Wednesday, February 5, 2014

THBT the "Frenchbashers" are right - rebuttal speeches

Second proposing speech
Dear debaters, dear readers, we’re all living in a perfect and wonderful world. There’s no point in criticizing, everything is fine the way it is.

Well, it may depend on the reader, but I think that most of you would probably object my first statement, saying that it’s actually pretty far from reality. Fair enough, I may agree with you, but by doing so I would also have to admit that even my second point, the fact that there’s nothing that should be changed or criticized, is pretty much indefensible. (Continues below.)
By AD

Second opposing speech
Dear debaters, dear readers, we believe that the member of the proposition team is trying to deceive you. They fiercely pretend that France is a country to bash, as it is the trend in the English and German media. And yet, they have chosen to come here, to study in a leading French engineering school where they receive a high quality education, for free. How ungrateful! If you vote in favour of the proposition, you can be sure they won’t even thank you. (Continues below.)
By AC
Second proposing speech
Dear debaters, dear readers, we’re all living in a perfect and wonderful world.
There’s no point in criticizing, everything is fine the way it is.

Well, it may depend on the reader, but I think that most of you would probably object my first statement, saying that it’s actually pretty far from reality. Fair enough, I may agree with you, but by doing so I would also have to admit that even my second point, the fact that there’s nothing that should be changed or criticized, is pretty much indefensible.
So, most of us would agree that we should change something in the world we live in, therefore we should criticize its actual state and bash all of its flaws and defaults. Let’s call “France” this world and “Frenchbashers” those people that clearly attack our system’s problems: why should we oppose them? How can we oppose them, when, if we were in their shoes, we would probably do the same? Do we honestly believe that we should turn a blind eye to everything? Awareness is the first step towards progress and improvement, let’s not prevent it.

Our brilliant opposition showed us that there are two main points that we should debate: the role of the media in our society and the concept of “being right”. Let’s discuss their analysis, showing why they’re mistaken.

First of all, it’s true that the media are often biased, but this works in the two directions: if it’s true that the media could exceed in their “bashing process”, it’s obvious that they could also excessively hide the real problems. Furthermore, the simple statement that the media have a strong social and moral responsibility doesn’t prove at all that Frenchbashers are wrong.

Then, they gave a definition of “being right” in two contexts, an absolute and a moral one.
Clearly, we can’t defend the motion that Frenchbashers are completely and absolutely right, because, as the first writer explained, such perfection it’s humanly impossible, so there’s no point in debating it.
Passing on to the moral sphere, I’d like to report their definition here: “to be right is not simply just saying the truth but saying the things that will influence his audience the way that is beneficial according to the standards of the moral”. 
So, basically, “being right” is telling something quite close to the truth that will benefit the audience accordingly to its moral standards.
Should we really go along with this? Personally, if I read elsewhere this definition, I would have thought that it was a discussion about “being hypocrite”, not about “being right”.
I’d like to ask them some questions: for example, what is a “moral standard”? Or, where’s the truth in telling things in a way that makes them beneficial for the audience? Isn’t it like seeing the world through some colour lenses? And finally, who should decide what is beneficial? Are they suggesting the media themselves, which we admitted to be biased in the beginning?
We’re grown-up people: we ought to know what really is going on, even if it could have a negative impact on us.

So then, let’s correct the definition: “being right” is telling the truth while avoiding unnecessary harm to the people involved and accepting the possibility of receiving by the ones we’re targeting the same actions we take against them.
Well, Frenchbashers only exercise their freedom of thought and speech, so they do respect these points. Furthermore, even if they were to state something completely false, they would be easily contradicted and proved wrong, like in the famous case of the price of a half liter of milk in Paris. Obviously, this would result in a credibility loss, which they obviously don’t want to have: they’re all the more interested in telling us the truth.

As my colleague showed, nowadays there really are some economic, social and cultural problems in France. Frenchbashers give us the possibility to see them from another point of view, one that isn’t necessarily conditioned by the very system we’re living in.
Frenchbashers are right and their attitude and its effect are, in the end, constructive for us: by starting to think about how we could change their opinion, we actually rebuild our world in a better way.

So, dear debaters, like James Thurber said, “Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness.” Let’s accept the Frenchbashing and the positive effects it implies and let’s open ourselves to the critics we receive, because, as stated by Abraham Maslow, “What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself.”
Finally, please, let’s bash the opposition. Dear jury, dear public, I beg you: vote for us.

AD

References


Second opposing speech
Dear debaters, dear readers, we believe that the member of the proposition team is trying to deceive you. They fiercely pretend that France is a country to bash, as it is the trend in the English and German media. And yet, they have chosen to come here, to study in a leading French engineering school where they receive a high quality education, for free. How ungrateful! If you vote in favour of the proposition, you can be sure they won’t even thank you.

From the great help France given the American during the American War of Independence to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, to recent event in Mali and in Central African Republic, France’s influence on the shape of today’s World is not to be proven. People fail to see the greatness of France and often, as pointed out by the brilliant speech of my colleague from the opposition, they present inaccurate facts. The entire belief that French people have no entrepreneurship, in the wake of President W. Bush, saying that in France, there is no word for “entrepreneur”, forgetting that the very word “entrepreneur” comes from French, is an example of such a deception.

The proposition advocates that French workers are non-productive. We are going to show you that it is a lie. French workers have worked an average of 38 hours per week, while EU average is 32.1 [1]. And when we consider the weekly productivity (number of worked hours a week * productivity per hour), France is 5th in EU with 1,722€/week (while Germany is 8th and the UK is 11th) [1] [2]. Nevertheless, they are pontificating about France’s methods. Maybe they should clean their side of the street first.

Facts can demonstrate, for example, that taxes are higher in the UK than in France meanwhile France has far better infrastructures and healthcare (the best in the World). But it is not a lecture on France strengths and we are going to stop here with the facts. The readers who want to know more about figures can find more information here [3].

We can forgive foreigner for the lack of insight they have on France because it is not their country and stereotypes travel faster than accurate information. On the other hand, for French people who are guilty of Frenchbashing, we can’t. You have the right not to share the ideas of the government (as the majority of French people do, according to recent polls) but how can you bash the very institutions that gave you so much, from the day when you are born, with a free health system, to today, when you receive a free education, and you benefit from all the infrastructure. It has never been that easy to move in this World and yet, you still live in France, complaining about your own country. Maybe the situation isn’t as bad as you want our venerable readers to believe.

My colleague also addressed another aspect that this debate raises: is the Frenchbashing beneficial? He demonstrated that French people do not need to hear your criticism, especially if they are not accurate since they are aware of the issues and it worsens the relationship between France and the rest of the World. I want to address this question from your point of view. For you, what is the point of conveying a negative image of another country? We believe that bashing a country, where fundamental freedoms are protected and the people is not oppressed, is never right. Gossiping is a very poor attitude and gives a very bad image of you. As Socrates puts it “Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people”.

Please, do not be that kind of person, and keep Frenchbashing for the next football or rugby match to come against your national team. We will be happy to meet the challenge. Merci, et s’il vous plait, votez pour nous! (Thank you, and please, vote for us!)

AC

1 comment:

  1. Dear proposer,
    your new point it that French peolple need to be aware of the facts pinpointed by the frenchbashers. I completely agree, but as I read your speeches I did not learn a thing about France, because I already knew what you mentionned. I think that French people, since they are living in the system, are already perfectly aware of its current situation...

    ReplyDelete