I always enjoy seeing what my Public Speaking class students select for their persuasive speech topics. It reveals, at least for a small (possibly regionally representative) group of college students, what topics are important to them and what positions they take on those issues. Here is the list of topics for the first persuasive speech of one of my classes: For animal rights For prayer in schools Against gay marriage For gay marriage Against the legalization of marijuana For the legalization of marijuana Against outlawing talking on cell phones while driving For total smoking ban on campus Mac is better than PC Violent video games lead to violent behavior For removing certain chemicals from diet Religion as a cause of war Against abortion For teaching creative design in school Against the manipulation of images in media Drinking milk is not healthy Global warming is not caused by humans Against capital punishment Some military jobs are only for menPer