Top 7 Controversial Topics to Write About and Discuss in 2022

econtentsol Published: May 11, 2022 14 min read

Discover What are Controversial Topics You Can Express Your Opinions On Nowadays

Over the centuries, decades, years, and months, there have been many topics that were considered taboos or controversial in their day. While the times have changed, there are a still a few controversial topics to write about that threaten volatile and opposing views from the people.

Yet, ignoring them and sweeping them under the rug isn’t the answer either. When people discuss these controversial topics, albeit in a calm and mild manner, it fosters respect and empathy among the participants. That often helps in bridging the divide, and promotes understanding among your peers.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular controversial topics today, and figure out how professional article writing services can discuss them without causing a controversy. 

What is Controversy?

Mask or stay home painted on a pathway

By definition, a controversy is an argument or disagreement that is often prolonged, heated, and most of the time, public. These kinds of arguments often end up fueling discussions and ill will for years, and often end up becoming a taboo.

For example, a highly publicized legal battle between two famous celebrities is also a controversy that has the ability to affect the people in its scope. It is similar to how a national or global controversy can affect a number of people it touches.

 By its very nature, the more volatile or inflammatory the topic, or the higher the fame of its participants, controversy has the ability to divide people along well-defined lines. Most people choose the side that aligns with their way of thinking, conscience, or morals. Others however, follow their peers into choosing a side, without giving it a proper thought.

We often find different copywriting examples in the forms of articles, infographics, and more that use the top controversial topics of that time as a form of clickbait to boost views and visits to their site. And most of the time, these publications stoke the controversial fame even higher by confusing readers with false insinuations in their opinion pieces.

However, despite all of that, and in fact due to that, we need to discuss popular controversial topics to write about in a manner that airs out the differences in a respectable manner.

Why We Need to Discuss Different Controversial Topics?

 Canadian truckers’ protest

There are many reasons that we need to talk about the different controversial topics. First, many controversies have the tendency to become taboos, due to their inherent nature. For example, let’s take the topic of abortion.

The controversy around this topic is the decades old battle between pro-choice and pro-life proponents. The pro-lifers are against the act of the abortion, while the pro-choice are all for it. And while this statement tells us about the stance of each faction, someone new to the controversy will have no idea of the reasons behind each decision.

Until they hear the reasons for each side’s point of view, only then will they be able to make a proper decision about which side to support. For example, after knowing that the pro-lifers view abortion as murder and want it banned, and the pro-choicer view that as it’s the woman’s body, it is her choice and hers alone regarding keeping the baby.

To put it simply, without having all the information, information that can only be gained if we discuss the topic itself, a person will not be aware of the actual issue. And we have seen that in recent years, this lack of proper information often leads to misconceptions, which can lead to the topic becoming a taboo.

Today, there are many topics, like critical race theory, gentrification, systemic racism, abortion, cancel culture, and more, that people avoid commenting on lest it be taken the wrong way. But if do not bite the bullet and discuss them, how are we going to move forward towards a just resolution?

Writing on Controversial Topics at College

College activists

College is a great time to expand your horizons, try new things, and improve your world view. Joined by peers with different social and economic backgrounds, religious denominations and beliefs, and varying sets of morals, it can be a great floor to discuss the top controversial topics of the day.

Now you might be wondering how to discuss controversial topics, especially if you are one who cannot take the floor to deliver an engaging argument on the spot. Well, in that case, you can practice how to write controversial topics in a way that allows you to clear your stance easily.

You can start by creating an online blog, and publish opinion pieces on the hot-button controversial topics to write about of the day. Or, if you want to go for something more formal, you could also try to have your article published in your campus publication.

However, you need to remember that your college will have many people who will have their own opinions on the topic, and you need to be mindful of that to be respectful in your writing. Your purpose should be to start a healthy exchange of ideas and views, not instigate a fight.

Some of the most common controversial topics and opinion writing prompts in college include:

  • Eradication of student debt
  • Affirmative action
  • Cancel culture
  • Climate change
  • Critical race theory
  • Raising of minimum wage
  • The importance of worker unions
  • Immigration policy

These and many other topics are those that students and the younger generation in general are more aware of. They know that these issues need to be resolved in order to move forward, as these issues and their far-reaching effects will be inherited by them.

Therefore, why must controversial topics be avoided, when they can be discussed and written about in a healthy, respectful, and conducive manner?

Top Controversial Topics You Need to Write About Today

Freedom of expression graffiti

Now that you understand the importance of writing about and discussing top controversial topics of the day, and have decided to do it too, what are some controversial topics to write about nowadays? Well, depending on the type of topics that interest you, or a controversy you are close to, there are a number of argumentative essay topics you can write on.

However, no matter the topic you choose to discuss, you need to be clear and consistent in your narrative, avoid fluff in writing, and most importantly, be respectful of those with a different opinion. Let’s take a look at some of the most controversial topics to write about in 2021 and 2022. 

Black Lives Matter

The Black Lives Matter movement, BLM for short, has been quite active for a few years now. However, it is one of those top controversial topics that leads to a number of other equally controversial tangents. The movement calls for fair treatment of the African-American people at the hands of local law enforcement agents and the Caucasian people of the USA in general.

It is a hot button issue that led to the riots after an African-American man choked to death at the hands of a police officer, who has since been convicted of the crime. If you want to write on this controversial topic, be mindful that it is highly emotional by nature, and can easily be taken the wrong way.

