlusX'' #6: ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}} 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. |
| 48 | ** A random monster then shows up and is asked about it. He picks astronauts because the question had already been answered in ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes''. Astronaut fought caveman and won. |
| 49 | [[/folder]] |
| 50 | |
| 51 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 52 | * ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' had the following caption for a tentful of men drawing scimitars at each other: |
| 53 | -->One remark led to another, and the bar suddenly polarized into two angry, confrontational factions: those espousing the virtues of the double-humped camel on the one side, single-humpers on the other. |
| 54 | [[/folder]] |
| 55 | |
| 56 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 57 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/43231815/chapters/108661608 akumas don't count]]'', a class is split evenly on the topic of whether a kiss shared while brainwashed ([[FantasticallyIndifferent a common occurrence in their city]]) [[QuestionableConsent "counts"]]. The class president ruling on the subject only makes everyone angrier, fracturing the argument into several subtopics; [[AlmostKiss what distance counts as a "kiss"]], whether a local celebrity is a slut, and whether kisses [[TrueLovesKiss to cure someone's brainwashing]] or had ''during'' brainwashing (rather than ''because'' of it) count. Then the two people who started the argument start brawling. |
| 58 | * ''Fanfic/BeyondTheBorders'' has a debate that is literally about cavemen versus astronauts, who are apparently fighting simply because [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/moons-haunted the moon is haunted]]. |
| 59 | * ''Fanfic/PowersOfInvisibility'' mentions an hour-long argument about the cuteness of bunnies vs puppies between Rose and Alix. Rose somehow got Alix to admit that bunnies were "awesome" and considers it a victory. |
| 60 | * In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5047623/8/Foundations Foundations]]'' the attendees at a Burrow Sunday lunch argue about who would win in a fight between Kingsley Shacklebolt and Steve [=McQueen=], with and without wands. |
| 61 | * In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11219400/1/It-s-the-End-of-the-World It's the End of the World]]'' Harry, Draco and their friends argue about which of them would survive if they were left without magic during a ZombieApocalypse. |
| 62 | * In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14068028/14/Proving-Ground-Triptych-1-You-Could-Be-Great Proving Ground Triptych 1: You Could Be Great]]'' the first-year Slytherins argue about who would win in a fight between Acromantulas and various opponents, ranging from forest trolls to an expedition from the Ministry of Magic. |
| 63 | * ''Fanfic/GuysBeingDudes'': Arlo and Candela had a Pokemon battle once over her saying [[Music/EscapeTheFate This War Is Ours was superior to Dying Is Your Latest Fashion]]. |
| 64 | [[/folder]] |
| 65 | |
| 66 | [[folder:Film]] |
| 67 | * In ''Film/CrimsonTide'', a fight ensues when one character says that the [[Creator/JackKirby Kirby]] ComicBook/SilverSurfer was the only true Silver Surfer, and that the Moebius Silver Surfer was shit. |
| 68 | %%* The "pirates vs. ninjas" debate in ''SydneyWhite''. |
| 69 | * In ''Film/TheRundown'', Beck gets into a debate over whether Mike Tyson could take Muhammad Ali if they were both in their prime. Beck claims Ali could take Tyson. |
| 70 | * In ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', once the plot's winding down, Steve and Tony argue with Thor as to whether Vision can lift Mjölnir because he's worthy or because he's a machine. |
| 71 | -->'''Steve:''' But if you put the hammer in an elevator...\ |
| 72 | '''Tony:''' It would still go up.\ |
| 73 | '''Steve:''' Elevator's not worthy. |
| 74 | [[/folder]] |
| 75 | |
| 76 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 77 | * ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': |
| 78 | ** 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 ComicBook/{{Batman}}? |
| 79 | ** Cassie and Marco got into a debate about which term for vomiting was the best after Marco pointed out that the action has a lot of {{Unusual Euphemism}}s... [[CrossesTheLineTwice while carrying a very sick Jake back home after he had aborted the mission to throw up.]] Terms range from the expected (Ralph, Hurl, Puke, Spew) to more creative (Blowing Chunks, Upchuck, Losing your Lunch, Tango with the Toilet). Marco is declared the winner with "A Yawn in Technicolor" which causes even [[RefugeInAudacity Jake to laugh and then immediately barf again.]] It should be pointed out that this is not something Cassie is known for doing, but she knew Jake was upset for botching the mission and that he would have had this conversation with Marco if he wasn't as sick as he was. |
| 80 | * ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': In ''The Deep End'', Greg goes fishing with a group of kids who get into a heated argument over whether it would be more difficult to fight a person with the head of a shark or a shark with the head of a person. |
| 81 | * In Jonathan Swift's ''Literature/GulliversTravels'', there is a war waging between people who break their hard-boiled egg at the fat end (the "big-endians"), and those who break it at the narrow end. (It's a deliberate analogy to Whigs vs Tories in British party politics of Swift's time.) |
| 82 | %%* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'' and Cassandra Clare's ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments'': Dumbledore or Magnus Bane? |
| 83 | * Similar to the ''Gulliver's Travels'' example above, ''The Butter Battle Book'' by Creator/DrSeuss features an allegory for the UsefulNotes/ColdWar being waged over which side of the bread to butter. |
