I feel like I get into the weirdest arguments with people, for some reason. Is it my personality? Is it my face? Something about me just begs people to walk up to me and give their strong opinion on something. For example, this morning I was leaving my hotel on Middle Street when a bald man who smelt like pizza walked up to me and said, “I hate all the Space Battles movies. They’re trash and anyone who likes them has no taste in cinema whatsoever.”
I was running late to pick up some fishing rod holders, but I could make time to debate. I could have simply told him that everyone is entitled to their individual opinion and that it takes all sorts to make a world, but I wasn’t going to take that terrible opinion lying down! Instead, I told him why, objectively, Space Battles, is one of the best media franchises of all time. It has brought joy to millions of people worldwide, and really, how else can we judge a film other than by the enjoyment it brings people? That’s why even The Final Space Monk is a cinematic masterpiece.
When I got to the welder’s store, I immediately noticed a large sign advertising ‘the best marine fabrication for Melbourne boaters’. Before I could even ask the manager about it, some guy came up to me and asked if I was interested in competitive trivia. I said I wasn’t sure what that was, so he explained that two people take turns getting asked questions and they have to answer to the best of their ability. Given we were in a welder’s shop, with a lot of marine items around, most of the questions and answers would probably have something to do with that.
Reluctantly, I agreed to participate in competitive trivia with him. We had the manager ask us questions, and we had to argue our answers. I’m not sure the manager really understood what we were doing, though, because first, he asked us to name three random words. So we got into an argument about what the point of competitive trivia was! Will it ever end?