Internet Beef
Welcome back to Desktop Chats!
This week we will delve into the world of online arguments. Specifically, 'does pineapple belong on pizza?', this is a controversial question I have read many online forums debating. Honestly, this is a hilarious argument to read up on since there are people that are absolutely adamant pineapple belongs nowhere near a pizza and others say your pizza, your choice. I chose this argument to discuss because, one: it's funny, and two: it is an argument based solely on opinion that people take to the extreme sometimes.
This argument is funny, but the comments people post give way to some concern. Like I said, all the comments are opinions, no one provided any information or links to scientific explanations on why pineapple should or should not be on pizza. One example of this is from a reddit user on this reddit thread (I'm real sorry but I don't want to include the reddit users name as it is too ridiculous), their argument is that you wouldn't put other fruit on your pizza like watermelon or pears, would you? Jokes on them because I have had a pizza with thinly sliced pears and potatoes once and it was lovely! In our lecture video, Anderson discusses tests of evidence and one of those tests is objectivity: is the source neutral, impartial, or unbiased (Anderson, C.)? The argument from the reddit user was none of the above, they are incredibly biased so their argument lacks the proper credibility.
Another concern I have with a comment made by user AmetureHuman is they argue that pineapple is too sweet and overwhelms the pizza despite what other toppings are added and considers people who argue otherwise are "of very pedestrian taste". This user makes a compelling argument unlike the last, choosing to discuss why people would put pineapple on their pizza but then ending with their opinion. This was a better argument because there was logic behind the statement which could sway the reader to side with them, although I don't think it would as people are sided rather strongly on this debate. One last negative example I saw on this thread was a deleted user comparing pineapple on pizza with marmite on anything for Australians. Those are too different to compare a negative experience from especially since it raises the question of how many people have tried marmite? How can we compare the two without proper knowledge of one or the other. It was a poor comparison to aid in their argument and lacks proper research.
I have seen over the years on forums that people like to argue with internet strangers 😂 and a lot of the time their arguments are lacking, I think there should rules, at least five of them, that people follow if they want to contribute to argument topics. The first rule I would list is use evidence, not just emotion, when you argue with no facts then what you say means nothing if people don't agree with you. We should also ask questions to clarify before we attack with an opposing viewpoint or agree. Like with why pineapple shouldn't go on pizza, what are your reasons behind said view? Do you simply not like pineapple, is there an article you read that explains negative effects of pineapple on pizza? I think people should also follow the rule of attacking the idea and not the person giving it, too many times do I see a persons character being dragged because of their opinion rather than the opinion they give. Not following this rule can reflect poorly on us rather than our opposer. A fourth rule could be to point out good points, if they have them, in the other persons argument, this is a tricky rule because not everyone has good reasoning behind their argument. The last rule to follow should be to just know when to walk away, sometimes it's not worth the mental load to argue with others who are too emotional.
Whether you like pineapple on your pizza or you don't, I respect your opinion. Thats all I have for this week and I hope you enjoyed this post. See you next week, byyyeeee!!
Sources:
Photo - delicious. debates: does pineapple truly belong on pizza? - News + Articles - delicious.com.au
Anderson, C., "Argument: Construction & Evaluation", Communication, OSU, 2025, May 18.
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