| 84 | * The ''Literature/GuinnessWorldRecords'' was created specifically to end pub debates about the biggest[=/=]strongest[=/=]fastest whatever. |
| 85 | * According to ''Literature/TheDevilsDictionary'', UsefulNotes/{{Australia}}'s "industrial and commercial development has been unspeakably retarded by an unfortunate dispute among geographers as to whether it is a continent or island." |
| 86 | [[/folder]] |
| 87 | |
| 88 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 89 | * ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' has a parody of this in which the guys debate who the bravest person in the Marvel Universe is. Candidates include Captain America's undocumented Mexican gardener, the doctor who gives Wolverine his prostate exam, and whoever uses the bathroom after the Thing. |
| 90 | ** Raj and Leonard once debated over whether or not mummies and zombies are the same thing. Leonard won the debate by calling in InsufferableGenius Sheldon, who quickly decimated Raj's argument. |
| 91 | ** In "The Bakersfield Expedition," Penny, Amy, and Bernadette decide to read a single comic book to try and understand why their boyfriends ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Raj]]) are so obsessed with them. They read an issue of ''Thor'', and at first deride the comic as stupid and the boys' arguing over minor details as a complete waste of time. As an example, Penny sarcastically refers to Thor's hammer as "so heavy that no one else can lift it"... which leads the girls to start debating whether the hammer is heavy or magical. By the end of the episode, they're tearing through every Thor comic that Leonard and Sheldon own and fiercely arguing over minutiae in them. |
| 92 | ** To the girls, Sheldon mentions in passing a discussion he and the other guys had about whether werewolves can swim. The girls quickly become drawn into the debate. |
| 93 | ** An episode starts with Sheldon wanting to ask a question regarding [[ComicBook/{{Batman}} Man-Bat and Batman]], the guys quickly get into a complicated and tongue-twisting discussion regarding how a combination of the two characters via bite would be named. The scene ends before Sheldon even gets to ask the question. |
| 94 | * The ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episode "[[Recap/AngelS05E15AHoleInTheWorld A Hole in the World]]" is the {{Trope Namer|s}}. 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:"[[RockBeatsLaser Cavemen win]], ''of course'' the cavemen win", one character's last words]]. |
| 95 | ** The ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E5LifeSerial Life Serial]]" has The Trio arguing passionately about Film/JamesBond movies. Warren favours Creator/SeanConnery and loathes ''Film/{{Moonraker}}'', Jonathan prefers Creator/RogerMoore, while Andrew likes Creator/TimothyDalton. |
| 96 | --->'''Andrew:''' Timothy Dalton should win an Oscar and '''BEAT SEAN CONNERY OVER THE HEAD WITH IT!!!''' |
| 97 | * In ''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. |
| 98 | -->'''Ted:''' Then why don't we take a rabbit, a duck, stick 'em in a cardboard box, and let them fight it out?!\ |
| 99 | '''Marshall:''' BECAUSE IT'S ILLEGAL, TED!\ |
| 100 | '''Ted:''' ONLY IF WE BET ON IT, MARSHALL!!!!! |
| 101 | ** When Barney and Robin date each other, their relationship seems to be full of these sorts of arguments. Barney once dared Robin to stab a knife through his chest over a fight about which of them should clean the dishes. |
| 102 | ** One episode had the gang argue over which food is the most common in the United States; they looked up the answer and it turned out they were all wrong. |
| 103 | ** On another occasion, Ted and Barney have a passionate argument initially framed as simply [[Literature/TheTwilightSaga Edward vs Jacob]]. It's immediately revealed not to be about shipping but what the first name of the actor who played the main character in ''Film/StandAndDeliver'' was (Edward James Olmos). |
| 104 | * ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': |
| 105 | ** Elaine and her boyfriend of the week get into a heated argument leading to their breakup about when it's appropriate to use exclamation points. |
| 106 | ** In another episode, George and another man try to park in the same ParallelParking spot at the same time. George insists that the other guy needs to give up the spot because he was trying to pull in front first, and the ''only'' civilized way to parallel park is by backing up. The other guy disagrees, and they spend the rest of the night with both their cars halfway in the spot, halfway in the street, arguing over the validity of front-first parking. Everyone who passes by has a strongly held opinion on the issue, even the cops who show up to make them move their cars. |
| 107 | --->'''Mike:''' Hey, pal, you're not getting that space. I mean, I'll sleep in my car if I have to.\ |
| 108 | '''George:''' I'll die out here. |
| 109 | ** While attending the funeral of his current girlfriend's aunt in "The Implant," George ends up getting into an argument about double-dipping that quickly turns violent. It eventually gets so intense, his girlfriend angrily breaks up with him and throws him out of the house. |
| 110 | ** In one SeinfeldianConversation opening segment, George asks Jerry [[NoPartyLikeADonnerParty who he'd eat first]] if he were stranded with only him and Kramer and [[ComicallyMissingThePoint is actually offended]] when Jerry says he'd start with Kramer. |
| 111 | --->'''George:''' Well, I would eat ''you!''\ |
| 112 | '''Jerry:''' That's very nice...I guess. \ |
| 113 | '''George:''' I still don't see why you wouldn't eat me, I'm your best friend!\ |
| 114 | '''Jerry:''' Look, if other people are having some, I'll try you!\ |
| 115 | '''George:''' Thank you! |
| 116 | * Hank and Davis of ''Series/CornerGas'' apparently have a long-standing debate over who is cooler—Darth Maul or Darth Vader. Davis supports the Vader side and staunchly believes that everyone just thinks Darth Maul is cool because he has a double lightsaber. |
