Forum For Debate Research Articles

Debatable Humor: Laughing Matters on the 2008 Presidential Primary Campaign. By Patrick A.Stewart. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2012. 136 pp.

Debatable Humor: Laughing Matters on the 2008 Presidential Primary Campaign. By Patrick A. Stewart. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2012. 136 pp. For students of political debates who are weary of making their way through research that meanders down the same, well-worn scholarly path, political scientist Patrick A. Stewart has recently published an interesting book that offers a markedly new direction. Specifically, his text Debatable Humor takes two unexpected turns from the more traditional corpus of political debate research. In the first of these turns, readers find themselves immersed in a detailed examination of how operates in political debates. While scholars have long recognized that plays a prominent role in such debates, Stewart's text adds an entirely new layer of support for the claim that political debate matters--support that comes in the form of the first systematic, quantitative study of in political debates. With the second unexpected turn in this text, readers encounter a rarely researched debate forum: presidential primary debates. In particular, Debatable Humor focuses on the numerous candidate debates conducted during the 2008 presidential primaries. Stewart characterizes these debates as 'hot-beds' of humor (p. 7). Why? Because candidates with few political differences must rely on character to distinguish themselves from their competitors. As it turns out, one important way that candidates can produce a positive character impression is by demonstrating a robust sense of humor. Before delving too deeply into the intricacies of how operates in presidential primary debates, Stewart starts off by laying the theoretical foundation for his study. Over the years, scholars have relied on a broad array of theoretical perspectives to unravel the perplexities of humor. In Debatable Humor, Stewart builds his study on the theoretical foundation of (p. 17). This theory, which originated in the field of evolutionary biology, suggests that humans, like all creatures, have developed certain cues to signal their desirability as mates or their suitability as leaders. According to signaling theory, serves as one such cue--a cue attesting to our mental fitness (p. 18). Thus, politicians who can successfully exploit have a better chance of securing a socially dominant position. As a theoretical foundation for the study of political humor, signaling theory has both its strengths as well as its weaknesses. For instance, while it is an excellent mechanism for establishing the importance of political humor, the theory sometimes seems better suited to the animal kingdom than to the realm of human affairs; readers may at times get the impression that they are learning about wild animals fighting for position in the pack rather than politicians exchanging witticisms in the context of a political debate. After laying the theoretical foundation for his study, Stewart shifts to an empirical analysis by examining a broad range of relationships connected to the use of in presidential primary debates. …

How Linguistically Divided Media Represent Linguistically Divisive Issues. Belgian TV-Debates on Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde.

In line with public sphere theory, media in federal political systems can be expected to provide a forum for federal debate on federal issues. However, as media in Belgium are organized at the level of the language communities this is not necessarily the case. This contribution analyses how political TV debates of the two public broadcasters in Belgium represented the issue of the split of the electoral district ‘Brussels–Halle-Vilvoorde’ (BHV), on which politicians of both language communities were divided. Results show that Dutch-speaking and French-speaking media in Belgium do not serve as a platform for federal debate where the contrasting viewpoints can be expressed, but rather echo and amplify the political consensus of their own language community.

Regarding letters to the editor

Like most medical journals, Pediatric Radiology receives letters to the editor. For us there is a small but steady stream. Most are published, but some are not. The decision to publish a letter to the editor lies solely with the editor; however, the editor often consults the assistant editors regarding the validity of and need to publish certain letters. There is no requirement that the journal publish every letter received or that any particular letter be published. It is the editor’s prerogative to decide not to publish any letter for any reason. Currently, the journal has a 4to 5-month supply of material in queue for publication. Fillers are not needed. Letters to the editor may be turned away simply for lack of space and for no other reason. We welcome letters that earnestly point out errors, that constructively challenge our way of thinking and that supplement the knowledge provided by the addressed journal article. Letters must align with the journal’s overarching goal of improving the health care of children. We do not welcome letters that do not align with this goal, that do not add to our knowledge, that are inflammatory or derogatory, or that contain unsubstantiated data or make unsubstantiated claims. Letter writers may be asked to modify their letters for clarity, style and brevity and may be asked to remove extraneous, unsubstantiated, inflammatory or derogatory comments. Failure to satisfactorily comply will result in a letter not being published. The Letters to the Editor section of the journal is not intended to be a forum of debate. When a letter is received and is considered for publication, the authors of the addressed article are offered the opportunity to reply. The authors’ reply is not required. The editor may elicit the authors’ input on whether publishing a letter is justified and warranting of a reply. After the letter and the reply, no further discourse will be published. Letters from other sources on the same article, particularly if different in content, will be considered and, if published, may be accompanied by additional replies from the authors. In this issue of the journal, we publish a letter received from Findley et al. [1], written in response to a recent editorial by Moreno [2]. Many of our readers will be upset by the decision to publish this letter—some will aptly note that the letter fails to meet criteria set forth two paragraphs ago. The letter was published only after the authors agreed to a change in title, to remove some text that was not pertinent to the addressed article, and to remove unsubstantiated material on some cases. The letter by Findley et al. [1] is useful. It reminds us to be aware of differences in opinion and challenges that exist in child abuse imaging. These differences in opinion and challenges serve to underscore the need for further research on abusive trauma, on entities that mimic abusive trauma, and on differentiation between the two. As physicians involved in the diagnosis of child abuse, we are very cognizant of the necessity to consider other diagnoses and do so routinely, day in and day out, patient by patient, case by case.

