INTRODUCTION

Gathered around a big table, a company consisting mostly of young adults produces much noise and fury. They are arguing about some, in the big scheme of things, inconsequential legislation proposed in parliament. There is much talking past each other, the stentorian voice of the conversation's would-be monopolist, the repetition of cliches from the mass media, but also much wit and belly-laughs. After the company's break-up, discussions linger at home, in some cases threatening domestic tranquility. Bits of the topic are picked up at subsequent gatherings in which new controversies might emerge as the center of argument. Newspapers and magazines, aware of the underlying demand, provide plenty of both serious and lightweight fodder for argument in such gatherings.