In the years just before the internet, I had an ongoing argument with a friend of mine over whether a lion or a bear would win in a fight. I thought the lion had certain advantages. My friend thought that the bear would kill the lion with one swat. I always suspected he was right. And now we have the internet to resolve the dispute. What did you used to argue about before the internet?
As I recall my dinner table, we wouldn’t have had anything to talk about. We’d have spent the whole time Googling to prove our points.
My ex always laughed at me because if we had a disagreement, I’d settle it by saying, “I’m gonna google it.”
Did they get tired of being proven wrong?
How did u know!!! 😉
Guess that’s why he’s an ex. Gotta let him win one every now and then….
I rarely argue something unless I know I’m right. Usually if I’m unsure, I’ll just say, “Let’s just look it up.” Although I also say that when I know I’m right and they’re persistent. I was sore after a workout once and mom, who is a personal trainer, argued I should have stretched afterwards. I persisted that this wouldn’t help anything, and I was only sore because I was working out for the first time in a while; it wouldn’t hurt like this after a few days. She continued to argue otherwise. Looked it up the next day, found out that there’s little evidence that stretching helps with muscle soreness of that sort.
A good way to win some money with non-music experts — I’m certainly no music expert, but they won’t fall for this — is to bet that “I’m a Bitch” is not by Alanis Morrisette. If the song ever comes up, most people are certain that it’s her…especially drunk people.
Sorry, song is actually titled, “Bitch”.
IIRC, that’s the Rolling Stones (‘Sticky Fingers’ lp).
At first I misremembered Elton John, but that’s ‘The Bitch Is Back’.
There’s probably something newer, too, that I’ve never heard of.
Yeah, different one. This song: Bitch (Meredith Brooks song)
Even TEH GOOGLE is fooled:
Screenshot
I see how they would be.
One thing Google seemed incapable of is telling me just how many pop songs have ‘bitch’ in the title.
I don’t usually find myself having discussions like lion vs. bear among friends. But normal discussions, chats, whatever occasionally have us all wondering something so one of us will look it up now. It’s part of socializing.
Going out to lunch with a couple of work buddies? The poorly named “smart phones”* are always handy. Asimov’s Encyclopedia Galactica, envisioned 70 years ago is just a few clicks away.
* smart phones might be more accurately named mini-tablets or micro-tablets.
I haven’t really argued at the dinner table for years, mostly because I was a single Mom raising three kids and the only arguments were over things like what they were eating and where they were going in the evening. Back when I was a kid my brother and I were our parents’ proxies as he represented my mother’s conservative views and I represented my father’s liberal views. We started quibbling with each other by 1968 when I was 10 and he was 11 and we launched discussions of civil rights and other issues. Our first really big fight was over the Kent State killings in 1970 with him claiming the “hippie commies” deserved what they got and me railing against oppression. Nowadays I would simply google and argue as I read the results.
Among friends it was, “Which was the less destructive vice, pot or alcohol?”, Opinions were quite strong on both sides.
Family arguments??? I don’t recall having family arguments before the internet. Now, of course, things have changed drastically. The internet has weaponized the crazy in many families; including mine.
I mainly remember arguments about my own behavior — which Google still will not help with.
you hope.
Well, I haven’t committed any felonies or posed for porn for at least a decade now, so the worst anyone will see about me are some pissy letters on fracking.
🙂
I believe I can predict what a lot of people will be arguing about over the dinner table next weekend: Who really wrote Shakespeare’s plays. Those who see Anonymous will start Googling, and you know where that leads..!
I think Bear vs. Lion cannot be settled–really settled–without youtube.