Social media is rife with silly debates: Dogs or cats? Boxers or briefs? These x or y games are a fun way to waste some time or refresh your brain before you get back to genuine studying. Since most students will be studying online this fall, at least in part, we’ve gathered some funny topics for online debates. You can go the full formal, affirmative vs. negative, timed debate style, or you could just exchange some witty repartee until someone says something that can’t be topped.
Big Bang Theory Is Better Than Friends
Many of us spent some time binge-watching over the summer. You could go retro with Friends from back in the ‘90s to the early aughts, or you could advance the argument that the more recent Big Bang Theory was the better sitcom. Better yet, refine the debate to which show had the better theme song. Hint: The better song is the by the band with the name you can remember.
Star Trek Is Better Than Star Wars
This one could get heated. The Comicon crowd and the Stans are out there, ready to defend their heroes. Trekkies claim the series addressed broad issues of social justice and the finer points of leadership, where Star Wars is nothing more than a “space opera,” and lightsabers as weapons in civilizations that can build Droids and make the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs is just silly. Both franchises offer a rich set of memorable lines, from, “That would be illogical,” to, “Use the Force, Luke.”
Analog Is Better Than Digital
Laptops, phones, and tablets make your pathetic penmanship irrelevant. Or, the conformity of Arial, Calibri, and Times New Roman can’t compare to the calligraphic magnificence that flows from your fancy fountain pen. Your parents really don’t get why some of your peers revere vinyl over CDs or streaming, but to each their own.
Wizards Exist
Not just for Harry Potter fans or residents of D.C., wizardry has a long and noble history. Merlin or Gandalf? Penn and Teller vs. David Blaine? Require examples of inexplicable wizardry for the affirmative arguers and reverse engineering of magic tricks on the negative side.
It’s Better To Be Poor and Virtuous Than Rich and Amoral
This could be a tough one for college students, as we are almost universally not rich. Revel in virtue! But assume millions could be yours if you agreed to behave like a jerk—breaking hearts, endangering your friends’ health, and telling offensive jokes. Would you take the money or preserve your integrity? Would you choose to be a starving artist if the only other option was to be a corporate tool?
There’s no end to the funny online debate topics you could take on when there’s time to waste—pens vs. pencils, staplers vs. paper clips, best superhero, Twitter or Instagram, thin crust vs. deep dish, or any other topic of critical concern to college students trying to stay awake while learning remotely.