NEW YORK MILLS — Looking for something to think about, ponder, consider, mull over or just plain chew on? The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center has a question for the ages.

The multidisciplinary arts organization wants to know: “Is freedom of speech worth the cost?” All are invited to submit an essay answering the 2024 Great American Think-Off by April 1.

Betsy Roder

“I feel like that question gets asked a lot,” said Betsy Roder, executive director of the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center. “One of the main ideas of the Think-Off is being open to having your mind changed.”

The Cultural Center has hosted a debate competition for armchair philosophers to engage in civil discourse about life’s biggest questions for three decades. This year’s provocative and timely question was selected by a 12-member committee.

“Throughout the year we collect ideas,” Roder said. “People will email them to us or just mention them to us. And each year at the Think-Off we include in the program a callout for question ideas, so often people will fill that out and leave us with ideas for questions.”

The committee landed on this topic given its current relevance as well as the more timeless philosophical idea that all freedoms come with some sort of cost. The current committee includes past and current Cultural Center board members and a previous Think-Off finalist.

“We gather as a committee to discuss all of those ideas as well as, you know, current events and review kind of what we’ve asked in the past and what we think is the right topic to discuss now,” Roder said of the selection process.

The 31st annual Think-Off question is a challenging philosophical dilemma meant to inspire thinkers from all walks of life, according to Roder, and the essay finalists in this year’s contest will publicly debate how they would answer the question at a future event in New York Mills.

“We really try to balance this idea of pushing the boundaries, and we want to ask questions that push boundaries and get people talking about things that may be difficult,” Roder said. “But we don’t want the Think-Off question to be so controversial that it could do more harm than good.”

Previous Think-Off questions from past years included: “Which is more important: to win or to play by the rules?” (2021); “Do the wealthy have an obligation to help the poor?” (2010); and “Does immigration strengthen or threaten the United States?” (2008).

“I don’t want to be so controversial that we end up alienating ourselves from our people in our communities,” Roder said of the questions. “But we do believe it’s important to have conversations about some of these topics … especially for where we are located.”

The Cultural Center’s mission is “to be a rural hub for creativity, community vitality and lifelong learning in the arts” and its vision is ”to connect people to artists and rich cultural experiences, celebrating the local and being a window to the world.”

“Every year. I’m pleasantly surprised to hear from people about how important this is, how much they enjoyed the debate, how much they learned from it, how much they appreciate that an event like this exists in rural America,” Roder said.

The Great American Think-Off is a philosophical essay and debate competition that has received national acclaim and thousands of entries from all 50 states and more than 25 international countries throughout its 31-year history.

“We’re living in a time where it’s hard to have conversations about controversial topics,” she said.

The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center is located at 24 N. Main Ave. in New York Mills, Minn. (Frank Lee / Wadena Pioneer Journal via Forum News Service)

Designed to bring philosophy down from the ivory towers of academia and accessible to all, the Cultural Center’s annual contest has received national acclaim including coverage by C-SPAN, the New York Times and the “Today” morning show on NBC.

“We believe it’s important to learn how to have those conversations in a civil manner. to really listen to each other and be open to learning new things and having your mind changed a little bit,” Roder said of the Great American Think-Off’s greater purpose.

Designed to bring philosophy down from the ivory towers of academia and accessible to all, the Cultural Center’s annual contest has received national acclaim including coverage by C-SPAN, the New York Times and the “Today” morning show on NBC.

“We believe it’s important to learn how to have those conversations in a civil manner. to really listen to each other and be open to learning new things and having your mind changed a little bit,” Roder said of the Great American Think-Off’s greater purpose.

Everyone is encouraged to submit an essay of no more than 750 words in this year’s “freedom of speech vs. cost” contest for a chance to win one of four $500 cash prizes and participate in the live debate to ultimately answer the question, determined by audience vote.

“People are interested in it,” Roder said of the Great American Think-Off civil, nonviolent debate. “And so, yes, I think it does make a difference. … I think it does help give people some hope.”

Entrants in this year’s contest should take a strong stand, basing their arguments on personal experience and observations rather than philosophical abstraction. Essays are due April 1. There is no fee to enter, though donations are welcome to help support civil discourse.

To enter, visit kulcher.org/think-off/submit-your-essay (online submission preferred), email info@kulcher.org or mail the essay to NYMRCC, P.O. Box 246, New York Mills, MN 56567. Essays must be submitted electronically by midnight on April 1 or postmarked by April 1.

The four finalists will be announced on May 1. Each will receive $500 plus travel expenses and the chance to win the title of America’s Greatest Thinker at the June 8 debate in New York Mills. All are invited to attend the live debate and can purchase tickets at https://thinkoff2024.bpt.me.

For additional contest details and information on the past 30 years of civil debate, visit kulcher.org/think-off or call the Cultural Center at 218-385-3339.

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