Critical Race Theory

Critical race theory is another topic that has quickly become popular in the US nowadays. This controversial topic talks about how the social institutions in the United States, including the criminal justice system, healthcare system, housing market, education and labor market, have elements of systemic racism within their laws and policies.

Historically, there is a lot of precedent which shows this to be true. Yet in recent years, there has been a push by many conservative elements to remove mentions of critical race theory from the national curriculum, citing that it instills a sense of unearned guilt in Caucasian children.

This is one of those topics that, while quite emotional, can be attempted by someone with a subtle way of writing.

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Cancel Culture

The cancel culture is one of the biggest hot-button issues across the world today. It deals with removing the celebrity status, or in general vilifying those whose behavior is perceived as offensive to any race, culture, religion, gender, or group.

While it has been a useful movement since its inception, bringing about greater social awareness among the masses, it has also been used by many to destroy the careers and lives of people over perceived transgressions that were later proven to be untrue.

Even today, there are many people who are cancelled due to their support for an unpopular opinion, such as those holding anti-feminist views, or people who are against marijuana legalization and similar topics.

If you want to write an opinion piece on this controversial topic, there are a number of topics that can be written about that pertain to the different sides of the argument.

The Impact of 5G

In the past couple of years, especially during the rise of Q-Anon, there has been mass hysteria and ill perceptions regarding the recently introduced 5G cellular technology. Many people, especially those who follow conspiracy theories, believe that the government and Illuminati is using these installed 5G cellular towers in order to control their minds.

While for most of the scientific society, this may seem like a joke, the fact is that in recent years this issue has gotten a lot of support from people, primarily those who with fewer years of education, or none at all.

Depending on the side you want to argue in your opinion piece, this can be one of the easiest of the controversial topics to write today.

Climate Change

Climate change has been one of the top controversial topics for a while now. A few years back, most of the arguments had largely been theoretical, with the effects of the changing climate so slow as to be almost imperceptible. However, in recent years, the environmental degradation has sped up quite drastically, with changing weather patterns and rising sea levels.

And despite the shift towards greener solutions by many industries, there are many businesses and industries that are still dismissing climate change as a hoax. Moreover, they spend billions trying to disapprove pertinent science reports to the contrary, in order to drum up support for their activities such as oil drilling and fracking.

This issue is one of the least volatile topics on this list. However, if your opinion piece expresses support for traditional industrial practices, then you need to be careful that your narrative might invite backlash.

The Death Penalty

The Death penalty is one highly controversial topic. One side argues against its usage, citing the sanctity of life and in favor of humanity. The other side, most of which consists of those who have been hurt irreparably by those who are awarded the death penalty, hold that a person who did not care about taking the life of another human deserves no leniency.

Now, an argument can be made that living their life in jail, with only the guilt of their crimes for company, may be the best punishment. But then again, that relies on the fact that the perpetrator feels remorse about their actions. And it is true that there are some crimes so heinous that they defy human compassion.

This is a delicate topic, and it requires a subtle hand to attempt writing a controversial essay. However, if you do end up considering it when talking about controversial topics, it can be an interesting experience.

Euthanasia and Medically-assisted Suicide

There are many people who are in a constant vegetative state, or are disabled or sick beyond the capabilities of modern medicines. For people like them, like is nothing short of a never ending ordeal, relying on the strength of others to perform even the most basic of tasks required for human dignity.

As such, there are some countries that allow the process of medically assisted suicide. For someone of sound mind, they can request the help of a medical professional into easing their suffering by administering a lethal dose of medicine.

This topic has engendered a lot of controversy. Many of those argue that anyone who decides to take their own life cannot possibly in the right state of mind to be able to take a sound medical decision. Others argue that for the life they live, choosing to ease their lives is prime evidence that they have the mental faculties to decide on this course of action.

All in all, this is one of those controversial topics to write about that can be argued on humanitarian basis from both sides of the topic.

Opinion Pieces and Branding – Should You Do It?

While touching on and discussing the top controversial topics can be good idea for an individual, you need to be careful when doing it as a business. Now there are some businesses that belong to industries which are directly embroiled in these controversies. They can use these controversial topics to write about their stance on the argument, thus helping poach customers from their competition.

However, businesses in general should stay away from controversial topics that do not relate to their business activities, lest they result in alienating a part of their consumer base.

Conclusion

Finding the right controversial topics to write about can be a bit difficult, as each of them requires varying degrees of finesse and expertise. However, once you have found the topic you want to express your views on, you need to put down your thoughts in a way that expresses your point of view distinctively.

However, you need to be mindful of the feelings of others, and you need to be respectful of their point of views too. The purpose should be to have a healthy exchange of views, not to fan the flames of a controversy.

FAQs

What are controversial topics in history?
Some of the most controversial topics in history of the United States include:
– Segregation
– Slave ownership of the antebellum era
– Affirmative action
– Free healthcare
– The formation and functioning of labor unions
How to discuss controversial topics without offending someone?
If you want to discuss a controversial topic in a group, without running the risk of offending someone, you need to do the following:
– Phrase your statements in a way that make them sound less resolute
– Expect that your views will be challenged. Do not be insulted
– Give others ample time to express their point of views without interrupting
– Be mindful of your tone
What is the most controversial topic nowadays?
Nowadays, the most controversial topics to write about include:
– Critical race theory
– Climate change