Date: Saturday 16 May 2015
Participants (from 9 countries):
Egypt: Hema, Alama | Iran: Amir | Pakistan: Kashee, Eshaal | Vietnam: Kelly | Morocco: Anas | China: Qiuqiu | Argentina: Johny | Brazil: Leandro | Tunisia: Amine, Marwa
Team A: (Yes) Hema, Amir, Eshaal
Team B: (No) Kashee, Kelly, Anas
Team C: (On the fence) Amine, Qiuqiu, Johny, Alama, Leandro
Moderator: Marwa
Host: Johny, Eshaal
Team A Summary:
- No relationship is complete without a bit of friendship
- All kinds of relationships need to have a touch of friendship to be a successful relationship
- A friend is the one who understands us better and can give a different kind of support than a family would
- The best marriage is the one that cultivates friendship between couples
- You can have a great family relationship but you will always need a friend in your life
Team B Summary:
- Couple relationship is the most important because it takes more work and effort to maintain a marriage or raise a family
- Marriage/Paternity/Maternity are more important than friendships
- A member brought up a point that even if you have a friendship relationship with a member of your family, it will not be a real friendship
- Some societies do not consider friendship between family members as a good thing
- Friends can disappoint and take distance from you but a family will be there for you all your life
Team C Results/Summary:
- Amine=Remained undecided
- Alamah= B
- Ami=B
- Johny=A
Team B won the debate
- This was based on several considerations:
- Friendship is about the quality, not the quantity
- Friendship is a relative concept and varies from person to person
- Some families work better if the members treat each other like friends
Below is the link to listen to our chat:
There was a bonus chat after the debate:
For people who did not join the live discussion, feel free to contribute the ideas in comment blanks below.