BeIR/webis-touche2020 huggingface dataset:
Lesbians cannot call there "mates" wives due to the fact that marriage is a religious concept

Like I said earlier - there is absolutely no evidence for a religious origin to marriage. Commitments like marriage have existed for all of recorded history.Many religions (such as Inuit tribal religion) have stories involving homosexual couples. In Inuit tribal religion, the gods firs created two men, and then created women after realizing that they could not reproduce.Marriage is established in Hammurabi's Code as well. It is probable that earlier tribal governments thought of formally wedding couples; whether or not it was a religious union is unknown.
Lesbians cannot call there "mates" wives due to the fact that marriage is a religious concept

Well, this has been confusing so far.First you have an argument that marriage is a religious concept - and I point out that there is no evidence for marriage beginning with religion.Next, you say that you are talking about the root of the words "wife" and "husband" and how that is fundamentally heterosexual - I point out that they are derived from old gender pronouns.And now you seem to be pointing to the colloquial use of that word. The definitions of words are whatever the public uses them for, and the public (and most dictionaries) uses the word "wife" to mean a women engaged in a marriage and "husband" to mean a married man. The phrase "Her wife" can coherently refer to the partner of a lesbian because contemporary use is what matters in a definition.That being said, outside of a marriage, it would not make sense to call a lesbian's partner a "wife."I apologize for any confusion that has occured. You can tell me if I am still getting it wrong.
Lesbians cannot call there "mates" wives due to the fact that marriage is a religious concept

I agree to this debate.What I disagree with is the idea that marriage is fundamentally religious. While it may be sanctioned by religion, it is not itself religious.Testifying to this is the fact that jews, muslims, Hindus, and secularists all marry.According to evolutionary ethicists, marriage's origins are not known, but many cultures have legends about it, and the surrounding cultures have always changed over time. ( Hobhouse, Leonard Trelawny (1906) Morals in evolution: a study in comparative ethics, New York, H. Holt and Co, p. 180.)So if lesbians are secular, they can call mates "wives" because religion is not guiding what counts as a proper marriage.
Battle Of The Bands

Well, this is the final round, so i'll try to keep this brief I use rancid as my example because they were not as popular until after touring with anti-flag, Billy Talent was probably a better example With Anti-flag releasing a new album, they will gain some popularity, and will probably be on tour. I assert that both bands are good (this debate actually made me set up a dual playlist with the both of them) but that anti-flag provides a better sound and lyrical content.
Battle Of The Bands

"...usually a less known band, such as Rancid." I don't know what Con means, as Rancid is a very well known band, at least to people who like punk music. Perhaps they're better known than Anti-Flag themselves. ______________________________________________ Ever heard of the band Neon Trees? They're huge; and have hits like "Animal", "Everybody Talks", and "Sleeping With A Friend". They wouldn't be popular if it wasn't for The Killers. For quite awhile, Neon Trees was an unpopular band with no considerably successful music, but after going on tour with and opening for The Killers, more and more people know who they were and helped make them the band they are today. The Killers have numerous songs to not appear anywhere on an album, like "Where Is She? (Soft Surrender)" SUPPORT ACTS: (bands that opened concerts before The Killers went on stage) Hot Fuss Tour (2003-2005): Louis XIV, Surferosa, The Departure, Ambulance LTD, Blood Arm, The Zutons, and Tegan & Sara. Sam's Town Tour (2006-2007): Immigrant, The Envy Corps, The Red Romance, Howling Bells, The Brakes, The Broken Stars, The Rapture, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Mumm-Ra, Silver Beats, Hot Hot Heat, and Louis XIV. Day & Age World Tour (2008-2010): Neon Trees, Zane Lowe, M83, many more Battle Born World Tour (2012-2013): Most above, but inlcuding new ones such as Frank Ocean and The Gaslight Anthem. _______________________________- SOURCE; http://en.wikipedia.org... _______________
Battle Of The Bands

thanks con for your argumentsI'll be honest, i was not aware that justin had put out his solo album, to Youtube!Teenage Kennedy Lobotomy is about other bands, and how they've sold out. Brandenburg gate is a little political in the sense of the opening lyrics being "i lost my baby to a foreign war", but actually doesn't talk about wars, but more of world unity.CharityAnti-Flag donates to homeless shelters and makes a large contribution to Amnesty International. Anti-Fest is also open freely to the publicMinor band promotionsWhen Anti-Flag does tours, they try to find a good band to bring with them to promote, usually a less known band, such as Rancid.And because i didn't before, here is my anti flag picture
Battle Of The Bands