| 117 | * The Creator/SpikeTV show ''Series/DeadliestWarrior'' is ALL ABOUT this trope. The premise of the show is to pit two types of "Warriors" from different time periods against each other to see who would win; it is almost ''embarrassing'' to see how seriously some of the experts think their warrior is just the best. |
| 118 | ** Subverted from time to time, though. Occasionally ManipulativeEditing is used to make things look more hostile than they actually are, and in a few cases (SWAT vs. [=GSG9=], [=SEALs=] vs. Israeli Commandos) the teams acknowledge that they don't REALLY hate each other. Also, it's entirely possible that silly performances by the visiting experts are encouraged by the producers. The post-episode commentaries posted to the web confirm that most of the hostility between teams is played up for the show - they are very polite and cordial with each other in the web videos. |
| 119 | * There is an episode of ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' in which a riot breaks out amongst the members of [[FunWithAcronyms NOMAAM]] over the question of who starred in the first lite beer commercial. |
| 120 | * In the ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' episode "The Triangle," the bar regulars (who frequently debate mundane topics) get into an intense discussion of Roadrunner-Coyote cartoons. The argument escalates from whether the coyote is obsessed or simply hungry, to whether his ability to survive falling off a cliff indicates he's the Antichrist. |
| 121 | ** The bar is also divided over ''Series/TheMunsters'' and ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'', which they consider SeriousBusiness. |
| 122 | ** In the pilot they had a debate over which Hollywood movie had the most sweat in it. Candidates included ''Body Heat'', ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' and ''[[Film/BenHur1959 Ben-Hur]]''. ("The boys in the galley were sweating like pigs.") Diane's fiance suggested ''Film/CoolHandLuke''. |
| 123 | * In ''Series/{{Community}}'' Jeff and Britta spend an entire evening arguing with each other over which bar is better place for Troy to have his first drink when turns twenty-one, "The Red Door" or "L Street". Troy looks up to both Jeff and Britta as two different ways to be cool and mature, but becomes infuriated when they all learn that "The Red Door" and "L Street" are ''the same bar'', meaning that their argument (And thus the entire competing lifestyles represented by Jeff and Britta) is meaningless since they are just slapping different terms onto the same things. |
| 124 | ** And again when it comes out that Jeff is the only member of the study group that dislikes the band Music/BarenakedLadies. Hilariously, they're having this argument at the exact same time they're arguing over something actually important, and treating it with more gravity. |
| 125 | ** Troy and Abed had an argument if having giant ears or a tail would be better, walking into the study room and asking the others, only then realising that a different group was using the study room. They then have the other group cast votes. |
| 126 | ** More examples can be thought of and it is implied that the group has meaningless arguments like this even off-screen: |
| 127 | --->'''Britta:''' Will anyone back me up if I say this is ridiculous, or is it going to be [[NoodleIncident another Avatar situation]]? |
| 128 | * ''Series/NightCourt'' had a case involving a riot at a Star Trek convention between fans over which was better: the Original Series or the Next Generation. The Next-Gen fans leave the court by...beaming out. |
| 129 | -->'''Spock Cosplayer:''' Big deal. Can they do ''this?'' [Vulcan salute] |
| 130 | * A running joke in Ricky Gervais' ''Series/{{Extras}}''. The main character and his best friend would ask each other questions like, "what would you rather be? A penguin, where you are a bird but you can't fly, or a flying fish where you can fly but you're still a fish." Once or twice an episode. |
| 131 | * ''Series/MythBusters'' addresses these a lot, particularly trying to test the legitimacy of taking idioms literally [[note]]In a meta example, one such discussion ended up overwhelming the discussion page for the show on TV Tropes itself, complete with diagrams[[/note]]. |
| 132 | ** One myth came directly from a very heated argument going on at their own website; namely "Can a plane take off if it's on a conveyor belt running in the opposite direction?" They tested it, and concluded that yes, it can; forward motion is driven by the propeller, and how the wheels interact with the ground is irrelevant. |
| 133 | ** Another time, they tested what would happen if a truck was traveling at 60 miles per hour and a ball was ejected from the back of the truck at the same speed. It fell vertically from the point where it was fired. The forward motion of the truck and the aft motion of the ball-launcher cancelled each other out. |
| 134 | ** Yet another test involved the double-dipping claim from ''Seinfeld'' above; they ruled that double-dipping didn't add all that many mouth-germs to a dip since because it is lost in the bacterial noise in the food itself. |
| 135 | ** The ScopeSnipe, particularly a famous one by Vietnam-era sniper Carlos Hathcock, was initially deemed busted due to the number of refractive lenses and narrowness of the scope itself preventing a clean bore. They recognized the problem with discrediting a myth that is popular among ''snipers'', but acknowledged that their initial testing was done with modern scopes and not the shorter, wider scopes with fewer lenses from the correct era. It was confirmed on a revisit. |
| 136 | * ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Sam and Dean Winchester have their own version of this as shown in the episode "Death's Door" with Chuck Norris vs. Jet Li. They also argue over which movie snacks are the best and who was a better [[Film/TheThreeStooges stooge]], Curly vs. Shemp. |
