What makes something a controversy

But huge costs associated with the sporting event have been a point of controversy , causing some to question whether it was worth it. From Voice of America.

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Read More. November 08, To top. English Intermediate Examples Collocations Translations. Secondly, I think it is important to see if an issue is public, therefore affecting a large number of people in society.

The more people that are involved in an issue seems to make it more controversial just due to the fact that each side has a lot of people to back it up. Finally, it is important to decide whether the issue is relevant and held relevance in the past as well. If it is important to a large amount of the population, then I think it is something that can be used for the project. Hannah, I agree that a good controversy needs to raise strong opposing viewpoints and be relevant to the issues and events happening currently in society.

Hannah, You gave a good explanation of a controversy. The first records of the word controversy come from the s. Yes, controversies cause people to turn against each other. People say and do things all the time that cause arguments or debate and the strife and discord that come with them , but we most often use the word controversy when these situations play out in public.

The formula for controversy is very simple: a lot of opinions plus a lot of passion. Topics traditionally known as controversial include religion and politics, probably because those are two areas where people are least willing to compromise. In this way, controversies can be polarizing , meaning that they divide people into very specific groups based on their very specific opinions. People particularly public figures are called controversial when they do or say things that get other people worked up.

Of course, some people cause controversy on purpose, especially to attract attention. What are some other forms related to controversy? What are some words that share a root or word element with controversy? The word controversy is most often used when such a dispute happens in public and is documented and, yes, sometimes played up by the media. Protesters toppled and set aflame a statue of Albert Pike in Washington.

The statue, funded by the Freemasons, was the only statue of a Confederate general in the nation's capital and a longtime source of controversy. But I want to make three points that people seem to forget.