"It provides their point of view for those who want to hear it, and provide it with a catchy beat." There are numerous ways to show your beliefs beside lyrics. Bands can volunteer to support a politician's campaign, or vocally state their support for whatever cause. "they have some songs that aren't politically charged. Such as "teenage kennedy lobotomy" and "Brandenburg Gate"." The title of those two songs seem certainly politically motivated. The Kennedy's were, obviously, a huge political family in the US. John F. was a president, Bobby was a secretary and presidential candidate, and Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.'s parents hoped for him to become president, up until his death in WW2. Con seems to be unaware of what the Brandenburg Gate is, and the song he states is clearly based around it. Brandenburg Gate is a historical landmark in Berlin, Germany and one of Germany's main attractions. It has been the site of many historical happenings, such as Napoleon (Bonaparte) stealing a statue, Hitler's selection as German chancellor, and Kennedy's famous "I Am A Berliner" speech. "Justin Sane also has plans to release a solo album." Upon research, I have found that he already has. Con doesn't seem to know this. "Anti-Flag also plays free shows from time to time" Nearly every band plays free shows. ___________________________________________________ On to more arguments in favor of The Killers: Charity: Every year, The Killers release a Christmas song. The proceeds from these singles benefit charities, specifically the Coca-Cola (RED) campaign against AIDS. Con hasn't seemed to refute any of my main arguments from last round, so I extend those past arguments until he does make a response to them. ------------------------------------- SOURCES: http://www.history.com... http://en.wikipedia.org.... http://www.amazon.com... https://itunes.apple.com...
Battle Of The Bands

thanks pro for your comments My creative jab was just that, a lighthearted jab. The music is very creative and full of insightful lyrics. I Pro states that Anti-Flag is to political, but this is the charm of anti-flag. It provides their point of view for those who want to hear it, and provide it with a catchy beat. With that being said, they have some songs that aren't politically charged. Such as "teenage kennedy lobotomy" and "Brandenburg Gate". Justin Sane also has plans to release a solo album Anti-Flag also has cheaply priced tickets, with most shows only being $10 per person Anti-Flag also plays free shows from time to time in public spaces, such as during the Occupy Wall Street rallies. They also hold their own festival to show some young talent, which is a great idea.
Battle Of The Bands

And will now present a background on the band, much like pro did. EXPERIENCE Anti-Flag started in 1988 with Justin sane (Just in sane) and Pat Thetic (pathetic). They were plagued by instability until 1993, when Andy flag joined the band. Their first demo was 17 songs and labeled "17 songs" (very creative, almost as bad as minor threat by minor threat) The band still plays today. Albums Anti-Flags first album was Die for Your Government. Which saw moderate success, but this lead to Andy Flag leaving due to disputes of the politics in each song. This lead to Chris Head and Chris Barker (Chris NO. 2) to join, which gives us the line-up that we have to this day. Anti-Flags second album was The system doesn't work for you, which saw minor success, this is because they released the album on a record company they had recently founded, called A-F Records. The third album, called A new kind of army, was their breakout album that saw a lot of success. This covered hot topics such as abortion and political corruption After this, they signed with Fat Wreck Chords. They released two albums during their time there, titled Mobilize and The Terror State. Mobilize saw greater success, and both of them talked about the war on terror. On October 8, 2004, U. S. Representative Jim McDermott gave a speech in the House of Representatives, praising Anti-Flag for their work in encouraging young people to register and vote. After Signing with RCA Records, they released a new record titled For Blood And Empire, which saw great success, with "this is the end for you my friend" appearing on Madden NFL 2007. In 2008, they released "the bright lights of America. This album started a more softer punk sound rather than the edgy tones. Which they corrected when they performed with Billy Talent in "turn your back" Their next album, titled The People Or The Gun, lead to a more edgy sound, especially with "Teenage Kennedy Lobotomy" Their next album came in 2012, titled the general strike, it came with some popular songs such as "Broken Bones" which was featured on NHL 13. Their Newest Album was released on May 26 of this year, it's titled American Spring. While i own the record, i have only listened to about half of it, with my favorite song being "all of the poison, all of the pain" LYRICS One thing i like about Anti-Flag is the fact that they aren't afraid to voice their opinions. With such topics as the War On Terror, Bush, Fair trade, the WTO, and many topics, It makes good for listening Sources: . http://en.wikipedia.org... . http://www.anti-flag.com...
Battle Of The Bands