| 137 | * ''Series/HaveIGotNewsForYou'': Quite often Paul Merton would indulge in this; once having a (seemingly) aggressive shouting match with Arthur Smith over whether or not you should put tomato sauce on baked beans. |
| 138 | * ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' once did a commercial parody where a married couple argue over whether "New Shimmer" is a floor cleaner or a dessert topping. They end up struggling for the bottle and the husband calls his wife a cow. The pitchman arrives and settles the dispute. It's both. |
| 139 | * The ''Series/JonathanCreek'' episode "The Three Gamblers", which has a HollywoodVoodoo theme, has one scene open with Jonathan and Maddie barely speaking after a furious row. It turns out they disagree about the exact [[{{Scatting}} meaningless words]] in the chorus of the novelty song "The Witch Doctor". |
| 140 | * The {{Creator/Syfy}} reality show ''Opposite Worlds'' was ostensibly designed to put the debate to the test, with one team living in harsh caveman conditions (including needing to make fire to cook their food and keep warm) and the other living in relative comfort in NextSundayAD, and competing in weekly physical challenges to determine who is forced to leave and who gets to stay in which conditions. As WebVideo/JennyNicholson points out in her [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKFgn6tNU6w video essay]], the predictable result is the team living in the future winning most of the challenges because they are well fed and rested while the cavemen team are tired, cold, and hungry. |
| 141 | * ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' frequently employs this trope. |
| 142 | ** The audience glimpses the tail end of one of these arguments in the ColdOpen of "The Gang Gets Invincible": the matter of contention being whether a rat or a scorpion would win in a duel against one another. |
| 143 | ** The entire plot of "Reynolds v. Reynolds: the Cereal Defense." Frank crashes into Dennis's [[CoolCar Land Rover]] while Dennis was eating a bowl of cereal, causing him to spill it on the dashboard. Dennis claims Frank is responsible for the spill; Frank insists that eating cereal in a car is inherently risky, so Dennis assumes responsibility for the effects of the spill. They then get sidetracked by Mac into yet another argument over whether or not natural selection and evolution are real. |
| 144 | ** "The Gang Solves the Bathroom Problem" finds the five main characters spending an afternoon [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin arguing about who is allowed to use which restroom in the bar]]. |
| 145 | * An episode of ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'' had the brothers arguing over who'd win in a fight between Creator/LindsayLohan and Music/HilaryDuff, which Helen resolves by agreeing that Lohan would win because Duff can't take a punch. They then argue who'd win in a fight between Clay Aiken and [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Frodo]], but both agree on Frodo. |
| 146 | [[/folder]] |
| 147 | |
| 148 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 149 | * Ookla the Mok's "Stop Talking About Comic Books or I'll Kill You": |
| 150 | --> I don't care if the [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] could defeat [[ComicBook/{{Superman}} the Man of Steel]]\ |
| 151 | I'm gonna rearrange your face if you continue to debate\ |
| 152 | Whether [[ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} Logan's]] claws could pierce [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Steve Rogers]]' shield |
| 153 | [[/folder]] |
| 154 | |
| 155 | [[folder:Mythology]] |
| 156 | %%* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eshu Eshu's hat.]] |
| 157 | * Any attempt to establish the identity of TheSampo from ''Literature/TheKalevala'' becomes this. |
| 158 | [[/folder]] |
| 159 | |
| 160 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 161 | * In ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault'' Agnes and Edea start going at it in an epic argument about which dessert is the best. Tiz and Ringabel are naturally exasperated at this. |
| 162 | * In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'', Rose reflects on her first meeting with Raiden in New York City. Rose was misdirecting some tourists to the Chrysler Building, thinking it was the centerpiece of ''Film/{{King Kong|1933}}''. Raiden, a movie buff, overheard this and the pair got into a shouting match until the tourists fled. |
| 163 | * In ''VideoGame/Persona5 [[UpdatedRerelease Royal]]'', the siblings Justine and Caroline argue about whether jellyfish are better than killer whales, which indicates their precociousness and [[AnimalMotifs respective personalities]]. Then they demand that the "inmate" they're escorting give his opinion. [[MortonsFork No option ends well.]] |
| 164 | * In the ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'' series, the Inklings have entire large scale celebrations called Splatfests solely dedicated to taking simple debates like dogs vs. cats, rock vs. pop, lemon tea vs. milk tea, sandcastles vs. snowmen or [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Autobots vs. Decepticons]] and having people from both sides deciding who's better via nighttime ink battles, complete with an all-night party and religious undertones through the CargoCult fax machine used to announce them. ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'' ups the ante by making these three-sided debates. Furthermore, the final Splatfest of each game helps determines the plot and theming of the following installment. |
