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Hitler? Hitler? I'm So Sick of Hitler! : Using Examples in LD

Examples are powerful tools. Need to show that religion is harmful? Give an example. Need to prove that utilitarianism is the best criteria? Give an example. Does the topic argue that the value of literacy outweighs the need for security? Prove it with examples. Inductive reasoning is a big part of Lincoln Douglas case proof. But far too often Lincoln Douglas debaters draw from a very small pool of examples. The repertoire, the knowledge base, the research desire, and or the mental acuity of most debaters and their coaches is not ambitious enough to diversify the examples they use. Experienced judges cringe at how often Hitler and NAZI Germany are used to prove or disprove values and L.D. claims. Hitler has become the penultimate representation of lazy thought and shallow research, of grabbing for the quick rather than the best example. How does a good debater find better examples to prove case claims? Knowledge and research. Certainly finding articles about the topic and reading them will eventually expose the contestant to some examples. Good research technique also helps. A Google or Yahoo search using tightly controlled phrases and links will often be successful . [E.g. if you are developing an affirmative case on the United States signing the Kyoto Treaty you might enter: “global warming” impact harm example. Within the results are very likely to be exactly what you need.] Life is so much easier if you have an impressive array of examples already at your fingertips. And to some extent you do. Your history class, economics, government class, the news you watch on television and or read in the newspaper are all great sources of potential examples. But high school youth has its limitations. The debater might well have not yet taken government, economics and history, She might not have developed the great habit of reading the daily New York Times and watching a daily news show. In the interim how does the burgeoning competitor expand his example repertoire? A first step is to expand your categories, to consciously and intentionally include more arenas that you draw examples from. At least five categories recommend themselves, five categories of thought you should consider with every new case and topic: geography, history, economics, social groups, and the news. 1. Geography. Thinking by region and then by country will stimulate and increase the number of examples you consider. Are you facing a topic about the social contract? Its greatly varying roles in today’s China, Congo, France and Bolivia offer examples for many case approaches. 2. History. Expand the time periods and geographic areas you consider when looking for persuasive examples. Writing a case on social verses military spending? Look at 3rd century B.C.E. Egypt, 15th century Aztec Empire, or 17th century Holland. Just found out that the next topic challenges the use of eminent domain? Consider its use for aqueduct construction in the Roman Empire and its abuse in Paris during the mid 19th century. 3. Economic theory. Every topic reflects at least one aspect of opportunity costs. Supply verses demand gives analysis to many good cases. Just drew a trade topic? Use David Ricardo’s law of comparative advantage and illustrate it with the corn law debate in nineteenth century Britain or the WTO-based world GDP growth of the late twentieth century.

4. Social groups. You know the world is more than dead white males. Now you need to take the next step: identify many different subgroups and include them in your example search. Think in terms of tribes, clans, sex, race, and age. Tribes? Think not only Native Americans but the Aborigines of Australia and New Zealand, plus the Cossacks of the Ukraine. Age? Think diverse age categories such as baby-boomers, generation X, the elderly, children, teenagers, centurians, and fixed income retirees. Are you researching a topic questioning the worth of scientific knowledge or stem cell research? Use centurians as an example of how longevity and the quality of life has improved because of such research.

5. The news. There is an extra persuasive value in using current events to sanctify your case. Prepping a case on the dangers of religious values? Use Israel-Palestinian current events as an example. Or Hindu verses Moslem in India. Writing a negative on the same topic? Use problems in anti-religion North Korea or how China’s atheistic communism is used to deny rights and justice to over one billion people. 6. Media-created commonalities. Popular movies, hit television shows, popular advertising images are so well known that they occasionally offer example themes. A second step is to consciously increase your knowledge in example laden arenas. Read more of history, economics and government. Take an introductory sociology class to learn more about groups. Get on-line every day to see what the
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CDEDebate.com - CDE Debate and Extemp

