Debate 2

Unit
1 Should all museums be free to the
public?
 Wow English

Should all museums be free to the public?

Museums are places that are open to the public so that people can go
enjoy various types of art, culture, science and history. There may be
numerous art pieces, monuments and statues, scientific discoveries,
and historical documents on display. While some museums are free to
the public, some museums throughout the world require people to buy
tickets. Should every museum be free to the public or not?
Museums are often known as a haven for culturally educated people.
People who wish to expand their cultural knowledge about art, science,
history, and many other subjects often go to museums to enjoy exhibits.
However, there is sometimes a misconception about museums in that
some believe museums are only for wealthy people: those who have
free time and those who can afford to live a luxurious life should go to
museums. However, this is not true. Museums should be open to anyone
who is passionate about the world’s different treasures. Thus, by openly
getting rid of the entrance ticket fee, more visitors will be attracted to
museums throughout the world.
However, there are many people who believe museums are sacred places
that contains the world’s most important historical treasures. Although
these treasures should be enjoyed by everyone, it should be the public’s
responsibility to keep the treasures clean and safe. If museums get rid
of entrance ticket fees, they will not have enough funding to keep the
facilities clean. In addition, museums will not be able to afford to employ
as much staff as before, thus, the quality of the museums will drop
drastically if they do not charge an entrance fee.
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Questions

1. Do you like going to Museums? Why? Why not?

2. How much do you think each individual should be charged to enter

museums?

3. Do you agree with this charge? Why? Why not?

Unit
2 Should Corporal punishment be allowed
in schools?
 Wow English

Should Corporal punishment be allowed in schools?

Corporal punishment, more commonly known as physical punishment, is

an extremely sensitive topic, especially in a classroom setting. Teachers
in the past freely punished their students whether it was in a physical
manner or by using less extreme manners such as with school detention.
There have been countless studies examining whether being physical
with students at school is both effective and morally right.
People who support corporal punishment believe being physical with
students is sometimes necessary. Some teachers believe words are not
enough to get their ideas across to students in that they think students
will just simply pretend to listen to the teachers. Thus, being a little
physical with them using such methods as hitting their hands with
rulers, nudging them on the head, or even slightly hitting them on their
butt would serve as a reminder for students to make sure to obey their
teachers. Some teachers sincerely believe discipline can only be done by
being physical.
However, there are many teachers out there that take discipline too
seriously. They fail to draw a boundary between what should be done and
what can be done. In recent years, there have been many cases where
teachers are caught red handed being unnecessarily abusive towards
their students. Some students even ended up in hospitals because of
brutal beatings. In addition, the rise of social media in recent years has
made corporal punishment look even worse. Parents who value the
safety of their children would go crazy if they saw a video clip of teachers
brutally abusing students. Many people believe corporal punishment in
schools is too “old fashioned”. There are other effective ways to promote
discipline. Hitting will never solve any problems.
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Questions

1. Do you believe in corporal punishments?

2. If corporal punishment is allowed in school, what would be the

“appropriate boundary”?

3. What are some alternative ways to promote discipline in school?

Unit
3 Is the use of plastic good for the planet?
 Wow English

Is the use of plastic good for the planet?

Plastic can be seen anywhere in the world especially in convenience

stores and grocery stores. Some goods that uses plastic are water
bottles, disposable coffee cups, and straws. Plastic has been widely used
throughout the world because of its cheap prices and wide availability.
However, is the use of plastic truly considered “good” for planet earth?
As mentioned previously, plastic has been widely accepted to be used
everywhere around the world mainly because it is cheap and readily
available. It is said that people produce more than a billion tons of plastic
every three years; it is also a known fact that plastic is one of the most
enduring materials humans make in that it takes about a thousand
years for it to degrade. Since plastic takes such a long time to degrade,
materials that are made from plastic such as straws, coffee cup lids,
and water bottles can be reused several times. Thus, people do not have
to buy plastic materials repeatedly. If people can use plastic for a long
time, it can be considered “good” because it would save a lot of time and
money for people.
However, using plastic has been looked down upon in recent years.
One of the main issues with using plastic is that despite the fact that
materials made from plastic last so long, people often use them once
and mindlessly throw them away. Because of this, plastic has become
one of the biggest contributors of pollution. There are countless numbers
of news articles stating how much trash is thrown away on beaches, in
parks, and on highways; a huge percentage of the trash thrown away in
these areas is plastic.
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Questions

1. How often do you use materials made from plastic?

2. Are there any other alternatives to using plastic?

3. What can we do to not waste plastic mindlessly?

Unit
4 Should all students be provided for free
school meals?
 Wow English

Should all students be provided for free school meals?