Digital Deliberation?

ABSTRACTThe Habermasian ideal of deliberation has long been seen as an extension of, and complement to, political action. But Diana Mutz's empirical studies of face-to-face interactions reveal a conflict between political participation and political deliberation: The more likely people are to be exposed to diverse political opinions, the less likely they are to participate, and those who participate most tend to have the least exposure to diverse political opinions. She hypothesizes, however, that the infrastructure of the Internet might allow for the creation of a forum for online political debate that is sufficiently generalizable to result in deliberation. Champions of the Internet's democratic potential similarly praise its diversifying influence on political discussion and the ways in which it lowers barriers to access. Yet there is little evidence to suggest that new technologies have truly transformed political action or produced meaningful deliberation at significant levels. It appears that many of the trends and behaviors Mutz identifies in face-to-face interaction apply to digital interaction as well.

Peace and war journalism in the New Zealand media: Reporting on ‘the arc of instability’ in the Pacific

The Fourth Estate role of the media in a democracy is to inform its citizens and to be a forum for debate about political issues so that the citizenry is able to make informed decisions about the role its government plays. New Zealand portrays itself as a leading democracy in the Pacific, but how much do New Zealanders know about what is happening among the country’s neighbours? This article is an exploratory study on media coverage of four countries in Melanesia which have experienced conflict to assess the degree to which a peace/conflict journalism approach as opposed to a war/violence journalism approach is used. A content analysis of Radio New Zealand’s Morning Report programme was conducted between June and July 2012 to assess the reporting on the four Melanesian countries: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. According to Pilger (2011) war journalism is reporting on what those in power say they do, whereas peace journalism is what those in power actually do. Lynch and McGoldrick (2005) state that peace journalism ‘is when editors and reporters make choices—of what stories to report and how to report them—that create opportunities for society at large to consider and value non-violent responses to conflict’ (p. 5). The framing of New Zealand media reporting as either war journalism or peace journalism will be an indication of how information about conflict in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu is presented to a New Zealand audience.

The new “face-to-face” commentaries in Genes & Nutrition

Dear readers of Genes & Nutrition, We are introducing a new type of commentary in the present issue, that we have named “face-to-face” and that we hope will appear more regularly in the future. We envision it as a forum for debates on hot topics, and it is structured as a “free” confrontation between scientists who are well known to take opposite stands on research topics relevant to the aims and scopes of the Journal. The articles in this series are therefore in the format of an interview, where the “interviewer” is represented by the scientist who proposes the topic to be discussed, prepares the specific questions to be debated, chooses the two “debaters,” and assembles the article on the basis of their answers. Lack of conventional peer reviewing is somehow implicit in the intrinsic nature of this type of commentary. However, the two debaters are to be considered as each other’s reviewer, because their answers often contain open criticisms of their opponent’s statements. They are therefore the most critical readers of each other’s answers, and we hope that this unusual format will further stimulate interactive discussion from our readers. The interviewer and the debaters fully endorse the responsibility of their statements, which they read and approved before publication, so we invite anybody who wishes to comment on specific issues presented in this series to contribute to the forum by addressing their letters to the Editors. Their points will be forwarded to the authors, and published with their rebuttal, if any. The first face-to-face commentary appearing in the present issue deals with a harsh debate on GMOs between a skeptic on their use in agriculture (M. Buiatti, University of Florence, Italy) and a supporter of their role in improving food production and quality (P. Christou, Universitat de Lleida, Barcelona, Spain). It was assembled by G. Pastore (INRAN, Italy) who posed seven questions on the pros and cons of GMOs in agriculture and of the resulting impact on the environment and human health. Judging from the number of downloads made since online publication of this commentary, we expect it will elicit good feedback from other scientists willing to participate in the discussion.

