Introduction to policy debates

The Problems with Prostitution

NITA RAO: Legalised prostitution has been disastrous for society.

Prostitution preys on the most vulnerable members of society. Prostitutes are often women who are either poorly educated, or very young, or desperate for money. Many have a history of being sexually abused.

Once they become prostitutes, they face a huge risk of being sexually assaulted. Prostitutes often face intense pressure from clients and from brothel owners or pimps to engage in particular sexual practices that they do not consent to. The rates of sexually transmitted disease are unacceptably high.

Introduction to policy debates

Identifying the Problem – Advanced Tips

VICTOR FINKEL: To this point, we’ve looked at how you can identify the problem or problems with the status quo.

In this video, I will give you a few advanced tips about how to describe the problem in the most compelling way. This is particularly important for the Proposition side, as the first speaker for the Proposition usually starts his or her speech with a description of the problem, creating momentum for their entire case.

The first tip is to avoid describing the problem in a black or white way. You don’t need to prove that prostitution is always bad for all women or that hate speech is always devastating for all minorities in order to win the debate – it can be enough to show that there is a significant problem.

The second tip is to use language that matches the problem you have identified. Say for example you are debating a ban on prostitution. In outlining the problem, you want to use language that reflects the seriousness of the harms that you’ve identified, justifying the need for a complete ban. That’s why Nita used words like ‘disastrous’, ‘degrading’ and ‘unacceptable’ – she wanted to provoke an emotional response in the listener and make it clear how grave the risks are.

In the same way, if you are debating banning hate speech, you might use language that emphasises the damage caused by it. You might say: ‘hate speech is a form of emotional torture, attacking people based on their race or colour or religion, and in so doing, depriving them of dignity as an individual.’ That is far more powerful than simply saying ‘hate speech is harmful to minorities’.

However, if on the other hand you are debating a topic like electricity privatisation or tax reform, that type of dramatic, emotional language probably wouldn’t be appropriate and may undermine your credibility. You also want to use language that fits the issue that you are confronting.

The third tip is to take advantage of trends. Say for example you are debating about a global abolition of the death penalty. In addition to emphasising the problems with the death penalty, you might want to point to the trend of countries around the world abolishing it themselves, which makes the decision to abolish the death penalty globally a logical next step.

Finally, it is also often useful to emphasise the urgency of tackling the problem. Say you are debating about taking radical action to combat climate change. Instead of simply outlining the problems that could be caused by a changing climate, it might be more powerful to say: ‘the world is at a tipping point. If we don’t act now, it will be too late to stop the worst consequences of climate change’. This is a powerful approach, as it makes it clear this is an urgent problem and that inaction is not an option. That creates pressure on the Opposition side to justify why it’s ok not to do anything.

In the next activity, we’ll consider how to identify and describe the solution to the problem you have identified.