Hot Potato Takes

Catching Controversies with Cosette

In today’s newsletter I’m going to play a little game with my friend, Cosette, called Hot Potato Takes.

We will bounce “hot takes” back and forth, then give a reason or defense for our stance. At the end, you guys get to vote which of our “potatoes” was the most controversial!

C.E. Larke writes clean young adult fantasy that blends legends and mythology with original twists, and draws much from her experiences with her sister, who has cognitive disabilities. She has been published in the anthology Firefly Tales.

You may remember her from A Goose in the Works or the Olde English Duel.

Without further ado, let us begin!

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ELISABETH: Welcome back to the Key of E, Cosette! I’m excited to play this game.

COSETTE: Thank you, Elisabeth! I’m excited, as well. Though I think the General Publick is catching on to the fact that we lose all our braincells when we’re together.

ELISABETH: The less braincells the better, especially for a speed round of Hot Potato Takes! Would you like to start us off?

COSETTE: Of course! How exactly is this working? Throw a hot potato and discuss it?

ELISABETH: Right, the rules! So you’ll toss out a “hot take” and I’ll have to catch it. I think this would be fun if we both give our impressions of the hot take, and then I’ll toss one back to you. At the end of each round, the audience will vote for the Potato they thought was the most controversial!

COSETTE: Alright then! Hot Potato: kids are smarter than adults.

ELISABETH: That one took me by surprise. I think it varies on your definition of “smart,” but that’s one potato I don’t agree with. So what’s your reasoning behind that?

COSETTE: My reasoning is that if you watch kids, they’ll notice things that adults commonly miss. A sign in public pointing which way the restroom is, a concept that adults might overcomplicate, but a kid can catch onto easily…maybe smarter isn’t the right word. But I definitely think kids catch on to things easier than some adults.

ELISABETH: Hmm, I suppose some grown-ups can be blinded by their adulthood. Alright my turn. Hot Potato: people should stop using cars.

COSETTE: Interesting one. Living in the middle of nowhere, I disagree, since I wouldn’t be able to do anything without a car. But C.S. Lewis would be inclined to agree with you. So what’s your reasoning?

ELISABETH: You could always get a horse and buggy. So much more aesthetic. As for my reasoning, I’ve always strongly disliked cars and the highway. Rules are made, but nobody keeps them. Accidents happen, but nobody learns from them. People got around just fine with horses for thousands of years before Karl Benz. As for public transportation, I’ve always loved the old steam train and Japan’s modern method of city transport. Unfortunately I can’t compare the fatality of being hit by a car or by a horse and carriage, as neither has happened to me.

COSETTE: That makes sense. But horse accommodations are sadly lacking these days.

That’s Round One! Audience, which potato do you think was more controversial?

COSETTE: Alright, my turn. Hot potato: pets are overrated.

ELISABETH: I actually agree with this one, though I do love my sweet adorable little cats. But what’s your reasoning?

COSETTE: I’m not an animal person, and you have to spend so much money on their food and care. Plus, when something happens to them, it destroys the owner. Life is hard enough without getting attached to animals. I don’t need the extra stress.

ELISABETH: I like the practicality in there. Maybe the “IN” of our personalities is showing. Alright my turn! Hot potato: almost all males are average-looking.

COSETTE: I wondered when that one would show up. I actually agree, but I would argue and say that it applies to females, as well. Looks often depend on the preference of who’s seeing them, so average to one person might be handsome to another. After all, there wouldn’t be such a high standard of beauty if not many people could achieve it. What’s your reasoning?

ELISABETH: Maybe I’m weird, but every single girl I’ve ever met, in my opinion, had wonderful natural beauty. Contrastly, every guy was just…average. (I think I may have just offended my entire male audience, but they were in the minority anyway - sorry, fellas!) I could actually pull some Bible verses in here and quote 1 Corinthians 11:15 and Proverbs 20:29, which say…

“If a woman has long hair, it is her glory; for her hair is given to her for a covering.” (1 Cor. 11:15, ESV)

“The glory of young men is their strength…” (Prov. 20:29, ESV)

God created women with beauty, as the glory of man, and man with great strength. I’m being a bit general here, but it’s all part of the hot potato take!

COSETTE: Hmm interesting thoughts.

That’s Round Two! Audience, which potato do you think was more controversial?

COSETTE: Let me follow up with my next potato and try to un-offend your male audience. Hot potato: male or female, it’s not bad to be average looking.

ELISABETH: Hey, this one I agree with! Are you going to pull out Proverbs 31:30 or shall I?

COSETTE: I wasn’t particularly thinking of it but it’s a good one. Why don’t you go ahead, since you brought it up first?

ELISABETH: The verse goes…

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” (Prov. 31:30 ESV)

I think that’s a scripture that can apply to both men and women, average-looking or otherwise. Though beauty is a gift from God, it’s not what ultimately matters in a person.

COSETTE: Exactly. It’s character that matters, not outward appearance. It’s kind of cliche in Christian circles, but I’m going to pull in 1 Samuel 16:7, which says…

“For man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (NKJV)

I think women would do well to look past just the appearance of a man when looking for a relationship. Character matters so much more when it comes to those things, because that’s what will last through the years. Alright, your turn!

