Ivory Tower

Ivory Tower is a new show that will most likely be held on Friday afternoons at 2 PM CST and will be cohosted by Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and me. The goal of this show is to serve as a more serious place for discussing topics which may be sensitive or controversial (and likely has no or only a tangential relation to ponies). That being said, this show is still for you, the listeners. So, what would you like us to discuss? It seems unlikely that we’ll shy away from a suggestion unless we feel that it isn’t relevant, so don’t worry about crossing a line (unless that line is related more to obscenity than political correctness).

Depending on the liveliness of our discussion, we may talk about a few topics per show or maybe even just one if it holds our attention well enough. As always, we will be monitoring the shoutbox for your input on these matters as well.

So leave a comment with any questions that you may have or any topics that you’d like for us to discuss and one of us will do our best to get you an answer!

-Rarity


Addendum: In case you're curious about what we've already discussed or what we have planned for the upcoming week, feel free to check back here. I will try to keep it updated weekly.


Topics discussed/upcoming (Note: Due to recording difficulties, not all past shows have been recorded in full or even at all. Those episodes which have been recorded in full or in part will be linked here)

9/21/2012 - Gun Rights

9/28/2012 - Abortion

10/5/2012 - Standardized Tests

10/12/2012 - Extremist Groups

10/19/2012 - Prostitution

10/26/2012 - Lightning Round!

11/2/2012 - Politics General

11/9/2012 - Euthanasia/Physician Assisted Suicide

11/16/2012 - Health Care as a Human Right

11/30/1012 - Gender Roles

12/7/2012 - Socioeconomic Classes

1/18/2013 - Holidays

Possible Future Topics:
International Politics
Smoking Laws

Aw, man! I was hoping this would air at a time I could actually listen. :why:

I guess I'll have to settle for listening to the recording later, though. Either way, this sounds awesome! If I didn't have class at the time of the show, I'd jump on this in a heartbeat to join you all for discussion every once in a while.

As for topic suggestions (excuse the extremely typical debate topics):

--- Gun and weapon ownership for the public: right or plight? ---
Refer to the extreme cases of shootings/attacks that could have possibly been prevented if weapons weren't readily available to the public, then to the fact that the general public does have a right to defend itself. Where do you draw the line?

--- Abortion ---
Self-explanitory. Do women have the right to abortion? Or is it too "morally wrong"? Should women be subjected to carrying a child they don't want in cases of rape or mistaken pregnancy? If you believe abortion is okay, where do you draw the line?

--- Standardized Testing: a true measure of academic ability, or a way to pick one type of thinker over others? ---
Most schools use standardized testing to measure a students' intelligence/aptitude when it comes to a wide variety of subjects. Is this the right way to do things? Is it right to use a certain form of testing that tests a certain form of thinking, when there are many different types of thinkers? Does standardized testing have it right?

--- Extremist groups: Are they too extreme? ---
Oftentimes when a group of people goes against the grain and believes something that is so out of the societal norm, they are marked as extremists. When asked, many of my friends cited the KKK and the Nazis as the first extremist groups that came to mind when I mentioned the topic. Without considering what these groups actually did, and just considering their extreme beliefs, are they too extreme? Should extremist groups such as these be allowed to exist? Consider that a school of thought that contradicts the currently accepted belief could be considered an extremist group, in some circumstances. (Ex: The earth was believed to be flat for some time. It was then thought that earth was round. The idea of a round earth was so extreme that it drew criticism, though it is actually true.)

--- Gay Marriage and Gay Rights: Should it really be debated? --- (I'd really want to be on the air for this one, if possible, but I want to provide you with all the ideas that come to mind as I write this, so... here it is!)
In many parts of the world, same-sex couples are looked down on and believed to be "unnatural". As such, same-sex couples are often denied the same rights as opposite-sex couples. Common arguments for why this is include the lack of ability to procreate, the inclusion of it being a sin in the Bible, and that it isn't truly "marriage". Is same-sex marriage really that big of a deal? Are "gay rights" not "human rights"? Or is there something inherently wrong with same-sex marriage that the supporters of gay marriage do not/cannot see?