Thanks for accepting, Con! I too have heard of Anti-Flag, however, I haven't really come around to listening to them.On to supporting The Killers:_____________________________Experience: The Killers have been active since 2001 and they have released a total of five albums (Hot Fuss in 2004, Sam's Town in 2006, Sawdust in 2007, Day & Age in 2008, Battle Born in 2012). Notice how in every year between 2006 and 2008, one album was released. The band's frontman, Brandon Flowers, has also released two albums on his own and one was relased just this month (Flamingo in 2010, The Desired Effect in 2015). The Killers have experimented in many genres, including Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Post-Punk Revival, New Wave, Heartland Rock, and Alternative Country. Work Ethic: The band doesn't release music until they are completely comfortable and sure about it. Frontman Brandon Flowers recently said in an interview that even though the band is currently on hiatus, (paraphrasing) they "will release a new album because the last one wasn't good enough and we all know it."_________________________________________________The band has released multiple hits, including "Mr. Brightside", "Somebody Told Me", "When You Were Young", "Human", and "Here With Me".
Battle Of The Bands

I used to love doing this type of debate, but I haven't in quite awhile. The way it works is we both pick a band in the first round, and over the course of the debate we argue why our band is better than the opponent's. Rules:No Solo artists (i.e. no Michael Jackson, Eminem, Skrillex, etc.)Band must be popular now (i.e. no classic rock like The Beatles, Queen, Journey, etc.)Follow this debate structure: Round 1 - Statement Of Band/Acceptance Round 2 - Opening Arguments/Rebuttals Round 3 - Second Arguments/Rebuttals Round 4 - Third Arguments/Rebuttals Round 5 - Final Rebuttals/Concluding ArgumentsThe band I choose is The Killers.
The question "Does God Exist? " is useless. I have a better question.

Personally, I don't think that "Does God Exist" is a useless question. I think that there is proof of God's existence everywhere around us. However, I appreciate your desire to have an intellectual discussion about the possibility of God's existence and the challenges that seem to come with that. You are absolutely right, We are very limited when it comes to understanding the things of God. The truth is that we can't really understand how God exists, But God gives us what we need to know in the bible. People often throw it away as a book of fairy tales, But the bible still has never been scientifically or historically proven wrong. A book that so accurately depicts early Israel yet makes prophecies about the new Jerusalem that have come to be. (I only say this to establish the credibility of the bible). God, Through inspired men, Wrote the bible so that we could understand as much as humanly possible about him. We read about the essence of God and all of his characteristics that make him God. They may seem contradictory at first glance, But really aren't. God could not create another God to be as wise and powerful as he is, God did not create himself, Rather he just always was. He created man from nothing, Man was able to know that he existed because in the garden of eden God walked with man, Until sin separated God from man. God also performed miracles, Made prophecies through inspired men, All to show his power in terms that humans could understand. So God did not create man to be malicious, He did it out of love, He made a being far more advanced than any other creature of the earth, Smart enough to understand that God was. He made man in his own image.
The question "Does God Exist? " is useless. I have a better question.

We often hear theists and atheist fighting to prove/disprove the existence of God. But that's not the problem. The problem is when we ask questions that we know for a fact that no one can answer. My experience with this question, "Does God exist? " is as follows: People tend to take the answer, Whether the answer is no or yes, As some kind of proof that suggests their point. And that just shows how intellectually limited the person is. No one can prove the existence of God, They can have good reason to believe/ not believe in God, But NO ONE can come an say otherwise. But there is one thing I started to think about recently. If a creature, Being, Thing like God exists, Would we humans, With our limited minds (our mind is limited in many aspects, That's a fact) be able to understand how such a thing could exist? In the Abrahamic religions, God has many attributes, Names, That seem contradictory. But that is a conclusion based on a limited mind. We could be wrong, Hence God could exist. And be aware that you can't blame God by saying "Well God was the one who gave me this limited brain, So it is God fault if I find his existence illogical, Nonsensical, Unrealistic etc. " Hang on, You could actually blame God for that, But only if the situation is such. 1. If God gave you your limited brain and just created you like that, Without asking you, God would be at fault. If this is the situation, Then, Of course, God would be a malevolent creature. 2. But if the situation is like this: We asked God to become humans, Then the ones who were ignorant and at fault was us, Not God. Which situation is it? Only God would know. And it would be upon him to tell us which situation it is. Anyone who feels eager to discuss this? Join me. But keep it intellectual and civil.
Con's choice

"I don't think that many people truly understand what affirmative action is. The way most people assume it works is that a less qualified individual gets the job because they are a minority. The fact of the matter is, is that if there is a certain percentage of minorities in an area, that percentage of each individual should be in the workforce. It's a check against racism in the workplace. What ends up happening is that if there are two people equally qualified to get the position and one is a minority, that person would only get the job if the percentage of minorities in the workplace isn't equal to the percentage of minorities in the community. But the fact of the matter is, is that most often it is pretty equal. Only when it's blatantly obvious does affirmative action ever really step in and interfere." I would like to say, there was a time when I was really little, my father was trying to get a job at a place, he had 4 years experience in fast food buisness, my aunt had none. She did worse during the interview than him, and got the job. So it is not always if they are equally qualified, it is if they do not have enough minorities. Thus it is just filling a quota. Here are a few links proving the discrimination agains the majority: http://aad.english.ucsb.edu... http://wiki.idebate.org... Thus affirmitive action is more prejudice than not. Thank you ladies and getlemen.
Con's choice

