Although it might seem slightly contradictory the fact is, that whilst I generally don’t like conflict, I do like a good argument.

My favourite arguments are ones with definitive outcomes. Someone’s right and someone’s wrong. A winner and a loser.

I like the type of argument where one nails one’s colours to the mast in the certain knowledge that judgement day will come.

And when judgment day comes my friend, it will conclusively prove who is the victor and who is the big fat loser. Glory or humiliation. There is no middle ground.

There was a running gag in the Charlie Brown cartoon series, as written and illustrated by the immaculate Charles Shultz, that neatly captures the polarity of outcomes.

Charlie Brown is in a baseball match.

He is fielding in a crunch match when the batsman skies the ball under which Charlie Brown perilously stands on the boundary.

As the ball wobbles in the upper stratosphere before coming down to Earth, he has time to consider the two possible scenarios and the consequences of each.

If he catches the ball he’ll be forever remembered as the hero, the guy that won the championship for his team, the saviour, the star, the legend.

But if he misses he’ll be the goat. He’ll never escape the humiliation and the burden of failure will haunt him for ever.

What will it be? Saviour or villain? Hero or Goat?

For Charlie Brown himself the ending is as inevitable and predictable as a Thomas Hardy novel.

The ball descends from the sky and falls neatly into his gloved hand.

Before bouncing out and dropping to the ground. Making the agony complete.

In my own quest for victory, I thought I was on safe ground in the right and wrong stakes, when I set the following question on our arts centre volunteer digital quiz night.

Why did Michael Jackson cancel his last tour of the UK?

Now even those with a spiritual disposition, who entertain the notion of an afterlife, will also concede that to get to that afterlife there is the little matter of death to be navigated along the way.

In other words the clear and categoric answer to the question posed is “Because he was dead.” There are only two states in this matter, alive or dead.

And this is where the argument began.

I categorically refused to award a point to the person, who shall remain nameless (although it was Christopher Moore) who answered -“Because of ill health”.

But he refused to budge! And even awarded himself a point!! Now hang on a minute chum

This is nonsense young man! You can’t be ill AND dead. Nil points for you. It’s one or the other.

In chimes Karen the nurse, apparently you can! And so the argument raged on long after the quiz had officially finished.

These quiz nights are a means of all the arts centre staff, volunteers and friends to keep connected and in touch during lockdown.

I had imagined many things would come to challenge is small charity, an arts venue, forced to close for lockdown. I thought there would be many challenges and questions asked.

I have to confess, I hadn’t managed arguing whether Michael Jackson was dead or not would be one of them.