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Debate Info

15
10
Yes it should No it should not
Debate Score:25
Arguments:11
Total Votes:33
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Argument Ratio

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 Yes it should (7)
 
 No it should not (6)

Debate Creator

DamienG(1) pic



Should skateboarding be legal in all public places

Skateboarding should be legal if it is not disturbing other pedestrians or causing accidents. People who skateboard know they put themselves at risk for injury but they still do it so they should be held accountable for themselves. 

Yes it should

Side Score: 15
VS.

No it should not

Side Score: 10
3 points

Skateboarding should be legalized because it is a good activity to keep people active, happy, and healthy.

Side: Yes it should
1 point

Yes it should because this is one to stay and get daily exercise most people lack in.

Side: Yes it should
1 point

I feel like the argument is with the typical stereotype for skateboarding some kids like the idea of being able to get places faster and being able to get away from their own lives and do something else. Sure some skateboarders cause trouble but not all of them.

Side: Yes it should
2 points

True that it's not like everyone out their is going to misuse the privilege and be stupid or irresponsible.

Side: Yes it should
1 point

No. You can skateboard in parks, especially if they have skateboard facilities, and on the side of the street, or on a sidewalk so long as zero pedestrians are immediately near you. But that's far from "all public places". I've seen people skateboard inside buses, inside subway trains, inside subway platforms, on top of memorials, all around libraries, even in other peoples' driveways. Those are public, but no skateboarding should be going on there.

You qualified it by saying "if it is not disturbing other pedestrians or causing accidents" but the problem with that is skateboarders often have zero clue OR zero care that they're bothering anyone else. If you're not encountering pedestrians it's likely because they hear you a block away and then go far out of their way to avoid walking near you with your loud crashes and quick erratic changes in direction. Likewise there are probably people watching TV in their homes who are bothered by the racket going on as you pass outside but won't say anything because they don't know if you're going to be a punk to them if they come out to say be quiet or go away.

Bikes in comparison are almost completely quiet.

Most skates are pretty quiet, too.

People don't freak out when bikers or skaters are in their general area, but they do when a skateboard comes click clack crashing around. Take a hint from that. The problem isn't with society not accepting you, it's that you're terribly loud and erratic and act entitled to be so.

Side: No it should not
DaquanL(14) Disputed
2 points

People aren't anywhere near as nice as you perceive to the people who ride bikes I was taking a ride to my grandmothers house and was kindly told to fuck off for trying to ride on the sidewalk when I was 13 trying to not get hit by a car so I rode on the sidewalk on main street I nearly fell off the sidewalk into a moving car because of two people not giving me any space to pass by them and i could've been severely injured people are assholes it's not just skateboarders its everyone now. Everything has to be their way now or it can't happen.

Side: Yes it should
2 points

Fair enough. It's true. I've received undeserved angst and disrespect from both drivers and pedestrians at times when I was riding my bike.

But it's still true that skateboarding is louder and even worse received.

Side: Yes it should
1 point

It's quite an extreme suggestion. With little kids walking around and people who have special needs, folks with not really good eyesight, there's no way such initiative will ever be put into practice. There might be even more arguments against this idea:

- not everyone who owns a skateboard could ride it with ease and confidence. What is more, pedestrians and drivers might be unaware of the next move the rider is most likely to make: should the passer-by turn left or right, keep walking or stop. All of it could be happening simultaneously to complicate the matters even more

- free skateboarding would theoretically work in the cities with ideal sidewalks and strict road regulations, when no rules are being violated and streets are not overcrowded; quiet provincial towns come to mind

- I reckon, in every major (even not major) city there are specially designed areas for such activities where skate lovers can ride and do tricks in every way possible; as for ordinary ride, they might use the bike lanes, giving way to the cyclists when they are about to overtake their board

- unless the numbers of skaters are overwhelming (like those of car-owners or cyclists), they don't have enough space to move around, and the streets outside are half-empty (or half-full) such ideas will be left in the minds of a few skateboarding enthusiasts.

Side: No it should not
1 point

no because as a skater myself, we just want to have fun. and we dont try to damage things or hurt people or anything like that, and skateboarding is a very good exercise.

Side: No it should not
0 points

I think in many places there are reasons why it is illegal or at least frowned upon. I remember near a local library there was a sudden influx of people skateboarding down the wheelchair ramps and riding the rails. It was a pain for the patrons of the establishment because many of the skateboarders would get in the way or not care that people were walking and one young man fell and hit his head on the bar. The parents threatened to sue the library.

The problem is, as much as you want to SAY people should be held accountable for their actions, that's not the way the world is anymore. As much as I don't agree with it.

Side: No it should not
0 points

I'm somewhat on the fence with this one. The thing is, if a skateboarder slams into a pedestrian on a public side walk than that pedestrian could sue the skater. And if a skater goes down a rail and doesn't notice anyone on the bottom, it could potentially kill someone. On top of that, a lot of skaters act like buttheads in the first place, so that doesn't help them in the long run either. On top of that, no one wants to see a skater get hit by a car cause he ran through an intersection too fast on his skate board while not paying attention to the cars in the road.

Its a sue happy world out there.

Side: No it should not