Boiling cases down
Boiling Down to
Identify the most important issue and phrase in in a way that favours your side.
Often a good idea at the end of other speeches - sometimes try to use terms other than “boils down to” e.g. key to the debate, crux, heart, etc.
Always in last 30 - 45 seconds of rebuttal.
What you say depends on the debate but some possibilities are to go with practicality, a commonly held fundamental principle or a desirable consequence (or an undesirable one for them). Another option is to present it as a choice, e.g. we have a choice between holding onto our basic freedoms or abandoning them for a minimal increase in security.
For example
In a debate about criminalizing racist statements, the proposition might have the debate boil down to ”Should racism be tolerated” or “ Should we allow groups to slander people based on their race” while opposition might have the debate boil down to “ Do we want the government to be able to control what we say” or “Do we want confront racist ideas or let them fester outside of public view”
In a debate about increasing funding for the Canadian Military, the proposition might have the debate boil down to ”If we ask soldiers to risk their lives on our behalf, should we give them less than they need” while opposition might have the debate boil down to “ Should we cut back spending on education, health, the environment and other priorities in order to buy more military spplies that will never be used”
For each of the following state what the debate boils down to for both sides. You may need to specify a definition.
We should allow capital punishment
University should be free
There should be exemptions from exams
This House would abolish jury trials
Cell phones should be banned in schools
This House would greatly increase taxes on inheritance
Canada should establish a national day care system
This House believes that governments should pay parents to have children
This House believes that people sentenced to life imprisonment should be allowed to choose the death penalty instead
This House supports a 35 hour working week
This House would have harsher sentences for celebrity criminals
Canada should ban violent video games
This house should subsidize the development and use of bio-fuels
This House would partition Iraq
This house would use taxation to regulate behavior
School teams should be open to both genders
We should impose a youth curfew
We should ban boxing
Mothers under 17 should not be allowed to keep their children
Politicians' personal lives should not be subject to media attention
We would be happier if we knew less
We should be more selfish
This house would rather be beautiful than intelligent
Three time violent offenders should have life sentences
Young offenders should be tried as adults
This House would try all youth charged with gun offenses as adults
This house supports a mandatory retirement age
Torture of terrorists should be legal
All countries should have a carbon tax
We should ban cosmetic surgery
Holocaust denial should be a crime
Judges should be elected
Taxes should be increased to provide better services
Indigenous people should be punished by their own communities
Use of cell phones, including hands free phone, while driving should be prohibited
We should significantly reduce copyright protection