My first argument is that there are absolutely no merits to any of the claims that you made. You don't give any reason to assume you are right. My second argument is that I don't think that many people truly understand what affirmative action is. The way most people assume it works is that a less qualified individual gets the job because they are a minority. The fact of the matter is, is that if there is a certain percentage of minorities in an area, that percentage of each individual should be in the workforce. It's a check against racism in the workplace. What ends up happening is that if there are two people equally qualified to get the position and one is a minority, that person would only get the job if the percentage of minorities in the workplace isn't equal to the percentage of minorities in the community. But the fact of the matter is, is that most often it is pretty equal. Only when it's blatantly obvious does affirmative action ever really step in and interfere.
Con's choice

Okay I thankmy opponent for taking up this debate. Affirmative action sounds like fun. I believe that gender, or race should not be a part in whether or not somebody gets a job. If a white man and a black man interveiw for a job, whoever does the best, during the interveiw should get the job, and the same goes for a man and woman, or a white man and an asian man, or any other mixture of race and/or gender. Also by giving perferential treatmant (let's say it is an asian woman VS a white man) to the woman, you are saaying "You are not good enough so I will give you this job because I feel sorry for you, and you can't get a job if I did not." Which, IS a form of discrimination, which should not even be legal. My opening case is simple: By giving more preferance to any gende/race, or having to have so many mexicans, whites, blacks, asians, men, women, etc. Affirmantive action is harming sociaty, and whoever does the job better should get it. Thank you ladies and getlemen.
Con's choice

okay I REALLY want to debate somebody so whoever takes this up list 3-7 things we can debate about, that we disagree on (unless you want to argue the opposite side :P), this debate is mostly for fun. You can have it be from the point of veiw i had in an earlier debate, under thew big issues, or anything else you don't agree with on my profile page. Have fun watching/voting/debating this.
Yo MAMA war

Yo mama so fat she stopped you from replying to this debate Yo mama so stupid she is taken to the hospital not in an ambulance, but the space shuttle crawler. Yo mama so ugly and greasy if you punch her with a blindfold on you would think your punching a cooked steak Yo mama so hairy and fat when she gets a haircut the barber thinks she's a buffalo Yo mamma so fat I took a picture of her last christmas and its still printing
Yo MAMA war

5 jokes per round Yo mama so fat she looks like she's smuggling a Volkswagon! Yo mama so fat when she jumps up in the air she gets stuck!!! Yo mama so fat when she wears one of those X jackets, helicopters try to land on her back! Yo mama so fat that when whe was born, she gave the hospital stretch marks. Yo mama so fat when she bunje jumps she goes straight to hell!
The USA should stop spying on other countries.

Here is my proof: This Article was published on June 30th, 2013. The headline is Challenged by Merkel on spying, Obama says lives have been saved. Challenged personally by German Chancellor Angela Merkel about American intelligence programs that monitor foreigners' communications without individualised court orders, President Obama said Wednesday in Berlin that German terrorist threats were among those foiled by such operations worldwide. "We know of at least 50 threats that have been averted because of this information, not just in the United States but in some cases here in Germany," Obama said during a news conference. "So lives have been saved." (From the same article) Washington: The controversial secret cyber spying programme run by America's National Security Agency foiled more than 50 potential terrorist plots in as many as 20 countries, including India. "The plot included a previously undisclosed plan to blow up the New York Stock Exchange," according to the testimony of NSA chief General Keith Alexander before the House Intelligence Committee. He did provide further details of terrorist plots "disrupted." Informed sources, however, told PTI that India was among those 20 countries and the time frame of at least one such India-related plot indicate it was around the successful Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010. http://www.indianexpress.com... In conclusion espionage has saved many lives. You seem worried about an economic downfall, but if China had continued to steal our ideas they pose an economic threat by stealing U.S. R&D and forcing U.S. defense contractors to spend millions on better security so China can't figure out to neutralize U.S. weapons and defense systems. http://www.thenewstribune.com...
The USA should stop spying on other countries.

I think that the Us should stop spying on other countries mainly the European nations.Because the US is spying on other countries they are getting angry and agitated because of this spying,mainly the US and obama had said in berlin that our spying has saved many lives ,i would like to ask that where is the proof that your spying has saved many lives .The US has been spying mainly on germany it's 4th largest imports partner I would like US to stop spying on germany otherwise our economic relations would be decilning.