New York Times has to say, and then balance its liberal perspective with a quick look at Fox News and their conservative slant. Become an extemporaneous speaker to fill those times between debate rounds, as you build your extemp file you will be building your knowledge and example base. What follows is a free list of samples, of examples that pertain to common values and criteria. It’s a good but little reference tool–a taste of what you can do on your own if you put in work, thought, and a moderate amount of time. Examples noted are sometimes supportive and sometimes deride the value or criteria. Altruism *Opportunity costs prove that every good deed done is another good dead left undone. Anarchy * Spanish village communes of the early 20th century proves it works. * Cossacks of pre-18th century Ukraine Capitalism * Capitalism creates employment and improves the quality of life. Margaret Thatcher reduced state economic and social involvement in 1980s Britain to “unleash the powers of free enterprise”. The result was large job and income growth. Charity *Charity can hurt you. Consider the Etruscans. They helped 6th century B.C.E. Romans survive and were repaid in less than 100 years by having the Romans start to conquer them and destroy their society. *Charity saves millions of lives, is altruistic, increases happiness and justice. Consider how the Marshall Plan saved 1948 western Europe, or how the March of Dimes helped to eradicate polio. Communitarianism *Causes civil wars or an ineffective central government. Consider Afghanistan from 1747 to today, it has always subverted nationalism to communitarianism and the results have been horrendous. Democracy * Iroquois confederation [18th century] showed how well it works * Fourth century B.C. Athens had it yet slavery and female repression were endemic, and a decades long needless war against Sparta (the Peloponnesian Wars) destroyed the state *Democracy creates weak government and a lack of security. Look at 17th century Poland and what happened to them when they became an elective monarchy. Or look at the reign of terror in 1793-94 France. Deontology * Consider the birth defects causes by the Chernobyl disaster and the inappropriate use of thalidomide (the drug). Armless malformed children, still births, empty brain pans, blindness, incomplete spines in thousands of births. The energy from Chernobyl and the claimed benefits of thalidomide don’t begin to offset the huge pain they caused. Education *The Middle Ages contrast between Christian Europe and the Islamic world shows how valuable knowledge is. Only Europe had bad nutrition, miserable medical care, and baseless feuds leading to a very low life expectancy. Environment *Paying inadequate attention to your environment destroys everyone. Look at the Anasanzi culture and how its land use policies destroyed their society. Or consider the ecological destruction that drove Easter Island society to utter self-destruction. * Natural resource use and or abuse is not a serious problem. When rubber ran short in WWII we created artificial rubber
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CDEDebate.com - CDE Debate and Extemp

and new plastics. As oil runs out we develop hydrogen fuel cells and increased wind power. As pollution threats increase or resources deplete technology provides good answers. The most developed industrial states (e.g. United States, Germany, Finland) are also the ones spending the greatest amounts and doing the most to reduce pollution. Equality * People are inherently genetically unequal. Some are genetically smart, others stupid, some have a genetic predisposition for muscles and strength while others inherit a vulnerability to certain diseases. Nations are the same. A Russia or U.S. demands respect for their resources and weapons, an Andorra or Albania is not their equal. * Equality of opportunity makes no sense when people are inherently genetically different. Why offer a person born blind free tickets to the movies? Why spend the money to guarantee college access to every person in New York when we all know some cannot benefit from the offer, the money would be better spent on other social needs. *Equality of opportunity is crucial to national unity and the social contract. Gandhi proved that with his war on untouchability in India. Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela reminded us again starting in the early 1960s. Freedom or Liberty *In 324 Constantine established freedom of religion in the Roman Empire and as prospered under his rule. Freedom of the Press * A free press promotes democracy and human rights. That is why China is so restrictive about internet access, and why McCarthyism ended so quickly in the United States. * A free press endangers national security, it is why legal scholars and the Supreme Court do not enforce it during war time. Imagine the dangers if Progressive Magazine Had actually been allowed to publish its “How To Make an Atomic Bomb” article * The press can’t be trusted to regulate itself. In 2005 a Washington columnist Published the name of a CIA undercover agent, endanger her life and all those who associated with her. Golden Mean *Extreme beliefs lead to extreme actions. Consider the dozens of wars caused by the reformation and counterreformation of 16th century Europe. Happiness * Happiness is an emotion, not a value. Winning an academy award might make you moral or ethical worth. happy but it has no a result the nation

