Controversy
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
A dispute, especially a public one, between sides holding opposing views. Since the dispute is held in public, the controversial issue touches the mainstream, as when shown - in the case of film - to a general audience in a theatrical release.
Contents |
Etymology
Related
banned - censorship - offensive - opposition - public - shock value - succès de scandale - subversive - taboo - transgressive
Examples
Contrast
Wikipedia article
A controversy or dispute is a matter of opinion over which parties actively disagree, argue, or debate. Controversies can range in size from private disputes between two individuals to large-scale disagreements between societies.
Perennial areas of controversy include religion, philosophy and politics. Controversy in matters of theology has traditionally been particularly heated, giving rise to the phrase odium theologicum. Controversial issues are held as potentially divisive in a given society, because they can lead to tension and ill will. Some controversies are considered taboo to many people, unless a society can find a common ground to share and discuss its people's feelings on a certain controversial issue.
Benford's law of controversy, as expressed by science-fiction author Gregory Benford in 1980, states "Passion is inversely proportional to the amount of real information available."