Tsunami Waves of Destruction: The Creation of the “New Australian Catastrophe”

Tsunami Waves of Destruction: The Creation of the “New Australian Catastrophe”

East German Theatre Censorship: The Role of the Audience

Using new archive material, this essay examines how East German theatre audiences were deployed rhetorically in censorship debates, how officials sought to influence reception processes, and how nonprofessional spectators reacted to productions. While the ruling Socialist Unity Party was committed to opening up theatre to all sections of the population, its attitude toward actual audiences was ambivalent. Functionaries used the alleged political immaturity of the audience to persuade theatre directors and managers to exercise “responsibility” and censor their work. But the selfsame functionaries presented audiences as a source of superior wisdom to theatre practitioners, using them to test reactions to new scripts and invoking their opinions in press campaigns against productions. Attempts to mobilize public opinion against stagings were most common during the 1950s and ’60s, and such attempts frequently produced the subversive effect they had been designed to prevent. From the 1970s on, the Ministry of Culture and Central Committee advocated less public-censorship strategies and encouraged officials to calibrate post-performance censorship according to the responses of actual audiences. The essay uses examples from productions in East Berlin to show how theatre practitioners and officials dealt with inopportune reactions from spectators, and to explore how far theatre was, on occasion, able to function as a limited forum for public debate.

Data Availability in Political Science Journals

A characteristic of recent decades of scholarly work in the social sciences has been the increased amounts of empirical research. Access and availability of data are prerequisites for further research, replication work, and scientific development. As international peer-reviewed journals have gradually become the central forum for research debate, moves towards data sharing are dependent upon the policies of journals regarding data availability. This article examines contemporary data availability policies in political science and investigates the extent to which journals adopt such policies and their content. It also identifies a few factors associated with the existence of such policies.

Teoria da Ação Comunicativa e responsabilidade social empresarial: uma proposta de pesquisa

Neste artigo, empreendemos uma revisão da Teoria da Ação Comunicativa e propomos uma agenda de pesquisa sobre a adoção de fóruns de debate de inspiração habermasiana nas organizações, visando à fixação de agendas de desenvolvimento sustentável para diversos setores da economia. Como a responsabilidade social da empresa diz respeito à implementação, por parte dela, de ações de desenvolvimento sustentável, considera-se que deva estabelecer uma agenda de desenvolvimento sustentável tendo em vista sua atuação em setores específicos da economia. Assim, a pauta de desenvolvimento de produtos, serviços e tecnologias que obedeçam às diretrizes de desenvolvimento sustentável deve ser fixada de acordo com critérios substantivos a ser debatidos em fóruns de comunicação de inspiração habermasiana.

The 2010 independence jubilees: the politics and aesthetics of national commemoration in Africa

AbstractIn 2010, as many as seventeen African states celebrated their independence jubilees. The debates surrounding the organisation of these celebrations, and the imagery and performances they employed, reflect the fault lines with which African nation‐building has to contend, such as competing political orientations as well as religious, regional and ethnic diversity. The celebrations represented constitutive and cathartic moments of nation‐building, aiming to enhance citizens' emotional attachments to the country and inviting to remember, re‐enact and re‐redefine national history. They became a forum of debate about what should constitute the norms and values that make‐up national identity and, in the interstices of official ceremonies, provided space for the articulation of new demands for public recognition. A study of the independence celebrations thus allows us to explore contested processes of nation‐building and images of nationhood and to study the role of ritual and performance in the (re)production of nations.

Multi‐stakeholder Groups for Better Sector Performance: A Key to Fighting Corruption in Natural‐Resource Governance?

Multi‐stakeholder groups – involving representatives from civil society, government and the private sector — are increasingly seen as a means of promoting improved service delivery and operational performance in natural‐resource sectors. Although the intention is to promote dialogue, learning and collaboration towards agreed goals and the implementation of standards for better sector governance and performance, the impact of these initiatives will be shaped by members' incentives and external constraints. This article describes how incentive incompatibilities will prevent the group from effectively addressing fundamental problems in the sectors, such as corruption. Multi‐stakeholder groups can be a viable forum for debate, but should not be expected to perform a role in fighting corruption in natural‐resource management.

