DDO should NOT ban profanity.

I am arguing that Debate. org should ban profanity. Or the Con position in this debate. Profanities could be used to directly insult members of DDO, causing them harm. My opponent states that “Profanity does not cause harm to DDO members. ” The prevention of harm is central to the existence of laws (a ban on DDO would be considered a law). John Stuart Mill noted this principle in On Liberty, where he argued that "the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. ” The definition of harm, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary is “physical or mental damage. ” One of the usage examples is “the scandal has done irreparable harm to his reputation”. [1] Furthermore, in law, there is a concept called “emotional harm” where mental shock without impact from an external source could be considered a form of harm. [2] “A**, b****, c***, d***,” and “p***” are all words which could be used to directly denigrate members of DDO while they are engaged in debate. This denigration can harm members of DDO who are on the receiving end of such insults. It could also result in harm to their reputation, such as calling a DDO member a s*** or a w**** on a public forum for example. Some of the examples of profanity provided by Pro are inherently offensive and harmful terms. B**** and c*** could both be considered highly offensive terms, especially when applied as an insult to women. Readers of DDO might be offended simply by noting that the words are being used openly. There is no reason, other than shock value, to allow these words. Allowing the mentioned profanities means the floodgates are open for use of even more offensive and harmful terms. Words like the N word, the F word (the one applied to homosexuals) are fair game in a system where profanities are freely allowed. Racial and ethnic slurs are words which should not be spoken in any kind of polite discussion and are harmful when used. A ban on them protects DDO members from harm. Banning profanity does not unduly infringe on the free exercise of ideas on DDO. My opponent claims that “In order for something to be banned, the banned activity must not infringe on the spirit of the free exercise of ideas on DDO” and that “banning profanity infringes on the spirit of the free exercise of ideas on DDO. ” First I would note that DDO is about debating. Profanities are irrelevant to the strength of an argument. Compare the statement “Obama’s policy on X is a terrible idea” with “Obama’s policy on X is s***”. The second argument is not stronger than the first because a profanity is used. What possible reason could there be to want to have profanities in a debate? A profanity laced debate is not stronger than a civil one. DDO should promote intelligent debate; allowing profanities can dramatically lower the level of discourse on the site. DDO is not a site built for flame wars and trolling, rather is a site where debaters are awarded points for such things as good behavior in competition. The internet is full of places where uncensored debates can be had. One need only look at places like the comments section on Youtube (particularly a few years ago), to see just how crass and unintelligent the level of discourse is there. Great debate programs such as Intelligence Squared or law school moot court competitions do not require the use of profanities to create great and stimulating debate. The strength of the competitions comes from the strength of the arguments made by the debaters not by the intensity of their swearing. My opponent states that “Enforcing the banning of profanity undermines the members of the DDO community. ” Very little is lost by banning profanities. Furthermore, there are other things not allowed on the site even though they technically undermine DDO members. For example, there is an 8,000 character max on debate rounds, which undermines DDO members who might want to make longer arguments. The character max is an example of DDO disallowing something, even though it undermines some DDO members. So my opponent’s argument that “if something is banned on DDO, it must be enforceable without undermining the members of the DDO community” is flawed. The rights of one person end where the rights of others begin. The French Constitution states that "Liberty consists in the freedom to do everything which injures no one else; hence the exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those which assure to the other members of the society the enjoyment of the same rights. These limits can only be determined by law. " Because profanities can cause harm to members of the DDO community, banning them, though a slight infringement on the rights of those DDO members who wish to use profanities is, on balance, a better outcome for all DDO members collectively. In this case, the end justifies the means. Conclusion The potential harm to DDO members through the use of profanities greatly outweighs any potential usefulness they might have. Banning profanities does not in any great way undermine DDO members. I urge all voters to vote Con and uphold the dignity and civility of DDO. [1] . http://www.merriam-webster.com.... [2] First considered in the case of Queen's Bench in Pugh v. London etc. Railroad Co. , 2 QB 248 [1896].