Does the Status Quo Need Changing?

Well at today's meeting, that was the question.  Well, the actual question was "Be it resolved that chickens be allowed in the yards of  houses within the Saskatoon city limits".  Well you guessed it, we had a debate.

Actually it was a very enjoyable and educational debate.  There was a heated discussion on why we should allow chickens in our back yards.  There was a team trying to convince the judges that the resolution should be passed and an opposing team that were adamant the status quo did not need to be changed.

We were entertained with facts like chickens are a sustainable food source except one hen will not produce enough eggs for your daily breakfast and if you decide to have some BBQ chicken, your source of eggs dry up.  Did you know that chickens smell?  Some might say they smell and make just as much noise as small children .  If we can have children, why can't we have chickens.  There is also a belief that chickens carry germs and diseases and should not be allowed in an urban area. While there is an opposing belief that chickens eat bugs and other things that are much more undesirable than the germs they carry.  There was also some personal experiences shared about chickens being scary, some may say just as much as children.

Actually there were quite a few comparisons between chickens and children.  There was also a suggestion that your property values would go down if your neighbour raised chickens.  Did you know the mega corporations are force feeding the chickens that end up in our supermarkets, free range chickens must be better for you, right?

The judges had a hard time determining which team did a better job in their arguments.  By a close margin the team that was for the Status Quo won out over the team that was for the proposition.

There were great presentations today that created a lot of laughter and an exceptional learning opportunity   A learning opportunity not only for the debaters, but also for the organisers and the audience. You never know what you are going to experience and learn at a Toastmasters meeting.  Why not stop by next week and see what you can take away.  It's nothing to cluck about.