Should students starve at school if they cannot afford to buy lunch?

Throughout the 21st century, school breakfast and lunch prices have
increased significantly. For working families, this added a tremendous
amount of economic stress in that they now had to pay for uniforms for
middle and high school as well as school meals. If these working families
had more than one child, the economic stress doubled. To reduce this
type of monetary stress on working families, there has been debate to
whether provide school meals for free or not.
Those who believe in making school meals free states that working
families who live below the poverty line cannot afford to pay for meals
especially because they have other bills such as rent, utility bills, and car
payments to pay off. With an ever-increasing school meal prices, parents
become more burdened to work longer hours. By making school meals
free, this economic burden would disappear. In the United States for
example, families who live under the poverty line is given school meals,
both breakfast and lunch, for free. In addition, students and parents
would not have to worry about spending a long time to pack lunchboxes
early in the morning.
Those who believe in paying for school meals strongly argue that if
school meals become free, the quality of each meal would suffer. Because
schools would have to take on the burden to provide meals themselves,
they will have to opt for cheaper meats, vegetables, and other food items.
Thus, school meals will not be as nutritious as what it used to be when
people paid for meals. In addition, those who can afford to pay for meals
will complain that they do not want to suffer just because a percentage
of the population cannot afford to pay for meals.
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Questions

1. Do you think school meals should be free? Why? Why not?

2. What do you think about the quality of school meals right now?

3. Would you prefer making your own lunchbox or eat at school?

 5
Unit
Is having a job you like more important
than earning more money?
 Wow English

Is having a job you like more important than earning

more money?

This is an interesting question that really has no right or wrong answer.

Imagine standing at a fork in the road between being a well-paid
employee and having a job you enjoy. Which would the average person
choose?
According to Katie McBeth, people who were more likely to see a higher
paying, high-stress job as a benefit were those who were young, single,
and unmarried. She concluded that the pros of eliminating debts from
college or university at an early age and having the money to purchase
homes and cars were the motivations for choosing a $140,000 a year job
over one that paid half as much. She also concluded that people who had
family members with medical conditions or were desperately in need of
a higher salary also chose higher pay with added stress. Many people
who thrive on the pressures of the job and want to be rewarded for the
time and energy they have put in to making the companies they work
for successful were also likely to choose higher pay, she added. Daniel
Kahneman, a psychology professor at Princeton University, admitted
that not everyone would choose this option. Some will choose a fulfilling
career over a huge paycheck because their level of satisfaction is tied
to a different set of personal accomplishments. For example, a mentor
or counselor to groups of new university students may feel greater
satisfaction with their position than they might as a department chair or
professor at the same university regardless of how much they are paid.
 Wow English

McBeth warned that there are also negative consequences to consider

that come with a higher paying job. Health risks that come with stress,
for example, can lead to long-term medical conditions such as high
blood-pressure and hypertension. There is also the potential to use
spending to cope with job dissatisfaction, which could lead to more
debt and the need for more money. According to McBeth, happiness is
an opinion that changes from person to person and from employment
situation to employment situation. For example, studies have shown
that money becomes less important as a person earns more. Kahneman
agrees with McBeth, but for different reasons. He claims that those who
choose lower pay with greater job satisfaction may struggle to pay bills
and fulfill their financial dreams. They may resent the sacrifices that
they have made throughout their lives because they can see the benefit
for others but none for themselves. He points out, “money doesn’t buy
happiness, but a lack of money buys misery.” He concluded that “what
you choose to do with your future often depends as much on the type of

person you are as it does the type of income you would like to make.”

Questions

1. What is your dream job?

2. What is the most important thing when looking for a job?

3. What are the most popular jobs in South Korea?

Unit
6 Should all conventional forms of energy
be replaced by solar energy?
 Wow English

Should all conventional forms of energy be replaced by

solar energy?