| 165 | * A skit in ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'' features Rokurou and Eizen get in an argument on whether the beetle that has been de-therionized and is now in Laphicet's care is a stag beetle or rhinoceros beetle. They both give their justifications and are very passionate while doing so, much to everyone's discontent. |
| 166 | -->'''Eleanor''': Why is it that boys get so excited when they talk about bugs?\ |
| 167 | '''Magilou''': Rhinoceros, stag or butterfly, it's all no matter to me.\ |
| 168 | '''Velvet''': They all look like cockroaches.\ |
| 169 | '''Rokurou & Eizen''': THEY'RE TOTALLY DIFFERENT! |
| 170 | * In ''VideoGame/WatchDogs2'', Marcus and Wrench get into a debate on who would win in a fight between [[Franchise/{{Alien}} Aliens]] and [[Franchise/{{Predator}} Predator]]. Then they bring [[ComicBook/{{JudgeDredd}} Judge Dredd]], [[ComicBook/{{Batman}} Batman]] and even [[ComicBook/ArchieComics Archie]] into the discussion. |
| 171 | [[/folder]] |
| 172 | |
| 173 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 174 | * ''VisualNovel/QueenOfThieves'': Nikolai and Vivienne have strong opposing opinions on whether white chocolate is "real" chocolate and will get into heated debates over it. |
| 175 | [[/folder]] |
| 176 | |
| 177 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 178 | * ''Webcomic/SurvivingTheWorld'' has a convenient [[http://survivingtheworld.net/Lesson38.html guide]] to these arguments. |
| 179 | * ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' has Torg and Riff debating [[http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/20081021 what's the axiom of flavor:]] Garlic Butter or Breaded & Deep Fat Fried. [[http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/20081022 Zoe acts as referee,]] and the debate reaches the point of physical violence when the Minion Master [[http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/20081027 throws in Salt as a contender.]] |
| 180 | * Subverted in [[http://www.joyceandwalky.com/d/20100109.html this]] ''Joyce and Walky'' strip, where Sal assumes the argument going on is about a stupid subject but it's really about serious philosophical questions. |
| 181 | * ''Webcomic/GhastlysGhastlyComic''; Nort tries to deflect attention from it being his turn to buy the next round of drinks by pretending he and Glemph were discussing whether Christopher Walken was creepier than John Malkovich, specifically in an [[BlackComedyRape "ass-rape" situation]]. |
| 182 | * ''Home on the Strange'' shows Tom and Karla spending multiple strips arguing about whether a bear or a shark would win if fighting in a tank half-filled with water. |
| 183 | -->"You realise we've spent more time planning an imaginary bearfight than we did planning our home insurance."\ |
| 184 | "Please. An imaginary ''shark''fight." |
| 185 | [[/folder]] |
| 186 | |
| 187 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 188 | * ''Website/SpaceBattlesDotCom'' has an entire discussion forum dedicated to precisely this issue. |
| 189 | * This trope is pretty much the whole reason ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'' exists. They use science to calculate who would win, with a hefty dose of how the characters in question normally fight. Wonder Woman hitting Rogue in the face is normal fighting style for her, while Spider-Man's spider-sense negates Batman's favored "sneak up on them" technique. There are still those who argue the results. |
| 190 | * ''WebVideo/FrenchBaguetteIntelligence'': Many of French Baguette Intelligence's videos feature people arguing passionately over topics like this. |
| 191 | ** The ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq1-PShv9FE Typical French vs English Debate]]'' ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-mVFSd1TKA videos]]'' feature Fuck Cares and Bowl trying to prove that their country is better than the other, by citing random facts about military history, alliances, linguistics and throwing around random insults. |
| 192 | ** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcUUNpMwTjQ Geography Makes No Sense...]]'' is about how many continents there are. |
| 193 | ** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeO7XqWOJso Does pineapple go on pizza?]]'' is about whether pineapple pizza is objectively bad. |
| 194 | ** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEgXCZNO8DU Do Irish-Americans exist?]]'' is about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin whether Irish-Americans exist]]. |
| 195 | ** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCA4LUUzW0Q Is Lightning McQueen trans?]]'' is about whether Lightning [=McQueen=] is male, female or transgender. |
| 196 | ** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANs27IVior0 Mister Incredible vs Darth Vader Debate]]'' is a [[HypotheticalFightDebate hypothetical fight debate]] about whether [[Franchise/TheIncredibles Mr. Incredible]] would beat [[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader]]. |
| 197 | ** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH3EguPkm2o Twitter Bios Are Coded Messages]]'' is about [[InsaneTrollLogic whether a random Twitter bio is a coded message that predicts the state of the COVID-19 pandemic]]. |
| 198 | * PiratesVersusNinjas quickly turns into this if the debaters are taking it too seriously. |
| 199 | * In ''WebVideo/BuzzfeedUnsolved'', Bears v Sharks, in "The Odd Death of Michelle Von Emster" and "The Strange Drowning of Natalie Wood". |
| 200 | -->'''Ryan:''' I mean, [a great white shark] is not a bear, but it's...it's a powerful animal.\ |
| 201 | '''Shane:''' It can certainly kill a bear, hands down, if you dropped a bear in the ocean—\ |
| 202 | '''Ryan:''' We've been over this before, the bear is the most deadly animal of all time.\ |
| 203 | '''Shane:''' No, it's not.\ |
| 204 | '''Ryan:''' Yes, it is.\ |
| 205 | '''Shane:''' No, it's not.\ |
| 206 | '''Ryan:''' Yes, it is.\ |
| 207 | '''Shane:''' No, it's not.\ |
| 208 | '''Ryan:''' If you put a bear on any playing field in the world: water—\ |
| 209 | '''Shane:''' Nope. Hippopotamus.\ |
