Dinner Party Debate

Dinner Party A There's no doubt that George Carlin is hilarious, and Freddie Mercury is one of my favorite musicians of all time. Gandhi and Darwin are also some of the most influential thinkers in history. However Con's Dinner Party A (DPA) seems erratic and/or dull. While Darwin made some huge contributions to science, what would James Madison have to say about it? James Madison was a Founding Father who can provide historical insight on the inception of our government. However there doesn't seem to be anything cohesive about this dinner. The guests don't seem to have much in common. Further, because there is not much linking everyone in attendance, we have no idea what type of conversation to expect. If we're asking Freddie Mercury about the music industry of the 1980s, I'm not sure where Gandhi is supposed to fit into this discussion. Meanwhile, I explained how my DPA would be incredibly insightful. I've included both spiritual and scientific thinkers, so we can compare and contrast various theories and ideas. Best of all, I explained the really cool link between the people I invited (such as an atheist / Buddhist / pantheist philosopher Spinoza along with Jesus and Buddha himself - not to mention Einstein who had tremendous ideas about the universe that Spinoza valued as "God." My dinner would be kick a$s because it would shed light on some of the most important questions of all time, including the meaning of life and the very nature of God. Meanwhile, Con's DPA only contains some random albeit interesting attendees. Tesla's attendance at my dinner could provide some ideas about where technology can/should go from here. He was arguably the most innovative person of all time, and his imagination coupled with today's technology, scientific advancements and know-how could be incredible. However I'd also like Jesus and Buddha to offer their spiritual advice on how technology should be used and why. Dinner Party BCon has chosen to invite Gerard Way, the lead singer of "My Chemical Romance" to her DPB. If you don't know who that is, don't worry -- My Chemical Romance is a really bad emo band that (fortunately) fell off the face of the mainstream earth about 10 years ago. Unlike Queen, they did not leave much of a musical legacy and neither has Gerard Way. I bet most of the audience hasn't heard of him, and Con has not done a good job of explaining why his attendance would be so impactful at any dinner party. Con's other guests are Neil Patrick Harris and Joseph Gordon Levitt - two celebrities that I really like. I agree with Con that they are probably very happy, fun and upbeat people. That's why I'm not sure why Con would make them suffer through a dinner party with the likes of Gerard Way, who's penned songs with titles like "I'm Not Okay" and often sings or screams about how crappy his life is. I've never heard of Mary Lambert, but she is apparently a young lesbian singer. I'm not sure what she would have in common with Joseph Gordon Levitt or Brian May. In fact Brian May is much older than the rest of Con's DPB. I'm not sure why this dinner would be any fun at all. On the other hand, I have the funniest comedians of today invited to my DPB. My DPB not only contains hilarious comedians, but both Jimmy Fallon and Seth Macfarlane are musicians. In fact Seth is a classically trained jazz musician. That means not only would my dinner party be hysterical, but I would have musical entertainment and constant jokes all night. Dinner Party CCon is curious about what Janis Joplin thinks of music today. While I'm a Joplin fan, I couldn't care less what her opinion would be of music today and I'm not sure why Con does either. Janis Joplin is just one musician out of millions throughout history who have made a significant impact on music... yet Joplin hasn't had a HUGE impact, and her subjective opinion is not gospel. I'm also not sure what Janis Joplin would have in common with Joan of Arc or Marie Antoinette. While both of those women are fascinating, their lives and lifestyle were entirely different than Janis' lifestyle. Perhaps Princess Diana could relate to the historical Frenchwomen better than Janis, but I also fail to see how Julie Andrews fits in. Julie Andrews is an old, mediocre actress who is known for her class and charm. How would this dinner be particularly interesting or fun? Con hasn't thoroughly explained. However I've argued how my DPC would be incredibly insightful. Not only would Marilyn Monroe be able to answer questions surrounding the mystery of her death (cool!), but my DPC would provide so many feminist political perspectives throughout history. My DPC has guests that have made a huge impact on government and world history. While Joan of Arc (and arguably Marie Antoinette) did also, I'm not sure how Con's DPC guests would relate to each other. My guest Cleopatra would be able to talk about her time ruling over an entire empire, and compare this to RBG whose status on the Supreme