--- Prostitution ---
Prostitution is often looked down upon as "dirty" and "immoral", due to its sexual nature. Should the act be illegal, though? Should two consenting adults have the right to exchange money for sexual service? Or is it just too wrong? Is the danger of transmitting STIs too great to allow legal prostitution? What if it were regulated? Or is prostitution just inherently immoral, and debating the topic simply delaying the inevitable?

Annnnd... that's all that comes to mind.

Let me know if you ever need a cohost. If I'm free, I'd be glad to jump on!

Either way, I look forward to hearing the first broadcast!

:squee:

I figured I'd throw down a thought of my own, it being something which I am studying fairly extensively at school.


Is health care a Human Right? That is to say, should all persons, regardless of socioeconomic status, be entitled to quality health care?

:despair: I missed it yesterday.

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Originally Posted by Epona

:despair: I missed it yesterday.

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I only see the ending part of the recording, but if you want to give it a listen :shrug:

http://livestre.am/494Vh

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Originally Posted by Twilight Sparkle

I only see the ending part of the recording, but if you want to give it a listen :shrug:

http://livestre.am/494Vh

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Ah, thank you! ^^

I approve of this show :gilda: What I heard when I hopped on was insightful and fun. I can see this getting pretty heated. I hope it keeps up, though I'll probably be missing them thanks to work :\

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Originally Posted by Cadance

I approve of this show :gilda: What I heard when I hopped on was insightful and fun. I can see this getting pretty heated. I hope it keeps up, though I'll probably be missing them thanks to work :\

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My goal for this is to make sure that, regardless of the topic, it never becomes heated. We want everything to be as respectful and as calm as possible. That being said, I'm probably the most likely to start getting excited about something that we're talking about, so I may need to be reined in on occasion :blush:

Hopefully in the future we'll be able to record the full shows!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cadance

I approve of this show :gilda: What I heard when I hopped on was insightful and fun. I can see this getting pretty heated. I hope it keeps up, though I'll probably be missing them thanks to work :\

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I hope it never gets to a point of being angrily heated, although it will be interesting when some of us have vastly different opinions from one another. But hey, we went the whole show with no RP tangents! :rainderp:

This sounds like a fantastic, yet challenging show.

If possible, I would like to be on the show on the days we discuss abortion, standardized testing, and prostitution. I've got some thoughts on these matters you may or may not be interested in hearing. Also, if you don't already have a female on the show, it might be good to have the perspective of at least one on each issue.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rarity

I figured I'd throw down a thought of my own, it being something which I am studying fairly extensively at school.


Is health care a Human Right? That is to say, should all persons, regardless of socioeconomic status, be entitled to quality health care?

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This topic as well - I'd like to be part of the discussion. Health care, as of late, is a really important issue to me.

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Originally Posted by Chickadee

This sounds like a fantastic, yet challenging show.

If possible, I would like to be on the show on the days we discuss abortion, standardized testing, and prostitution. I've got some thoughts on these matters you may or may not be interested in hearing. Also, if you don't already have a female on the show, it might be good to have the perspective of at least one on each issue.

This topic as well - I'd like to be part of the discussion. Health care, as of late, is a really important issue to me.

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Of course, Chickadee, we'd love to have you if you wanted to come on.

Another thing for us to eventually discuss, possibly.

Physician assisted suicide and euthanasia

Other potential topics?

1. The USA Presidential Election (which would have to be done NEXT WEEK!)
2. Clopping/Masturbation
3. Pornography
4. Gender Roles
4. Social Security
5. Who Owns the 'land' of Israel?

International Political Issues!

Hydraulic Fracturing!

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Originally Posted by Chickadee

Hydraulic Fracturing!

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If this happens, please let me know when. I will bring some interesting stuff.