NTU Pro Ams Debating Championship

NTU Pro Ams 2020

R1

THS the Open Access Movement.

R2

THW provide significance tax benefits to publicly listed STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) companies whose top executives are at least 60% non-cisgender men.

R3

THR the glorification of revolutions in history textbooks.

R4

THW allow concenting adults to use the device on themselves.

There exists a device that can ensure its user does not ever experience romantic love again. This process is irreversible.

Open SF

THBT over-populated developing countries should encourage the emigration of labour.

Novice GF

TH prefers centralised over decentralised forms of civil rights activism.

Open GF

THR the centrality of self-denial in religious philosophy.

NTU Pro Ams 2019

R1

Among fictional films depicting relations between historically oppressed groups and their historical oppressors, THP films that focus on imagined revenge (e.g. Django Unchained) over ones that focus on imagined reconciliation (e.g. Driving Miss Daisy, Green Book)

R2

In areas inhabited by minority communities, THS the establishment of patrol groups comprising community members that carry out some policing duties (e.g. the Shomrim)

R3

As an LGPTQ Christian in Singapore, THS the True love is ministry.

Open QF

In post war societies with international criminal tribunals, THW leave the discretion to prosecute war criminals with their newly formed governments and not with the international legal community.

Open SF / Novice SF

TH, as a vegan, would use violence to rescue animals from suffering or death, even if this means endangering human life.

Open GF

THR the celebration of loyalty as a virtue.

Novice GF

You are an averag person with a fulfilling life. You have a loving family, supportive friends and a long-term partner. On night in your sleep, a divine being appears to you and makes you an offer – you will be immortal and will not age or die of natural causes. However, everyone who currently knows you will forget you and you will never be able to speak to them again. THW take the offer.

NTU Pro-Am 2018

R1

TH, as a liberal party, would field conservative candidates, rather than liberal ones, in elections for predominantly conservative electorates.

R2

THW grant amnesty to war criminals who were recruited as child soldiers.

R3

TH, as China, would continue importing oil from Iran.

The US has withdrawn from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action(JCPOA aka Nuclear Deal) and scheduled sanctions to be imposed on importers of Iranian oil. Many countries, including South Korea, France and Spain, have reduced their imports of Iranian oil. The EU, recognizing Iran’s compliance with JCPOA terms, have agreed to a US$20 million aid package for Iran.

R4

THBT the Feminist Movement should condemn the rise of ‘sugar’ relationships.

A ‘sugar baby’ is a person who is in a specific type of transactional relationship (a ‘sugar’ relationship) for the expressed purpose of achieving economic security. A person in such a relationship may receive cash, gifts or other financial and material benefits in exchange for being in the relationship.

Novice GF

TH prefers a world where every country has nuclear weapons.

Pre-SF

THR the decision of large technology companies (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Apple) to ban Alex Jones and Infowars from their platforms.

SF

THBT the Federal Reserve Board of Governors should be elected by citizens rather than nominated by the president.

GF

TH prefers a world where the app is available for public use.

There is an app that gives individuals access to quantitative data indicating how much fondness/dislike each other person they encounter feels towards them. This app works such that individuals with it open on their phone are able to see real-time changes in the index (e.g. if you are talking to a friend and say something that offends them, you are able to see the number drop). The index shown is not based on reported information, but is an accurate measure of the honest attitudes of the other person. For individuals to use the app to find out this information, they must consent to their ‘fondness rating’ being released to all other users of the app (i.e. for this to work, both individuals in question must have the app). The app itself does not store any data, and the base technology behind the app cannot be used for any other purposes.

NTU Pro-Am 2017

R1

TH, as the current US government, would offer North Korea a mutual non=aggression pact without any pre-conditions.

R2

THW decriminalize the vandalism of public property unless the vandalism amounts to hate speech.

R3

THW ban private sector management of pension funds.

R4

TH, as a state with failing adoption homes, would put a moratorium on IVF clinics.

Novice GF

QF

In patriarchal societies, THW actively encourage a culture of chivalry to achieve better conditions for women.

SF

TH, as the Atheist Movement, would covertly infiltrate religious institutions.

GF

TH prefers to live in a world where individuals live in recognition of their moral flaws as opposed to a convenient morality.

NTU Pro-Am 2015

R1

THBT ASEAN countries affected by the haze should carry out cloud seeding over Indonesia’s airspace even if Indonesia objects.

R2

THBT countries in the European Union should explicitly prioritize refugees based on skillsets that each domestic economy lacks.

R3

THR the movement towards transforming university campuses into “safe spaces”.

R4

THW grow national champions even if it means using protectionist measures to do so.

National champions are government-linked companies (either by equity share, or members of Parliament on their boards of directors) that are tacitly or openly designated as their country’s leading enterprise in the field. These companies typically pursue both corporate interests and national interests. Examples include Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, Russia’s Gazprom, China’s Sinopec etc.

Novice SF

THW mandate that all Hollywood films should include at least one person of colour in a leading or supporting role.

Novice GF

THR internal party elections between election cycles which seek to replace elected heads of state.

Open QF

THBT all scientists have a duty to be militant atheists.

Open SF

As a conscientious donor, THW prioritize efficiency over social need when deciding which charity to donate to.

Open GF

THW release the Inferno virus.

## In Dan Brown’s award-winning novel “Inferno”, the antagonist designs a bio-engineered virus that randomly activates to modify DNA. The virus causes sterility in 1/3 of humans, therefore reducing population growth sharply and suddenly. In this motion, you are the antagonist. You can release the virus anonymously and get away with it. Infected people cannot have babies, but can still get hard and have sex.