| 210 | '''Ryan:''' No, fuck you dude, a bear's the most—\ |
| 211 | '''Shane:''' Hippopotamus would kill a bear in a heartbeat.\ |
| 212 | '''Ryan:''' You know what, we're getting the h-this is a different episode.\ |
| 213 | '''Shane:''' ''[impulsively]'' Fuck you. |
| 214 | * The ''WebVideo/HardlyWorking'' skit "Mothra" had several of the Website/CollegeHumor writers being threatened by a predatory MothMenace and [[SkewedPriorities completely]] [[IgnoredEnemy losing focus on the problem]] in favor of arguing about whether it's technically classifiable as a monster or just a really, really big moth. |
| 215 | -->'''Dan:''' What are we doing? Moments from death, the reaper's scythe swinging down on us... and we're listening to [[BaitAndSwitchComment how wrong Pat is]]!\ |
| 216 | '''Sarah:''' ''Thank'' you!\ |
| 217 | '''Pat:''' The average weight of an American moth is .05 grams, I'm sorry if I think a specimen that weighs ''twelve thousand pounds'' qualifies as a monster!\ |
| 218 | '''Dan:''' Maybe he has a pituitary deficiency! You ever think of that? |
| 219 | * Stumpt has [[https://youtu.be/LnmWZjC9_Lg?t=16m8s the Sandwich War]]. Rik asks if a hot dog is a sandwich. Over the next ten minutes, Ash's definitions of "sandwich" and "bread" become increasingly arbitrary, Price is driven to screaming in {{Angrish}} about why is a bagel considered bread but pizza is not, ''even if you remove the toppings and sell it as flatbread,'' and Jas and Rik are just laughing and prodding both sides on. |
| 220 | --->'''Price:''' Oh, so it's ''branding'', is it? So I could take pizza dough, bake it without any toppings, market it as Pizza-Bread, and ''then'' is it a sandwich? \ |
| 221 | '''Ash:''' No! \ |
| 222 | '''Price:''' AAAAARGH! I'M LOSING MY MIND! |
| 223 | [[/folder]] |
| 224 | |
| 225 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 226 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': |
| 227 | ** In "Why Must I Be A Crustacean In Love?", Zoidberg discusses "[[GladiatorGames the ceremony of Claw-Plach]], where my species [[DuelToTheDeath fight to the death]] over matters of honor." Also whether abbreviations count in Scrabble. "''They don't!''" |
| 228 | ** In "I Dated a Robot", the gang is walking through {{cyberspace}} and pass a ''Franchise/StarTrek'' forum, where two nerds are in the midst of a heated "Kirk vs. Picard" debate. |
| 229 | * In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'', the Dreadnoks can be seen in the background having come to blows over whether a certain product was a breath mint or a candy mint. |
| 230 | * ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': In the episode where we learn why Dr. Drakken [[StartOfDarkness became a]] {{mad scientist}}, he is shocked to find out that Kim is the daughter of Dr. Possible, [[spoiler:who he knew in college, and who he is currently attempting to take revenge upon]]. When Ron (who is currently Drakken's prisoner) makes fun of him for not making the connection, Drakken defends himself on the basis that "Possible is a very common last name." Drakken ends up leaving the room in order to get a phone book just to back up his argument, causing him to miss the fact that rescuers are breaking into the building. |
| 231 | * In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/Sealab2021'', the entire crew of Sealab get caught up in an argument about the hypothetical possibility of transferring their minds into robot bodies. So caught up that [[FailedASpotCheck they don't notice that all of Sealab's safety systems are catastrophically failing]]. |
| 232 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': |
| 233 | ** In the episode "Homer at the Bat", Wade Boggs is knocked out cold by Barney after the two argue over who's the best British Prime Minister of all time. |
| 234 | --->'''Barney:''' And I say England's greatest Prime Minister was Lord Palmerston!\ |
| 235 | '''Wade Boggs:''' Pitt the Elder!\ |
| 236 | '''Barney:''' LORD PALMERSTON!\ |
| 237 | '''Boggs: ''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis PITT! THE! ELDER!]]'''''\ |
| 238 | '''Barney:''' Okay, you asked for it, Boggs!\ |
| 239 | ''[punches out Boggs]''\ |
| 240 | '''Moe:''' Yeah, that's showin' 'im, Barn! ''[mockingly]'' "Pitt the Elder"...\ |
| 241 | '''Barney: [[SarcasmBlind LORD PALMERSTON!]]'''\ |
| 242 | ''[punches out Moe]'' |
| 243 | ** Another episode has Ned Flanders say that his denomination of Christianity (The Northwest Branch of American Reform Presbylutheranism) split off from the Catholic Church several centuries ago over the right of worshipers to come to church with wet hair. He then sheepishly admits that his denomination has since abolished that right. |
| 244 | ** Similarly, the founders of Springfield and Shelbyville were originally one group which fragmented over whether or not [[KissingCousins people could marry their cousins]]. |
| 245 | ** In "Regarding Margie", Sideshow Mel and Captain [=MacAlistair=] are fighting over what the most delicious kind of cherry is, while balanced on Bumblebee Man and Duffman's shoulders. |
| 246 | --->'''Sideshow Mel:''' Maraschino isn't even a kind of cherry! It's a way of preserving them! |
| 247 | ** In "C.E. D'oh", Lenny and Carl are fighting with carbon rods as they argue which of the first two ''Franchise/StarWars'' [[{{Sequelitis}} prequels are worse]]: |
| 248 | --->'''Lenny:''' I say ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' sucked more!\ |
| 249 | '''Carl:''' I say ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' sucked more! |
| 250 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'': [[HypotheticalFightDebate Who would win in a fight]], Lizzie Borden or Anne Frank? |
| 251 | ** Henchmen #21 and #24 seem to have these debates a lot. Another episode showed them arguing over whether or not [[Franchise/TheSmurfs Smurfs]] lay eggs. |
