Date: Friday, August 5, 2016

Participants (from 11 countries):

Host: Rick

Co-Host: Johny

Teams

Panel PRO (Team A): Rose, Johny

Panel CON (Team B): Djamila, Mokhtaroo, Spark, Mohiuddin

Audience (Team C): Behnam, Rojhano, Bobobty

Just Listening: Henieh, Adnan, Zeinab

Late: Heytham, Noorola, Azamu, George, Amin

Team A summary:

Rose:

We have to classify technology, Old tech and new tech, old tech is necessary (washing machine, oven) however the new ones like TV, garage opener, dish washer are expensive and we don’t necessarily need them. The prices are different and we don’t need to spend money on that. Our needs depend on how busy we are. If we have children and we have money for it, we need devices to monitor our children.

Johny:

I disagree with rose. It would depend on the place we live in. for example in some societies, the way people live their lives doesn’t require using any technology. For example phones are necessary. It is a tech device that is necessary; we need to communicate with people. Washing machines are necessary however a TV is not. An alarm is necessary when you live in a big or tall building and need to know who is coming to your house like a door bell.

Team B summary:

Djamila:

In this era, people don’t use tech to live. It’s a luxury in many cases. Technology is nice but it’s not necessary. We've lived without all these devices for years and we were okay. Of course having all these tech tools makes our life easier but not having them just makes us provide more efforts which are not a bad thing.

Mokhtaroo:

It is not necessary. Technology was created to achieve people’s goals without any efforts. People now are completely dependent on technology. Using a calculator for example weakens intelligence of people. Technology creates assisted people.

Spark:

Washing machine saves time and energy but things that automatically operate waste energy. We lose power by using these devices.

Mohiuddin:

It consumes the energy of the city. It has effects on the relationships between family members. I also consider that, I don’t need a washing machine for example; I can wash my clothes alone without relying on my mom or on any technology.

Team C summary:

“Why is it necessary?”

Rose:

Based on our needs, we chose any kind of technology. They help to save time and have a better housing environment.

Djamila: I will take the argument of rose and use it against team A. tech devices are HELPFUL, that doesn’t mean they are necessary. We don’t need them to live. Of course, they improve our live but we can go and live without these tech devices. We lived without these devices for years and they came up just to help and improve the housing conditions of people.

Johny: Some tech devices are necessary like a door bell in a tall building.

Behnam: I was not convinced. They should have focused on the household.

Hanieh: Technology is inevitable but it’s not necessary.

Votes:

Behnam remained neutral.

Both Teams won this debate.

Rick’s take away: there is an assumption right up front. It’s not only women who have to deal with house work. There are different kinds of "needs": the “Must have”, the “need to have” and the “nice to have”. The “must have” is food, shelter...etc. and the “need to have” like clothes and “nice to have”, when you want to have a bigger boat than the one you already have. Having tech devices in a house is helping in time management. But I also have a dish washer that I’ve never used. There are many things we would like to have but they are not necessary even if it does help. My father had a cabin in the mountain without any electricity. I don’t think it is necessary means you can’t survive without them but it helps in some cases. I just use the basic things I need. It depends on the person and on the location. When I spent time in china, many people didn’t use washing machines, would it be convenient, probably, but is it necessary? No.

Thanks everyone for participating. Below are the links to listen to this discussion.

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