garik

I asked this before, but decided to remove it as I forgot to add a request for reasons why. So please add arguments to support your answer.

But more importantly: this is intended as a FUN question:) Please think of it like a debating society, where the debate is more important than what you necessarily believe. Don't take it too seriously!

So I'm getting married in a year's time, and we want to invite 200 people. It'll be a humanist wedding, and the venue has been chosen. The bride and groom's clothes are also more or less decided, so we're not looking for advice on those especially.

But if any of you have any nice ideas or tips, please let us know. Any advice on photographers is especially welcome!

I don't think people do choose to be gay, but it seems to me that the issue is kind of irrelevant anyway, and that we should move past it.

Imagine a world where being gay was a choice: would people then be justified in persecuting people for making such a choice?

I've long had a feeling that it's actually quite dangerous. It sounds so innocuous, but if you say that something's "common sense" you imply that disagreeing with it is foolish, and it implies that actually doing further research into the issue would be wrong-headed too. And that helps people get away with making statements that are based on little evidence, and discourages others from questioning them. And that can help give power to racists and religious zealots.

What do you think? Am I wrong to worry about the phrase? Am I right about the dangers? Is it misused?

Excluding places where this might be dangerous, obviously. I'm thinking of shops, streets, and so on.

And I'm interested in public spaces rather than private homes, or even specific naturist areas.

I asked a similar question here recently, but that was more general. If anyone also answered that, this question is more focused on nakedness in public places that are not specific nudist areas.

Oh, and please also comment on where you're from, and what things are like there.

Thanks!

Please say where you're from, and if people in your country/area are allowed to do so!

What are your feelings about it and why?

How about in specific areas like public naturist beaches and saunas? How do you feel about these?

I'm thinking mainly of people's reactions to non-sexual nudity, not about attitudes to pornography or glamour photography, although the latter may well be relevant. How does it fit in?

And are British people very different from other Europeans? How about from Americans, Australasians, Asians and Africans?

If so, why do you think this is?

What are your own attitudes? Do you think you're too prudish yourself? Where are you from?

Thanks!

Please explain why, if you can!

1) People who say they went to the "University of Life" are likely to be annoying.

2) Films with lots of action are less likely to be good.

3) Using lots of long words makes you sound less intelligent.

4) Some accents sound more trustworthy than others.

5) Religious people are nicer than non-religious people.

6) People who know several languages tend to be more intelligent than people who don't.

7) Saunas should be done completely naked.

8) It's more likely that people are nostalgic than that things are generally getting worse.

9) Incompetence is more common than malice.

10) New-world people tend to be more optimistic and less cynical than old-world people.

(These aren't necessarily my opinions by the way!)

Please put in order or preference (and explain why, if you like, and can):

----

Action

Story

Dialogue

Special effects

Cast

Music

Characterisation

---

Please also say what your favourite film is (you can list several, if you like), and also your least favourite.

Thanks!

The more time I spend in this section, the more I suspect that the Daily Mail will be a popular answer (along with the Sun and the Daily Express, perhaps...)

And doesn't it remind you of this site (and perhaps this section in particular)?

And why do you think so? What makes it so dangerous?

And what do you consider "natural" to mean?

It's really not, by the way! But why do people think it is?

When you answer, please say what you think respecting people's beliefs means.

What limits are there (and should there be) on respect for other people's beliefs? Should this ever be a matter for the law?

I'm a linguist, and I'm very interested in how people perceive the discipline. Obviously linguistics varies, but please just tell me, as fully as possible, what you think linguistics is about, and what the average linguist does every day. If you don't know, I'm very happy for you to guess!

Please also say what it is you do, and whether you've done any linguistics.

Thanks!

So obviously some creationists spell very well, and some non-creationists spell very badly, but I think I've noticed an interesting correlation. What do you think? Is there such a trend or is it all an illusion?

In what way? Why? Has this issue ever actually affected your voting? And finally: where are you from?