* Most values are just subsets of being happy. We want rights because they either make us happy or give us greater access to actions or items that make us happy. We see equality as a value because it gives everyone equal access to happiness. The Russians of 1917 revolted because they were not happy, Iceland has stability because the society is happy. Human Rights * The value of human rights is shown by how often large numbers of people are willing to die for them. Consider the Warsaw ghetto uprising of 1944, the Algerian revolt of 1957, the ANC actions for almost 50 years in the Union of South Africa, the Haitian revolt of 1791-1803 Justice *Justice is too arbitrary. Philip was king of Macedonia (and Alexander's father). He was the only person to appeal to if you were not satisfied with a court decision, he was also a heavy drinker. When he ruled against one elderly woman she yelled "I appeal". Bemused Philip asked who she appealed to. "From Philip drunk to Philip sober." The king agreed to reconsider on a later day. * My opponent uses Plato's definition of justice, "to give each man his due". But in context his definition is sexist and
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undemocratic. It was offered for Athens in an era when women could not appear in or be part of the courts, when slavery was common, and when only white male landowners were considered legally to be men. In intent and in effect this definition hurt the vast majority of people. Just Social Order * Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire, said “promote the learned to honor”. That was a big step to a just social order. When Mandela was freed from prison that was a step toward a just social order. * A “just social order” is a fantasy, it has no agreed upon criteria and therefore cannot objectively be proven to exist, it is a utopian but personalized vision. . One group’s power is inherently a threat to others justice. Pericles’ golden age of Athens saw high levels of slavery and repressed women, today’s United States still represses Native Americans, ghetto blacks, and applies the death penalty to mentally ill and juvenile offenders. Knowledge * Aboriginal survival in Australia pre-1800 shows that certain knowledge is irrelevant, other categories of knowledge crucial * Serendipitous discoveries such as penicillin show knowledge for its own sake is Life * Life has no inherent value. What we do with it might have value but life itself is not inherently good or bad. Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot, Peru’s Shining Path, all show that many lives have no inherent value, that the world would be a better Place if some lives had not been allowed to exist. Majoritarianism/Majority Rights *Ignoring majority rights causes revolts and civil wars. Look at the 1848 revolutions in Europe and 1775 in America. Minority Rights * Ignoring minority rights causes terrorism and civil wars. Consider Northern Ireland from 1957 to 1998 where the minority of Catholics acted against the Protestant majority , and repeated Kurdish uprisings in Turkey and Iraq over the last two Centuries. Morality *One group’s morality is another groups’ pain and death. Look at how religious belief justified persecuting Jews from the 12th to the 18th centuries in Europe. Nationalism *National self-pride is a key tool to building a nation, and rebuilding after wars and struggles. Consider the positive nationalism of 1860 Italy or contemporary East Timor. Conversely look at how the lack of nationalism lead to the balkanization of the Austro-Hungarian Empire with wars that we still confront today. * Nationalism strengthens the arts. Consider how Irish independence saw Irish literature and drama flourish under James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Brendan Behan and Liam O’Flaherty. * Nationalism kills millions. Historians have cited nationalism as a major cause of the Boer War, the Afghan wars of the nineteenth century, Central America’s “Soccer War”, and the Boxer Rebellion in China. Pragmatism *The law of supply and demand. If my opponent advocates increasing X, demand will change Progress *Contemporary China has double digit economic growth rates yet pollution is so high it kills thousands more every year, is (or soon will be) the #1 contributor to global warming, and sees decreasing life expectancy in rural areas. *Summeria developed cuneiform writing, art, trade, agricultural storage techniques that contributed for millennia to the
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beneficial