| 252 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dwL8ESU97s One argument between two of the Monarch's henchman]] was a debate to determine the better [[StockNessMonster lake monster:]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champ_%28cryptozoology%29 "Champ"]] or [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Ness_Monster the Loch Ness Monster.]] Then a recently badassified 21 enters the debate. Turns out [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogopogo Ogopogo]] wins. |
| 253 | ** Not only 21 and 24, but the creative minds behind the show themselves have these kind of debates all the time. In one [[WordOfGod commentary track]] Doc references a heated argument they had about what woman was hotter: Music/FionaApple or Jewel. Another time on a convention panel, a fan wanted to know their opinions on the Lizzie Borden v. Anne Frank debate but accidentally asked their opinions on a ''Helen Keller'' v. Anne Frank debate. [[http://video.adultswim.com/the-venture-bros/the-venture-bros-dragon-con-panel-2009.html The results can be seen here at 6:49.]] |
| 254 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' had a more or less literal example of this, when Patchy the Pirate and Potty the Parrot get into an argument of whether "Prehistory" or "The Future" is better. |
| 255 | ** The episode "The Battle of Bikini Bottom" begins with two war reenactors explaining to [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick the titular battle, which was apparently fought over ''washing one's hands.''[[note]]Keep in mind however that it was ''Patrick'' who said this.[[/note]] This starts the two friends discussing cleanliness ([=SpongeBob=] is pro-clean, Patrick is not), and soon engage in a battle of their own. |
| 256 | * ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has an episode where two ''Star Trek'' nerds intensely debate as to whether a two-parter counted as one or two episodes, overshadowing their co-invention of a time machine. |
| 257 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'' episode "Patsies," B&B are recruited to join a teacher's "Positive Acting Teens" and help a group of dorks clean up trash beside a highway. On the way there in the van, B&B make their "this sucks" faces while a couple of the dorks argue about which would be better--[[Characters/StarTrekTheNextGeneration making Data human or curing Geordi of his blindness]]. |
| 258 | * In ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', at a costume party, [[ManChild Stu and Drew]] vehemently disagree on whether Franchise/{{Tarzan}} or Film/KingKong (their respective costumes) is king of the jungle. Stu suggests that they take it outside; Drew appears to agree but then locks Stu out of the house. Not that these brothers need much of a reason to get nasty with each other. |
| 259 | * ''WesternAnimation/MoralOrel'' had the Puppingtons and Postabules become FeudingFamilies because the former say "trespasses/trespassers" and the latter "debtors/debts" for the Lord's Prayer. And yes, this is TruthInTelevision. |
| 260 | * The ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' episode "Burger vs. Burrito" had Cyborg and Beast Boy getting into an escalating war over which of their favorite foods is superior, culminating in a fight between Cyborg's giant burger robot and Beast Boy's burrito {{kaiju}}. After their combatants have destroyed each other, the two friends make up and then look like they're about to have another debate over whether pie or ice cream is the better dessert, [[WeAreNotGoingThroughThatAgain only for them to agree that those two foods are better eaten together]]. |
| 261 | * The ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' episode "Replaced" states Mordecai and Rigby as once having a 3-day long argument about the outcome of a fight between a "two-headed dinosaur and a robotic Bigfoot". When they attempt to have their potential replacements discuss the same argument to get them to stop working, they both agree the "robotic Bigfoot" is the obvious choice. |
| 262 | [[/folder]] |
| 263 | |
| 264 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 265 | * In an interview with [[Series/TheDailyShow Jon Stewart]], UsefulNotes/BillClinton discussed this essentially happening in politics. When you have two similar candidates (in this case UsefulNotes/BarackObama and UsefulNotes/HillaryRodhamClinton), the campaign becomes about stressing the minor differences between them. That can lead to them passionately stressing and arguing about a stance that the candidates don't actually find that important. Heck, ''any'' random, small, and otherwise irrelevant, difference in political, philosophical or religious views could turn into this. |
| 266 | * Administrivia/{{Edit War}}s are often built off of relatively minor differences in wording, phrasing, or detail. |
| 267 | ** Website/TheOtherWiki [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Lamest_edit_wars has these in spades.]] For example: is that city in northern Poland called "Danzig" or "Gdańsk" in English? There's even been wars about ''punctuation''! |
| 268 | *** The debate over the capitalization of ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'' (whether it should be "Star Trek '''i'''nto Darkness" or "Star Trek '''I'''nto Darkness") eventually topped 70,000 words (that's longer than the first ''Literature/HarryPotter'' book). ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' [[https://xkcd.com/1167/ pointed out the absurdity of it]]. |
| 269 | *** Perhaps the silliest: what nationality is The Spy from ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''? [[note]]It's not ''entirely'' silly, as—with the exception of the Pyro—every other character has a clear national stereotype.[[/note]] The edit wars went on for ''months'' before "Meet the Spy" finally settled the issue with a canon answer: "French". |
