Controversial topics!

Question

I recently had an amazing question-answer session on this website which turned out to be very controversial but productive at the same time. I think controversial topics provoke passion and really take intellectual conversation to a higher level... as long as people keep their wits about them.

I was wondering if you can help me make a list of controversial topics to discuss but seeing how this is a forum for learning Spanish, these topics must have a language/Spanish element to them whether that be cultural, historical, etc...

Lets begin creating a list and then keep your eyes open for the topic to be re-framed in a question shortly after.

Good way to learn history, politics, current events and more!

S

Answer 1

i would suggest the topic of what people think about converting to metric in the united states. oh man!

About time too..... - 00515f39, NOV 9, 2009

thank you... first time i have a supporter! i feel... HAPPY! - zenejero, NOV 9, 2009

I use metric at work and archaic at home. People that really want to use the old system should be forced to study slugs and poundals. - lorenzo9, NOV 9, 2009

Answer 2

Alright,

Some great ideas. I really like Aloshek's idea to start this whole thing off:

Thoughts on making Spanish an official language in the United States? Canada has French and English, why can't the US officially be a bilingual country as well?

Let the games begin!

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Does anyone think we should open a new forum for every new discussion topic or continue in this one?

Thanks,

S

I think you should start a new one. People may pass over this thread because they feel they´ve read it already. (Just my thoughts) - aloshek, NOV 9, 2009

Answer 3

Did you know that more than 8 million people in Mexico speak a language other than Spanish, and no, it´s not English either.

Mexican Indian. - Malenor, NOV 8, 2009

Mexico actually recognizes 62 additional native languages - aloshek, NOV 8, 2009

Technically, Spanish is not the official language of Mexico. It is only the most commonly used. - aloshek, NOV 8, 2009

"Technically"? - Malenor, NOV 8, 2009

Yes, technically. There is no law making Spanish their national language. Spanish is most commonly associated with Mexico ONLY because it is the most commonly used language there. - aloshek, NOV 9, 2009

That's confusing because i just read some pages indicating that Spanish is the official language of Mexico. - Malenor, NOV 9, 2009

it is the most commonly used, but one of the biggest (and please s.o. correct me if i'm wrong) is nahuatl followed by yucatec maya. i also believe their own constitution defines the country as multicultural and somehow recognizes the right of the people.. - zenejero, NOV 9, 2009

... to speak and preserve their own languages. - zenejero, NOV 9, 2009

Nahuatl is actually a group of languages. Of the four main groups, it is the largest. - aloshek, NOV 9, 2009

Spanish is the official language of Mexico and nothing is mentioned about language in its constitution. - Malenor, NOV 9, 2009

Answer 4

Etymology of Spanish! (ok, maybe I would be the only one interested, I'm a bit of a word fetishist)

hey! me too! and my favorite dictionary is a leather bound one i own that dates back to 1890. has etymology for everything! - zenejero, NOV 9, 2009

my favorite is the etymology of Hebrew - aloshek, NOV 9, 2009

Answer 5

Shane, you could also start the topic 'how to swear like a toddler in Spanish' and it would be totally and brutally cute yet practical in case a 5 year old calls you 'feo' in the street. (I'm talking about the insults a KG age can tell you. As an example, when I was a kid I used to think the word naive was an insult and I used it often )

Answer 6

I say forget the next election. Let's stage a coup d'etat, make Spanish and French official languages and throw open the borders. Ok, please don't report me to the CIA or anything, I'm only kidding!

Answer 7

In a future presidential election in the USA, if a candidate came forward that appealed to all of the minority groups in the country, then that candidate might have a good chance of winning.

I started to think of a suitable person and came up with a "Spanish speaking, disabled, dyslexic lesbian, born in California but educated in Tibet with a Muslim girlfriend." Obviously, they wouldn't be Democrat or Republican.