Positions

5G technology is a new global wireless network that would provide a more reliable and uniform experience for users, but at a dangerous cost. This advancement would expose humans to harmful levels of radiation.

This position holds that a hotdog is a sandwich. It argues the definition is simple—a filling held between bread makes a sandwich—and that since a hot dog is an item served between two halves of a bun, it has effectively been a sandwich from its very inception.

Machines and computers can be programmed to have advanced functions that have at one point in history seemed outlandish and impossible. It is entirely possible to program a machine to be completely autonomous and have a consciousness of its own. Consciousness is self-awareness, and computers are capable of being aware of themselves and their environment. A machine that is self-aware is conscious.

This position holds that streaming movies should be eligible for awards—a movie is a movie. It argues streaming widens access for new filmmakers and is now the norm, that restricting eligible formats limits diversity, and that COVID-19 made streaming essential to the industry.

Advertisement has been around since the dawn of time. Street sellers would go through cities peddling their products and newspapers and magazines have dozens of coupons. However, advertising can go too far.

It creates a fixed mindset that because one is born into a specific racial or ethnic group, one is entitled to certain privileges such as lowered criteria and/or specialized programs.

After-school detention is typically a badly-implemented method of occupying students, but it blurs educator-parental figure boundaries and frequently changes how students think about their teachers, as they become primary disciplinary figures rather than educators.

This position holds that all drugs should be legalised. It argues that prohibition has failed, that regulation would make drugs safer, that legal sales would benefit the economy and destroy the black market, and that drug laws infringe on personal liberty.

This position holds that 'All Lives Matter' is a legitimate protest for equality. It argues that the slogan calls for an end to racial prejudice and hierarchy by insisting all people are equal regardless of skin colour — and that, in including Black lives, it speaks for a silent majority.

This position holds that all philosophical questions can be answered. It argues that, with a proper grasp of epistemology and metaphysics, everything has an answer — that philosophy offers core ideas anyone can apply, an academic study made to be understood by all.

This position holds that alternative medicine is effective. It argues that it genuinely helps people feel better — through the placebo effect or the therapeutic relationship — that it can complement conventional treatment, and that it reaches those who distrust mainstream medicine.

This position holds that the United States is exceptional. It argues that America's particular history of revolution, expansion and development has produced a distinct national character — one visitors and observers consistently recognise — that genuinely sets it apart from other nations.

America is exceptional for the wrong reasons. It has a history of brutality against other peoples, a record of fighting many wars wherein scores of civilians were killed, and it refuses to sign most human rights treaties. It is exceptional from these mistakes, not its successes.

A constitution is supposed to reflect the values of a society at a given time. An unamendable constitution binds future generations to past values, thereby reducing their democratic influence.

Androcentric language perpetuates gender roles by making men and masculine speech the norm, using male generic language to limit female representation, perpetuating gender stereotypes, and setting a different standard for how men and women are described and defined.

This position holds that animated films should be eligible for the Best Picture Oscar. It argues that animation and live action have enough in common to be judged together — that heavily CGI films like Avatar already blur the line — and that excluding animation rests on mere stigma.

Anything that is animated is a cartoon. Cartoons known as anime are cartoons that originate from Japan. Anime is simply a different form or genre of cartoon from what westerners traditionally see as cartoons.

Art and literature should be moralizing because they are powerful forms of creative expression that can bring about significant moral change in people. It also imparts moral teachings that are crucial to such forms of creative expression.

AI is designed to be more intelligent than humans. They are programmed to focus on one job; they will not think twice about eliminating any barriers, including humans.

This position holds that coronavirus could end capitalism as international connectivity collapses. It argues that easy global travel and trade are essential to the free market, and that the pandemic is dismantling the global supply chains — built on inequality — that capitalism depends on.

This position holds that asexual people should be included in the LGBTQ+ community. It argues the 'plus' signals an umbrella for all who fall outside the cis-heterosexual norm — which asexual people do — and that they face real discrimination and alienation the community can offer refuge from.

America has never been fair to people of color. Athletes aren't just celebrities. They are ordinary citizens who face discrimination as well. It is perfectly legitimate for them to take a knee and protest every injustice in their lives because a country and an anthem do not deserve unequivocal support.

Barefoot runners have fewer injuries, they don't have to spend as much money on shoes and equipment, and their distance performance improves. Barefoot running is the way to go.

BDS is a fundamentally antisemetic movement whose current primary goal is to delegitimize the Jewish state of Israel. BDS showcases antisemetic sentiment through their public demands to place economic sanctions on Israel, as well as furthering the normalization of antisemitic rhetoric.

What is deemed ‘beautiful’ or ’pleasant’ varies among individuals. How we define beauty may be straightforward but the objects to which we attach the quality of beauty entirely depends on the subject.

This position holds that coronavirus could end capitalism because it is a shared global experience. It argues that historically, worldwide events with life and death at stake have triggered economic overhaul, and that the common ordeal of COVID-19 will ignite lasting social change.

We consume art because we appreciate the value of the art or the product itself, not because we like the artist. Most of the time, when people consume arts or products, they don't even know the people who have produced them.

An individual consumer's choices don't actually matter in the marketplace of ideas insofar as the fans and supporters of the artist will continue purchasing their products. So, they might as well continue watching movies and listening to music that they like, given that the status quo won't change anyways.

On the campaign trail, Biden told a voter “I want you to just take a look … I want you to look at my eyes. I guarantee you we’re going to end fossil fuel.” In March, he said “No more, no new fracking.”

This position holds that birth control should be free. It argues that no one should have to pay to prevent pregnancy — that birth control is a human right with broad health benefits, that it would reduce abortions and ease over-population, and that its current cost puts it out of reach for some.

This position holds that bisexuality exists and is a natural human experience. It argues that real bisexual people are not confused or using the label as a mask for another sexuality — that science and surveys confirm many people are attracted to more than one gender.

The decentralized and incorruptible nature of Bitcoin offers it an advantage over conventional fiat currencies that will eventually see it emerge as the predominant international currency.

Pre-colonial documents make almost no reference to the caste system. It was a British invention as a method of classifying and controlling the vast Indian population.

Bullfighting is a vicious and inhumane sport in which the animals are mentally and physically tortured, then brutally put to death by sword. These animals are raised to be abused and killed for entertainment. Not only is this bad for the bulls, but it is dangerous to the humans participating in the event. This terrible practice ought to be banned.

This position holds that foreign residents should be eligible to vote, but only in local elections. It argues that long-term residents have a genuine stake in local affairs, while national elections should remain reserved for citizens with broader national interests.

This position holds that VAR should be used in football, but that something needs to change. It argues that VAR in its current form is failing — perhaps even deliberately sabotaged in England — but that, as in other sports, it could work if reformed to allow the 'benefit of the doubt'.

Research on Pirahã and comparisons of the evolutionary trees of several hundred languages have shown worldview shapes languages. Theories such as linguistic relativity have also shown that languages influence our worldview. Therefore, worldview and language reciprocally influence each other.

This position holds that capitalism causes income inequality. It argues that capitalism is structurally designed to concentrate wealth among a few at the top, and that much modern inequality flows from the 'superstar effect', in which a handful of winners capture outsized rewards.