| 270 | *** Amazingly, that's not the only time there was an argument on Wikipedia over a fictional character's nationality. [[http://www.factfiend.com/time-people-argued-fictional-characters-nationality/ There was also a dispute over the ethnicity of Niko Bellic]] from ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV''. |
| 271 | *** Main/AmbiguouslyBrown cropped up as a sort of [[TakeAThirdOption stopgap measure]] against these sorts of debates. |
| 272 | ** Even this wiki isn't immune: TimeyWimeyBall once had the line, "debating which time travel theory is right is much like trying to find the best flavor of ice cream". After [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/archived_discussion.php?s_t=Main.TimeyWimeyBall over fifty different edits]] of what the best flavor of ice cream actually was, the joke was removed. Oddly enough, a similar line involving Kool-Aid flavors is now in its place and has not attracted controversy. [[TemptingFate So far.]] |
| 273 | * There was actually [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nix_v._Hedden a Supreme Court decision]] about whether the tomato should be considered a fruit or a vegetable for tax purposes. It was decided that it was legally a vegetable, despite being botanically a fruit. |
| 274 | * Similarly, the makers of Jaffa Cakes went to court in the UK to prove that they are actually cakes and not biscuits, as chocolate biscuits have extra tax applied to them but chocolate cakes do not. The company managed to prove that Jaffa Cakes are indeed cakes by A: Showing that Jaffa Cakes, like other cakes, will go stale if left out (if they were biscuits they would go soft) and B: Making an extra large Jaffa Cake which was then served as a regular cake; this was easy enough to do, as Jaffa Cakes really are based on a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genoise Genoise]] recipe (a kind of sponge with a biscuity surface if cooked just so; it's also the base for [[Creator/MarcelProust madeleines]] and ladyfingers). That hasn't stopped debates raging up and down the country; tea and biscuits (or cakes) really are SeriousBusiness in Britain. As silly it looks for an average person, for multinational companies product classifications may translate to millions in taxes and customs. (This also led to the [[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2305938/McVities-launches-The-Big-One-Jaffa-Cake-decades-beating-taxman-landmark-VAT-battle.html "Big One,"]] a cake-sized Jaffa Cake you can buy.) |
| 275 | * The [[https://goo.gl/zJP5pe Latke-Hamantash Debate,]] an AffectionateParody of [[JewsLoveToArgue Jewish religious arguments]], has been held every year at the University of Chicago since 1946. |
| 276 | * Many a troper has probably been watching a classic movie with friends when an inane debate broke out. Ever witnessed a debate running the length of ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'' over whether the Flux-Capacitor capacitates flux or fluxes capacitance? The winners are the people who made the physics students who started the trouble watch ''Film/TheCore''. As a similar example in literature, fans of Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium have engaged in more than one FlameWar over whether Balrogs have wings, based on an ambiguous passage in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' that could either indicate literal wings or SymbolicWings. |
| 277 | * 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. |
| 278 | * The East Coast/West Coast HipHop feud, fought in UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates over regional variants of rap music. Music/TheNotoriousBIG (representing the East Coast) and Music/TupacShakur (representing the West Coast) both got assassinated during this conflict. |
| 279 | * Within {{UsefulNotes/Christianity}}, the most contentious of minor arguments is this: should the Lord's Prayer be said with trespasses/trespassers, or debts/debtors? There's [[TakeAThirdOption a third contingent]] that thinks "sins/sinners", but the first two won't dignify that argument. |
| 280 | * A whole post about the subject of Academic debates, but the winners are Creator/EdgarAllanPoe scholars and the [[https://imgur.com/gallery/lnOAS story about]] why [[PunctuatedForEmphasis WE! DO NOT! TALK! ABOUT! THE ORANGUTAN!]] |
| 281 | %%* An up and coming one seems to be "is water wet, or does water make things wet." |
| 282 | %% Verify and update, as Administrivia/ExamplesAreNotRecent. |
| 283 | * In 2018, "Is a hot dog a sandwich?" became an object of deeply heated debate on Twitter. |
| 284 | * 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 were only 896 Pokémon at the time this argument was most prominent, 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.]] |
| 285 | * The "should [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarf]] women have [[GirlsWithMustaches beards]]" debate from ''ComicStrip/KnightsOfTheDinnerTable'' is very much TruthInTelevision, has been going on for decades, and can get shockingly vicious when it isn't used as a joke, as many players of ''Franchise/DungeonsAndDragons'' will happily tell you. Everybody seems to have an opinion on it, and serious discussions about it rarely stay civil, sometimes taking on bizarre and downright ''nasty'' political undertones when the arguments drift a little too close to RealLife debates about gender identity. It's not just the players either, Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast themselves have gotten into this, openly taking the "no beards" side since DND's 3rd Edition. |
| 286 | * 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. |
| 287 | * [[UsefulNotes/SigmundFreud Sigmund Freud]] discussed this as the concept of the "narcissism of small differences", where people who are similar to each other are more likely to feud over minor things because they are already similar on the major things but still want to differentiate themselves as individuals. [[/folder]] |
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