Electricity and gas are the two forms of energy that humans have
been using the most for the last few generations. Everything in a house
whether it is a computer, cell-phone, television, refrigerator, or even
lamps are powered by electricity. Kitchen stoves and cars are mostly
powered by gas. In recent years, there has been debate whether these
two forms of energy should be replaced by solar energy in fear that
electricity is getting too expensive to maintain and that gas is not going
to last forever.
Electricity and gas are nonrenewable resources. This means that once
people use electricity to charge their cell-phones, the amount that was
needed to charge the cell-phone will never be able to be used again for
anything else. In addition, the gas that is put into cars will be lost once
cars begin to drive. Many scientists argue that this method of energy use
is wasteful; they also argue that everyone should push towards using
renewable resources such as solar energy. Solar energy is powered by
the sunlight. As long as the sun is up in the sky, people will be able to
use sunlight as their main source of energy. This will be seen as a cost-
effective way of using energy since people would not have to pay high
prices to use the sun.
However, replacing the current conventional forms of energy with solar
energy is not as easy as it seems. Although there has been scientific
research examining the correct use of solar energy, no one has yet been
able to find an effective way of doing so. In addition, in order to use
solar energy, people need to build solar panels. Many people may not
want to switch to using solar energy because the cost that is associated
with building solar panels is incredibly high; people will think this cost is
unnecessary, and as a result, they will just opt out by using the current
conventional forms of energy.
 Wow English

Questions

1. How do you feel about using solar-powered energy?

2. What is the main difference between non-renewable resources vs.

renewable ones?

3. If you were able to install solar panels on your home, would you do it?
Unit
7 Is it okay to allow pets in school?
 Wow English

Is it okay to allow pets in school?

Many children often dream of taking their pets to school with them,
whether it be a dog, cat, or even a bird. The only time children are able
to see pets in schools is probably in movies where movie characters
sneak their pets in their backpacks. What are the positives and negatives
of bringing your pets to school with you? Let’s start by examining the
positives.
First, if pets can keep children company while they are in school,
children will never be lonely; there will always be someone right next to
the students during class time. Also, a student who brings his/her pet to
school will automatically become the center of attention; thus, he/she
will be the most popular child in class. Everyone will want to take turns
petting, hugging, and staring at the pet. In addition, because children
develop a sense of responsibility at home when taking care of their pets,
they might even develop a sense of responsibility at school as well. For
example, children will be more alert during class because not only do
they have to pay attention during class, but they also must make sure
their pets behave properly.
However, everything must come with a price. There is a reason why
children take their pets to school only in movies: reality will hit children
hard when they take their pets to school. If the pet happens to be a dog,
the dog cannot sit right beside the student all day long, for about eight
hours; the dog will need to go outside, walk around, and eventually use
the bathroom. If for some reason the dog was to do its business in the
classroom, the school staff will have a very hard time cleaning after the
dog. In addition, having pets during class will bring an extreme amount
of distraction. As mentioned previously, the student who brings his/her
pet to school will automatically become the center of attention. In other
words, other students will not care about anything the teacher says
during class time. They will solely be focused on the pet in class.
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Questions

1. Do you think pets should be allowed in school? Why or why not?

2. What kind of pet would you want to take to school?

3. Why will pets be a distraction during class time? Would you be able to
concentrate with a pet in your classroom?
Unit
8 Is friendship the most important
relationship in life?
 Wow English

Is friendship the most important relationship in life?

Psychologist Abigail Brenner said, “Friends are the gift we give

ourselves.” Author Jane Collingwood points out that friends and
friendship influence us. She discovered that we are five times more
likely to have a healthy diet if our friends eat healthy and we are seven
times more likely to be happy in our work if we have friends at our jobs.
Friendships are important to us.
What are the benefits of friendship? Friends cause us to be honest
with ourselves. They make us think about our decisions, our futures,
and other relationships. Friends are there for us during the messy and
unhappy times in life. True friends want what’s best for us and will tell us
when we’re wrong. Close friends allow us to be ourselves. They allow us
to take off masks and take down barriers. They are a mirror of our values
and ourselves. They can be family or they can be the family that we wish
we had. The philosopher Aristotle said, “In poverty and other misfortunes
of life, true friends are a sure refuge.” We find peace and hope among
good friends.
Of course all of these statements are true of good or close friends;
people who build us up. Some friendships can also have negative
consequences. We can take people into our confidence that we really
don’t know. These people can prove to be untrustworthy because
they see no problem sharing our secrets with others. Some people
will befriend us to use us. They may want information from us or they
may want our time while refusing to give us any of their own. Author
Tom Rath quotes a 2019 study that blames many failed marriages and
homelessness on either a lack of close friends or a lack of friendship
altogether.
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Questions

1. How do you define Friendship?

2. What do you and your friends have in common? In what ways are you
different?

3. How has a friend helped you with a problem you faced?