Preface: twenty years of ERA

It gives me great pleasure to be able to congratulate ERA on its 20th anniversary. At home I have a daughter who is twenty, and she is lovely. In ERA, I have another close friend at the age of twenty, and this, too is a most admirable friend. ERA is, first of all, an academy, but without being academic. ERA is an institution for training, for exchange of experience and ideas, and a forum for debate and interaction. ERA draws on the expertise of legal professionals from many different fields and functions—including people from academia but not limited to them—and it brings together audiences from a variety of legal professions, in order to develop and enrich their knowledge and competencies. ERA is characterised by multi-professionalism in its field of activity, and this is one of its major assets. Secondly, ERA is a European academy. It is today truly cross-European, not just in terms of the reach of its activities in the various Member States, but also in terms of its ability to engage experts and high-level representatives from the European institutions to bring their contributions to the activities and events in the programme. This combination of multiculturalism, multi-professionalism and “multi-levelism” in ERA’s activity is, together with the quality of the programmes, the essence of its contribution to European legal training and debate. The value added is, I think, beyond doubt at this point in ERA’s still relatively short but quite impressive history. Thirdly, and essentially of course, ERA is an academy of law, European law. As we all know, European Union law has evolved into a special kind of legal order,

From the Meḥ fil to the printed word: Public debate and discourse in late colonial India

In 1905, the Urdu writer ‘Abdul Halim Sharar published a critical review of Brijnarayan Chakbast’s new edition of Pandat Daya Shankar Kaul Nasīm’s (1811–43) maṡnavī (‘Narrative Poem’), Gulzār-e Nasīm (‘Rose Garden of Nasim’). This critical review met with a flurry of responses in newspapers throughout north India and the Deccan. Described as the longest and bitterest of polemics in the history of Urdu literature, this debate reveals the printing press’ new-found role as one of the main forums for public debate. This article seeks to turn our focus to the world of print outside the colonial gaze, which provided a space for the consolidation and expansion of social and cultural worlds now linked in a way previously unimaginable. Many of those involved in arenas of vernacular print at the turn of the century were creating a world, not dependent on colonial patronage, nor constrained by physical distance. This debate, in particular, between Sharar, Chakbast and their respective supporters, presents unique opportunities to examine the relationship between print, circulation, literature, history and the workings of an expanding and critical public in late colonial India, while pointing to some of the changes fostered by print in the world of public debate and discourse.

Sanitary forum: The Royal Society of Tasmania and public health reform 1853-1911

In the nineteenth century Tasmania experienced a number of epidemic diseases like scarlet fever, diphtheria and, most deadly of all, typhoid. Sanitary reformers attributed the epidemics to contaminated water supplies, accumulations of decomposed rubbish, poorly built houses and the absence of underground drainage schemes. Leading reformers, most notably Dr Edward Swarbreck Hall, were Fellows of The Royal Society of Tasmania and used the society as a forum to identify the causes of epidemic disease and to explain the public health reforms that would prevent death and illness. Lectures and papers by medical doctors, sanitary engineers, and statisticians drew on the latest thinking in sanitary science and helped build momentum for public support of such reforms. This paper examines the arguments of sanitary reformers and the reaction to their interventions and concludes that between 1853 and 1911 the Royal Society was the main forum for debate on public health reform in Tasmania.

Passing the Torch

I begin my tenure as Editor-in-Chief of Pediatric Neurology by acknowledging the contributions of founding editor Kenneth Swaiman and congratulating him on his retirement. Dr. Swaiman and the many individuals who have served as associate editors and editorial board members deserve credit for starting Pediatric Neurology and making it the journal that it is today. My vision is for Pediatric Neurology to be an indispensable source of information for neurologists and others who treat children with neurologic disorders. Pediatric Neurology should publish research findings, clinical observations, and timely reviews that provide essential information for practicing physicians and facilitate the exchange of ideas. An excellent journal should also influence the future direction of the field by providing a forum for debate of provocative topics and the presentation of new ideas. A leadership change provides an opportunity to develop new approaches and novel ideas. We will endeavor to maintain the practical clinical flavor of Pediatric Neurology and to incorporate key scientific discoveries that underpin the neurologic disease of children. We will continue to publish topical reviews and clinical reports. We hope to periodically publish several related reviews in the same issue to create something akin to a mini-symposium. Starting this year we will begin Perspectives in Pediatric Neurology, featuring focused essays on controversial neurologic topics, new hypotheses, or important professional issues. We will create a program to both encourage and facilitate publications by residents and fellows. Another new feature, Visual Diagnosis, is a short report format offering remarkable clinical photographs or videos with unique educational value. Pediatric neurology is a stimulating and dynamic discipline populated by many gifted, thoughtful practitioners. This is a wonderful time to be a pediatric neurologist. If Pediatric Neurology can manage to reflect the excitement of the field and mirror the intelligence of its people, it will succeed.

