Chopsticks vs Forks

Thanks to my opponent for the debate. I do think this will be entertaining and fun for us all. I would also like to welcome my opponent to debate.org. Let's debate! Topic Analysis: The topic is: Chopsticks vs. Forks. What this means is that my opponent will try to prove that chopsticks are better. My job is to prove that forks are better. I'll spare you the definitions, since I think we all know what a chopstick is, and what a fork is. Refutations: I'll just directly quote my opponent, so we all know what I mean. This is the jist of my opponent's first argument. His evidence for this is that you can eat much faster with a fork than with chopsticks. Therefore, you are more likely to make yourself fat because you are eating much more than you normally should with a fork, than with chopsticks. REFUTATION: You cannot blame societies tendency to eat fast on the tools they use. I can use chopsticks, and eat just as fast as I would with a fork. Many people can. Therefore, I have shown that chopsticks are not better than forks in this case. I will show how forks are better in a bit. So my opponent argues that because you can eat quite fast with a fork, society is damaged. You can make the same argument with chopsticks. If you are proficient with chopsticks, then you can use them just as fast as you would with a fork. And actually, you can use chopsticks to shovel in food. Many Chinese people eat their rice like this: Put their bowl to their mouth. Use the chopsticks to shovel in rice and food. REFUTATION: Also, again. You cannot blame society's problems off the tools they use. Using the example above. People have the ability to eat just as fast with their chopsticks than with their fork. I have shown chopsticks and forks to be equal on this point. So my opponent makes an economic point. Chopsticks are supposedly cheaper to make. REFUTATION: Even if they might be cheaper to make, that does not outweigh the environmental concerns. Forks can often be reused. However, chopsticks are best known in a disposable form. You use them once, and thrown them away. Also, chopsticks are traditionally made out of wood. This has a huge impact on the environment. Take a look at this article. http://www.independent.co.uk... The article states many reasons as to how much chopsticks hurt the environment. Forks have much less impact upon the environment since they are often reused again and again, thereby saving much material. Ok, so so far, I have shown that chopsticks are not better than forks. If anything, they are equal. Therefore, my opponent hasn't proved his point. Now I will present my own arguments as to why the fork is undoubtedly better. 1. Ease of use. For many people, learning how to use chopsticks can be a pain. It is very hard to manipulate 2 long pieces of wood with one hand. I know many people who have been trying for years, but cannot figure out how to use chopsticks. Forks on the other hand, are very easy to use. You hold it in your hand, any way you like, and the rest is self-explanatory. You use it to either scoop food or to spear the food. Then you eat it. It is much easier to use a fork than it is to use chopsticks. Because of this ease of use, forks are better. 2. Forks are better for social gatherings. For a social gathering in America, we often want to impress others. Fumbling with your utensils is not the best way to put your best foot forward. Imagine yourself at a dinner party with all your friends and your boss, and the food is served. You look for a fork to use, but all you can find are a pair of chopsticks. You don't know how to use chopsticks. You will undoubtedly embarrass yourself by the end of the night in 2 ways: 1. You try to use them but fail, and make a fool of yourself. 2. You use the chopsticks, but in such a poor way that people laugh at you. Because again, forks are easier to use, they are better for social gatherings, and therefore better than chopsticks. 3. Ease of learning. Using a fork is very easy to learn. It takes about 30 seconds, and it is self explanatory. Chopsticks on the other hand, require someone to teach you. You need to be taught how to use chopsticks. Because it is easier to learn how to use a fork, forks are better. 4. Forks have more utility than chopsticks. They have more uses. Forks can be used to spear items of food. Forks can be used to scoop food. Forks have more uses than chopsticks. Chopsticks can only pick up foods using 2 pieces of wood that are very hard to manipulate. Because forks are more useful, they are better. 5. Forks have less impact on the environment. Chopsticks are primarily made out of wood. If you look at the above link, it provides statistics as to how many trees are destroyed to make chopsticks. Forks on the other hand, are often made out of metal, are more durable, and are often reused. Because they are reused, their demand is lower, so the impact on the environment is smaller since less forks are made. For the above reasons, forks are better than chopsticks. Thank you