CDEDebate.com - CDE Debate and Extemp

quality of everyone’s lives *One man’s progress is another person’s disaster. Discovering quinine let us control malaria, but conquering malaria let Europe finally get troops to the interior of Africa, control it, and divide up the continent into drained colonies. Prosperity * Too often prosperity becomes a justification for immoral actions. Look at how Switzerland’s love of the comfortable life lead them to accommodate NAZI policies during World War II while simultaneously allowing their bankers to steal the deposits of some Jewish concentration camp victims. Quality of Life * It is too often a zero-sum game. One person’s improved quality is another’s disaster. Look at today’s Russian economy, the growing poverty in the U.S., and the tradeoff between GNP growth and pollution deaths in China. Relativism *Nothing is ever all good or all bad. In 1453 the Byzantine Empire fell to the Ottomans. But their scholars then fled to the West to jump-start the renaissance and the rise of humanism. Revenge *Revenge destroys. Carthage sought revenge against Rome by sending Hannibal against the Legions. In the end he died, his army was destroyed, and Rome burned Carthage to the ground and then salted their fields; Carthage ceased to exist. *Revenge is moral. The Jewish Torah tells us “an eye for an eye”. Safety/Security *Insecurity stimulates progress. King John’s insecurity lead to the Magna Carta, military insecurity created the American space program and all its discoveries. Selfishness/Rational Egoism * Rational egoism justifies political repression and neoisolationism. Look at Salazar’s Portugal in the 1930s and 1940s, or slavery in eighteenth century Caribbean Society. * Rational egoism justifies doing what is good for you, not harming others. My opponent doesn’t understand the concept. Repressive states like Portugal or China are not rational, American capitalism and Confuscist governmental theory are much more accurate examples–by doing what is good for you you also knowingly help others. Sex *Repressing sex causes suffering and death. Look at how syphilis rates skyrocketed in Victorian era England as did prostitution, reduced women’s rights, and increased sexually-based psychological neurosis. Social Contract * The people owe their allegiance to a government that protects their liberties, and have the right to change it when the government becomes oppressive. Thus the Brazilian people were right to throw out Pedro I and support Pedro II for 40 years. Teleology *Every Latin American country (except Brazil) had to fight for its independence. But the end of freedom justified the means -- death and injury. Truth * Truth is a fact but not a value. It is true that there are child soldiers murdering people in Congo and Uganda but that does not make it a moral or ethical situation.
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CDEDebate.com - CDE Debate and Extemp

Utilitarianism * Utilitarianism justifies harming the minority. If Bentham was right, that utilitarianism is doing the greatest good for the greatest number, then medical research is justified in killing some humans to save others. If we harvest the body parts of one person to save two other lives is that not both utilitarianism and also murder? * Utilitarianism makes no adjustment for intensity of feeling. That is why, for example, there is no end to the abortion debate. The majority for decades modestly favor allowing abortion, but the minority who oppose it are angry and morally empowered, and might even be right. Moral and ethical truths are no longer truths just because most people believe something else. Women’s Rights *How the Taliban treated women when they controlled Afghanistan *Modern day Finland shows how every facet of society benefits when women are fully empowered *Increased women’s rights in the U.S. has correlated with increased child abuse, increased teenage crime, increased divorce rates Drills and Practices to Help you Get Better 1. There are probably some words in this chapter that you do not understand. Let’s check if that’s true. Grab a dictionary and print the definitions for the following words: inductive reasoning: repertoire: acuity: penultimate: B. C. E. Sociology: (The economic concept of) supply and demand: law of comparative advantage: (The economic concept of ) opportunity costs serendipitous discoveries zero-sum game

2. Take the current or next debate topic, go to today’s New York Times, and print out 2 articles that have an example in them you could use. Print out two from Fox News or The Washington Times. 3. Take a current case on either side of the topic. Print out one example you are not currently including in the case but could using each of the following categories: Sociology History Geography Economics 4. Some of the sample examples included in the chapter are probably not ones you know well, maybe you do not know them at all. Its hard to use and extend an example when you don’t know much about it. Print by each of the following a 1-2 sentence description that convinces your grader that you know what the example is talking about. No points and no respect for vagueness or prevarication.
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CDEDebate.com - CDE Debate and Extemp

Cossacks Etruscans Iroquois Confederation Peloponnesian Wars Reign of Terror Poland’s elected monarchy thalidomide Anasanzi culture Roman Emperor Constantine McCarthyism the counter-reformation Warsaw ghetto revolt Haitian Revolt of 1791-1803 the ANC Pericles Pol Pot Shining Path 1848–the year of revolutions 1860 Italy East Timor Boer War Soccer War Boxer rebellion Summeria cuneiform writing Byzantine Empire Salazar’s Portugal Pedro I. Pedro II of Brazil

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