Court has allowed her to influence a significant amount of law in the "American empire." I would also like to compare Voltairine de Cleyre's positions of anti-statism with RBG who is an agent of the state. Because RBG has demonstrated to be open minded and able to engage with people of differing ideologies, this would make for a fascinating discussion. Anne Boelyn's character, spirit and intelligence would add another courageous female voice to the conversation. All of the females at my dinner party are brilliant political minds with an important historical legacy. But Con's DPC seems like it would be a bunch of women with nothing in common. Dinner Party DOnce again, Con's last dinner party seems like a mish mosh of random guests. Quentin Tarantino is cool, but he's kind of an oddball and has a reputation for being a little bit of a d!ck. I'm not sure what he would have in common or to discuss with Malala Yousafzai or the likes of Bill Gates. While Bill Nye and Neil Degrasse Tyson might like to discuss science together, I'm not sure where the rest of the group fits in with the conversation. However my DPD has a range of guests that all have things to talk about. As I mentioned, combined with Hawking's input, I would like Musk to bounce ideas of what to do futuristically (and then Obama can tell us if it's politically realistic). This combines the expertise of all 3 individuals. Furthermore, Pinker, Obama and Chomsky are all political minds - especially the latter two. It would be fascinating to hear Pinker and Chomsky discuss the fabric of US as individuals, as in cognitively what makes us who we are and what shapes our ideas. Then I'd like to see Chomsky and Obama talk politics and putting these ideas to action... and then see Musk and Hawking talk science of the future, and how it will impact society. While Hawking focuses more on theoretical and super far out scientific concepts, Musk concerns himself with using science to further the greater good and good of humanity. This is another way both of the scientists and Obama can contribute to the conversation.Conclusion My DPA has a range of spiritual and scientific thinkers. These are some of the most important and significant people of all time, that can answer questions and provide insight that NOBODY on Con's guest list can come close to providing. Once again, my DPA can provide enlightening answers to the most fundamental questions about God, the nature of our universe and the meaning of life. We would gain insight on both western and eastern philosophy, as well as have access to the most 2 prolific scientists that have ever lived. My DPB would be absolutely hilarious and provide both musical and comedic entertainment. Con's DPB = random B, C and D list celebrities that a lot of people don't know or care about. While that alone doesn't necessarily make them lame, well, this dinner party of Con's seems very lame. I'm not sure what these people are supposed to offer or have in common. The same goes for Con's DPC while the theme of my dinner is feminist philosophers and political activists/leaders. My DPD is full of some brilliant minds, wheras Con's DPD looks for name recognition. Everyone knows Bill Nye but his impact on science is incredibly limited. He is known for popularizing basic science for children -- not exactly a huge accomplishment. He hasn't made any significant contributions and we have no reason to assume he would speak with brilliant insight. Similarly, while Malala Yousafzai has demonstrated incredibly courage and bravery, I'm not sure what insight she would add to the conversation. While of course learning about her experinces and observation would be interesting, compare that to my guest Obama who has access to some of the world's most top secret information. Plus, Malala Yousafzai's contributions to society have been political; it's amazing that she fights for the educational rights of young women. However beyond that, her expertise is limited. I'm not sure what she would discuss with Bill Gates, who is far more of a philanthropost than involved in politics. == Every single one of my dinner parties centers around a theme, and has guests that provide a lot of entertainment or knowledge. All of the dinner parties I host have really interesting people who have made significant contributions to both the past, present and future day. None of my dinner parties seem scattered, random or incohesive. They would also provide a great deal of useful feedback by featuring some of the most significant people that have ever lived. I have included thinkers and entertainers from all walks of life and point in history with different insight to offer. Yet despite their differences, my dinner parties have guests that would get along or have things to talk about with each other in a way that allows the evening to carry on without a bunch of randomness. == That said, I'd like to thank missbailey8 for participating in this experimental debate with me. It's been fun!