Equal Protection versus Equal Endowment: A Constitutional Review of Same Sex Marriage

A record of eYe-knoM-Monk-eYe blogs are documented, which review an elevated pedagogy of civil contract law, by highlighting terminology that is required to be added to academic discourse for constructive address and amicable resolution of same sex civil law by detailing essential selections of guided thought for understanding the perceived dilemma.In addition to referencing select anthology from political debate forums in appendices, the paper is a composite of amendments in summary to address contemporary perceptions of law and recommend directions for jurisprudence within state and federal courts.A claim is: a solution is presented to solve problem areas of cultural conflict by addressing limitations of state versus individual, by elaborating libertarian versus authoritarian action. A claim is: a solution is presented to solve contrasting religious motivations where aggression is exerted for self preservation by declaring a distinction between mammon kind and kinds of mammon, and by detailing religious metaphors alluding to genetic continuance. A review of a strong anthropic principle segues to inheritance law. A petition is raised for a valid definition of wealth and its perceived threat. And, it is alleged that the manner by which the US Federal government is collecting estate tax is not in accordance with the 16th amendment, by interpreting the authorized method of direct tax as by region and by census. And a proposition is submitted for a constitutional challenge to the current manner by which the US federal government acquisitions estate tax. A further proposition is submitted for an update to inheritance laws, to make them consistent with a state obligation to preserve the survival of individuals by emphasizing a tax free transferral of title estate to ones own progeny. A presumption of pundits for legislation from a State to assume to acquiesce private property, without a definition of wealth, against the self interests of individual genetic identity, is challenged as unethical. Motivation ethics for direct taxation, or indirect taxation, or direct apportionment, or indirect apportionment is reviewed. The intercourse of cultural perceptions relative to civil contracts between interrelated individuals and between individuals and a state through legislature will be digressed and elaborated for ease of communication towards public adoption.

The complexity of evidence for sustainable development policy: analysing the boundary work of the UK Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee

The relationship between evidence, governance and institutions in the pursuit of sustainable development is notoriously complicated. Studying organisations whose roles include managing boundaries between evidence and policy is one way to better understand this relationship. But in spite of the complexity, such organisations often appear – officially at least – to have rather limited remits, with very sharply drawn boundaries. This paper investigates this puzzle through study of the United Kingdom Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), established in 1997 to scrutinise government departments’ efforts to integrate environment and sustainable development into policymaking. Gathering and deployment of evidence are critical to its work, and it is able to call as witnesses both members of the executive and experts from outside government. Drawing on Jasanoff’s work on issue framing and boundaries, and Owens and Rayner’s work on Royal Commissions, this paper employs a broad definition of boundary work to allow potential identification of multiple boundaries shaped by different sorts of boundary work. It investigates what boundaries are drawn, how, why and by whom. Through analysis of EAC reports, and elite interviews, the paper examines the context, consultation processes, roles played and influence of the EAC. The committee is found to play many roles, including analyst, forum for debate and political lever, all of which provide potential for influence on specific policies, and on the nature and space of political debate. The EAC shapes many boundaries using various mechanisms, both informal and institutionally‐sanctioned. The rich and subtle variety of these boundaries, and different work carried out around them, confirms that a simple reading of the EAC’s remit of government scrutiny falls short of understanding how it works in practice. The results vividly illustrate the politicised nature of sustainable development policy, and informs prospects for ‘filling’ any gap between evidence and policy.

Response to the commentary ‘A question of our marketing or our preconceptions’

__Abstract__ Our paper ‘A strategy for human factors/ergonomics: developing the discipline and profession’ (Dul et al. 2012) was intended to suggest directions for and to stimulate discussions in the human factors/ergonomics (HFE) community on the future of our field. We believe that discussing the future is an urgent endeavour, as – after decades of existence – in many parts of the world HFE is often under-recognised, ill-understood and underutilised. In some parts of the world, there is even a risk of decline for HFE. We are glad that several IEA federated societies have picked up the challenge of organising discussions about our paper with their members. We are also glad that Ergonomics provides a forum for debate, and we welcome Nathanael and Marmaras’ Commentary on our paper.

The Politics of Knowledge in 1960s America

This article offers a broad sketch of claims regarding the university's public purpose in the 1960s while noting that a vision of the university as an autonomous forum for moral debate cut across the seemingly insurmountable divide between young radicals and their liberal elders. Read through the lens of educational philosophies, the era's clashes did not simply pit liberal advocates of political neutrality against radical exponents of political commitment. Rather, many radical activists—and some liberals—believed that the university should cut off many of its ties to the wider society to gain a more critical purchase on it. Indeed, critics of Clark Kerr's bureaucratic multiversity often hewed to a surprisingly traditional conception of higher education.