ELISABETH: Here’s one I’ll make at my own expense, because though I think it, I don’t always follow through on it. Hot Potato: humor can be humorous without inappropriate language, dark undertones, or making fun of any party.

COSETTE: I absolutely agree on this one. I mean, just look at all the weird things we find humorous that are totally random, with none of those things you listed. I think God gave us senses of humor, and since it’s a gift from Him, it is possible to use it in a pure way.

ELISABETH: Verily and forsooth! Irony and circumstantial providence sometimes provide sources of most hilarity.

COSETTE: And certes and oy!

That’s Round Three! Audience, which potato do you think was more controversial?

COSETTE: Hot potato: AI has the potential to be demonic.

ELISABETH: Potential, yes, I would agree, especially in creative areas (like the ones we work in). After all, as Tolkien pointed out, evil cannot create, it can only mimic and prevert. That’s something I’ve seen in a lot of ai generated material. However, I do have friends who work with ai regularly, using it as a tool. So I’ll have to agree and disagree with you here, because ultimately, ai is a machine we humans created, programmed, what have you. It is our sin nature and natural depravity that makes it dangerous, not the tool itself.

COSETTE: See I also agree and disagree. I don’t think it’s always demonic. But where I get concerned is when people rely on it for support instead of other humans. I believe that Satan can use any tool we give him to tempt us, and the danger in talking to something that’s almost human, but not quite, is that eventually, you have to wonder what you’re talking to. Especially when it comes to talking to “dead loved ones” via AI. It could be disguised necromancy. Maybe it’s uncanny valley, or maybe That Hideous Strength has me paranoid. But in my opinion, AI is a talking head and the creators may as well be the N.I.C.E.

ELISABETH: Lewis enters the ring yet again, and with good reason. The devil works through many ways, and it’s entirely possible that ai might be one of them! Okay, my hot potato: free education was a poor decision miraged in good intentions.

COSETTE: I disagree, if you look at where it started. It started out with teaching kids to read the Bible, and considering that many of their parents were illiterate and didn’t have much to pay at the time, it was the only option. So historically, I think it was a good decision, but one that got twisted over the years.

ELISABETH: I was thinking more in the history of America, especially with government-run schools. When did it change from true education, teaching kids how to think, to indoctrinating them with twisted ideaologies?

COSETTE: That’s a great question, honestly. As long as there’s humans in the world, they’re going to be trying to push twisted ideologies.

That’s Round Four! Audience, which potato do you think was more controversial?

COSETTE: Well, we’ve offended your male audience, gotten political…I could end this by offending people over church denominations but I’m going to try to make my last potato as little offensive as possible. But I also can’t exactly say that mustard was invented by time traveling vampires that hold a monopoly on the condiment industry, so we’ll go with this one. Hot potato: more myths than we think were true.

ELISABETH: That’s a hot potato I agree with! But I’d love to hear your reasoning.

COSETTE: Well there’s a number of reasons, and some of them are a bit…weird. But the short version is that I think there’s a grain of truth to most myths and legends. Personally, I think most pagan pantheons and demigods and such were inspired by what we see in Genesis 6, though I don’t take that to super weird places like some people I’ve heard. But I also think most of the mythical heroes—King Arthur, Hercules, Gilgamesh—were probably real people, and the things they did got exaggerated over time, but they did really live.

Also, Atlantis was real, and dragons exist. I will die on that hill.

ELISABETH: I sort of somewhat agree with you on this take. As the old saying goes, every myth has a little bit of the truth in it. Alright! My final hot potato: people in college should not get involved in romantic relationships.

COSETTE: Interesting one. I think I’d say I both agree and disagree. On one hand, it’s distracting from the reason you’re there, but on the other hand, I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way to go about romance, other than the obvious guidelines the Bible has in place. What’s your reasoning?

ELISABETH: I believe that college is a calling, just like marriage is a calling. But for me, personally, I know I couldn't handle both education and a romantic relationship, because I would ultimately have to give attention to one and let the other fall to the wayside. I've seen this happen over and over with couples at my college. The point of a good college is an education, not a love life. Why spend money and time on four years of studying when you just throw away the point of it all after meeting "THE ONE"? And if the relationship falls apart, then you're in no mental or emotional state to handle school and life. I know many people have met their soulmate in college, and I love that for them, but I personally think relationships should remain friends until after your calling at college is complete.

(It was at this point that the Lady of the Larke said: “Hang on my garlic bread is burning, then I’ll respond to your potato.” So we entered a brief intermission.)

COSETTE I understand that. I’m not good at multitasking, but I’ve also had a good sense for balancing relationships with people with the environment I’m in, so maybe it’s just a me thing.

That’s Round Five! Audience, which potato do you think was more controversial?

COSETTE: Well, that was fun. Now it’s up to you, readers, to tell us what the most controversial thing we discussed was.

I’ll add one final bonus potato that needs no discussion: I am not Immortal.

ELISABETH: loudly clears her throat and references a certain Forbidden Article.

COSETTE: Thank you for inviting me back, Elisabeth. It’s always a pleasure to do collabs.

ELISABETH: It was so fun to have you! Thank for playing Hot Potato Takes, my dear Lady of the Larke.

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