The Burdens of a Debate

What to prove and how do I do it

What is a burden?

• • • • A burden is one of the things you need to prove for your side of the motion to be true It is NOT a specific argument – burdens are proved by them Prop and Opp will have different burdens – Prop will often have to prove all these things, Opp may only need 1 or a couple It is still a good idea on Opp to hit as many burdens as possible

Why are burdens important • • • • • That you prove all the things you set out to prove in your speech does not mean you will win You will often be told another team beat you for fulfilling their “burdens” better Teams will sometimes try to tell the judge what your burdens are, they often lie about this Thinking about burdens in prep time keeps you relevant to the debate List them during prep on your page and build arguments around proving them

Example: THW reintroduce corporal punishment to schools • • • •

Prop burdens: Chosen educational outcome(s) (academic results, life skills) are important Corporal punishment is more effective than current methods of punishment at furthering that/those outcome(s) The violence will seldom if ever be excessive (potential for abuse is non existent or low) Hitting children is a justifiable way of instructing

• • •

Not Prop burdens: Bad class control leads to bad outcomes in education Bad educational outcomes lead to bad life prospects Teachers want this power

Example: THW reintroduce corporal punishment to schools • • • Opp burdens: Hitting children is never justified Hitting children leads to poor educational outcomes The system will be so open to abuse that good outcomes are outweighed by abusive ones • • Not Opp burdens: Most teachers will not use this Parents will disagree with it