REMATCH! On Balance People's Lives are Changing for the Better

ARGUMENT Due to the premise for this debate being rather vague, I am going to specify it a little more for myself. If my opponent disagrees with my revised premise I would like for him to tell me so. My premise will be: The conditions for human life have improved over the span of history. Admittedly this is somewhat similar to the original premise, but I think that it will apply more fluently for both my opponent’s and mine own arguments. My position as the Pro debater is to show, according to the new premise, that the conditions for human life have improved over the span of history. For my argument, history will only apply to the modern era, however my opponent is free to utilize any point in human history. Let’s begin! Comparing life conditions in the Middle Ages to modern day For my first argument I will compare the conditions, especially for the lower classes, of life between the years 600 CE to about 1500 CE. In the Middle Ages the peasants were generally either owned by a lord as practically slave labor (serf) or were forced to live on the manor because they had no other economic options [1]. The serf would get no salary whatsoever for their labors. The men were forced to wake up as soon as the sun rose and to go into the fields to work. The main breakfast meal would consist of a slice of bread, cheese, onion and a glass or ale. This would sustain them until a short noontime meal of more bread and ale. Then they would have to return to work until the sun went down (so they were working for much longer during the summer) and they would be allowed to return home to a dinner that would generally consist of the leftovers of the noon lunch [2]. Generally a serf would work for ten to twelve hours a day. Regular peasants, or villeins, would have a similar schedule. While they wouldn’t be forced to do this, they would have little choice as if they did not work hard enough, the lord would likely take away their land and possessions. Comparing these barbaric conditions to modern days, it can easily be assumed that life conditions are far superior nowadays as they were back then. Sure, the lower classes still have hard conditions, but they are at least prevented from essentially enslavement and are always at least granted a minimum wage salary. Another negative aspect of the middle ages, besides the dreadful working conditions of the peasants, was the absolute disregard for basic human rights. Justice was basically an unknown concept during the time. A common punishment for a peasant who stole something as insignificant as a cabbage would be hanging. Beheading, Dropping in boiling oil, stretching, whipping, draw and quartering, and bloody eagles were all also common punishments at the time. Nowadays very few countries even allow the death penalty, and for the ones that do, they have a far more humane system of execution (generally). Comparing life conditions in the Victorian Era to modern day The Victorian Era, essentially the Industrial Revolution, lasted from 1837 CE to 1901 CE [3]. During that time, great technological and philosophical revelationswere made, greatly advancing the human race. However, the time was also full of great atrocities which would never be allowed today. In 1885 the Treaty of Berlin split apart the African continent into the regions of “Portuguese Africa”, “British Africa”, “German Africa”, “Italian Africa,” “Spanish Africa”, “French Africa” and “Belgian Africa.” The Europeans decided that they were a superior race and that therefore they had the right to colonize and utilize the African continent to their every need [4]. Several quotes from Motsoko Pheko, an anti-Imperialist writer for the Pambazuka News describes the atrocities committed by these Imperialists. “The worst genocide also occurred in Namibia in 19O4. Namibia was then a German colony. The Herero people resisted German colonialism. A well armed army under General Lothar von Trotha defeated the Hereros at the Battle of Waterberg. The German colonial aggressors drove these Africans from their land to the desert where there was no water. Seventy percent of the Herero population died of dehydration in that desert. In South Africa the Khoisan people were exterminated by colonialists after being hunted like animals and dispossessed of their land. “Colonised Africans were treated not only as sub-humans, they were denied basic rights such as education and the right to land for decent housing, farming, mining and fishing. Colonial functionaries were honoured for barbaric actions and atrocities. The British government honoured its colonial officials such as “Sir Andries Stockkenstrom”. He had earlier said: “The question of robbing natives of their land is not whether it is right or wrong to plunder their land, massacre and exterminate the Hottentots, the Kaffirs...the simple question is will it PAY? But if the Bible and the missionary stands in the way of this one thousand per cent profit...If in short, they cannot promote the great work of converting a nation of shop-keepers into a nation of millionaires,...gun powder will produce a more efficient gospel for the purpose of our system of civilisation.” (R.U. Kenny, Piet Retief, Cape Town and Pretoria: Human & Reason, 1976 page 77) When introducing inferior education for African mental enslavement in South Africa, Hendrik F. Verwoerd that arch implementer of apartheid colonialism said, “There is no place for him (the African) in the European community above the level of certain forms of labour. Until now, he (the African) has been subjected to a school system which drew him away from his community and misled him by showing him the green pastures of the European society where he is not allowed to graze.” (‘Apartheid: The Story Of A Dispossessed People, Motsoko Pheko page 15O Marram Books London 1984) I apologize for not copying these quotes instead of my own arguments, yet I feel that Pheko has better authority to tell you of these crimes than I do. Another terrible condition in the Victorian Era occurred in Europe during the Industrial Revolution. There were no regulations about the work conditions of many of the industries throughout Europe. Children were often recruited, or forced into the factories and put to work. Here is a list of some of the jobs that these children were forced to do: Coal mines Laundry for pay Chimney Sweep Sweated Trades Factory Worker Matchmaking Scare the birds from the fields Pottery Making Farm Worker Textile Mill Ship Yard Pick Pocket Seller in the Streets Rail station Domestic Servant Hat Making Rat Catcher Prostitution There were no regulations for the adults either. A large percentage of men were forced into coal mines and the conditions in the mines were even worse than those in the factories. They were forced to work for twelve to eighteen hours a day, the mines were dark, dusty and cramped. There was also the threat of explosions at every moment, and often times there were [5]. Nowadays we have government regulations regarding industries. Children are not allowed to even step foot in them, let alone work in them. The Coal Mines such as the ones described would never be allowed to exist either. Back over to you, spaceking. (I'll post sources in the comments since I am out of characters).