BeIR/webis-touche2020 huggingface dataset:
It will encourage the study of science

The statistics quite simply do not back your conclusions. If we have a look. Whilst there was a drop between 1998-2001 in the number of students studying science, numbers have now returned to the levels of 1996, if not surpassed those levels [[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200506/ldselect/ldsctech/257/25705.htm]]. Even if it were the case that less people were studying the sciences it could be because there are more choices on offer at A level these days. More modern subjects are emerging. Also, more practical A levels are surfacing. Therefore, the drop in the proportion of students studying science is the result of there being a higher amount of subjects for the students to be dispersed upon
Children need to exercise to improve health

With so few children playing in the outdoors, going for walks and bike riding; is it any wonder that the children of our time are becoming increasingly obese? With 68% of children playing outside less than once a week and 28% of children not being for a country walk in the last year[[http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/16/childre-nature-outside-play-health]], how can we expect our children to be anything other than obese? Exercise is a vital part of health; it is essential, and currently, our children are not getting enough.
Children need to learn to look after own safety in the outdoors

It is a fact that children will eventually have to leave the nest. Like birds, we must allow our children to practice in the outside world alone. Mother birds allow their nestlings to fly; how will they learn if we do not let them attempt. If we do not do this, what we will be left with is children who cannot look after themselves. These children will walk in front of cars, they will begin to hang around the wrong areas of town and they will no be able to leave the nest safely. We need to let them learn at a young age so that when it comes to flying the nest they are well prepared.
Opposition analysis and framework

In defining the term constitution and asking for special recognition for all minority groups, the opposition is only interested in complicating the process of constitution making by adding unnecessary items. Having accepted that “Currently, constitutions consist of certain principles that guarantee the basic human rights to all citizens of the country, according to which all country policies must be adjusted”, the opposition ignored the fact that the minority groups are already included in the term ‘all citizens of the country’. A constitution which guarantees the rights of every citizen irrespective of race, social status, sex or religion will guarantee then everyone’s interest is catered for without resort to sub-provisions and or special recognition. If one comes from a minority group and the constitution guarantees free education for all citizens, then if I am denied education I can take my case to court. That is why we believe that if the rule of law should be strengthened there will not be a need for a special provision for minority groups If minority is given a special recognition and this is not respected, a government that is not committed to rule of law cannot reverse the injustice. We believe that the special needs of every group can be taken care of by fair and just provisions which give right to all citizens to enjoy his/her fundamental human rights without infringing on the rights of others. In this way, the special needs of a group can be advocated for through the courts even if the government are not willing to set policies in that direction.
The constitution is a superior guardian of minority rights

Our opponent have refused to recognised the fact that a numerically superior group could suffer minority disadvantages, classical examples are Blacks under apartheid South Africa, Hutus in Rwanda etc. Again a truly democratic constitution caters for diversity within its jurisdiction without resort to measures and provisions that then creates other problems by accentuating differences between the component groups in the country. As is the case in Nigeria where the federal character laws which basis is quota system that is intended to promote minority rights has being stiffening the country’s progress and development since independence by promoting mediocrity at the expense of meritocracy ,had being promoting squabbles instead of contentment based on quarrel over constitutionalised federal revenue sharing formula etc. There are many international and national laws and convention against genocide and other extreme behaviours by states against their citizens especially minority groups but that has not stopped mass murder and other crimes against humanity, our argument is that laws are only a means to an end and not ends in themselves. Therefore if the spirit of the constitution is followed to the later by its practitioners it is bound to protect and promote the interest of everybody. As already stated it is special clause/additions to the constitution like the following example "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) is the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military until September 20, 2011. The policy prohibits military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while barring openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual persons from military service. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don't_ask,_don't_tell
Ideal method to protect minority rights in modern constitutional democracies

What we have stated throughout the debate especially in the cited examples is to expose the opposition to the fact that special recognition is preferential discrimination and could hamper the ability of the minority to integrate itself into mainstream society. It further lead the minority group towards a path of separatism or supremacism. In Canada, some feel that the failure of the dominant English-speaking majority to integrate French Canadians has given rise to Quebec separatism. Affirmative actions that are too extreme will lead to super-preservation of cultures, beliefs, and practices and thereby insulate the minority. This will reduce its influence within the majority political culture and with little frustration or challenge will lead to separative tendencies. This also is a hindrance to national cohesion. What the opposition desire, that the inclusion of minority groups in the constitution will tend to protect them in event of sudden change of government, is not a powerful tool to prevent such. Recent history have shown that international charters are the greatest tools to deal with dictators that have been brutal to minority groups and not the constitution of those nations. What every dictator or majority group engage in, before clamping down on the minority and truncating their rights, is to either suspend or amend the constitution. Therefore, special recognition of minority groups in the constitution is not a guarantee for respecting their rights.
Leads to Sectionalism and Unnecessary Squabbles:

The proposition failed to present a causal link between the occurrence of ethnic and religious segregation and the application of the special recognition method. Contrary to the Affirmative claims, this method tends to ensure the protection of basic rights of all minorities on a constitutional level and recognizes all minorities as currently existing within the country. This way, they are protected from potential violation of their rights by law, since such laws can’t be created if they aren’t adjusted to the constitution principles. This presents no harm to any other group of people or individual and it is therefore not the cause for the events that team prop. has depicted. The South Africa apartheid was an event, which was not induced by the special recognition, it was the result of series of politics aimed to abolish the rights of certain citizens. The government introduced the Separate Representation of Voters Bill [[http://bit.ly/pJJ6ij]] which would deny the “black and colored” people the right to vote. It was the courts that declared the bill invalid, which proves that the rights are better protected, when they are specifically listed within the constitution. Afterwards, the government invaded the autonomy and corrupted the national courts in order to have their bills passed, thereby unbalancing the roles of the executive, legislative and judiciary system. Therefore this is a radical example with no relevance to the motion. Bricks can be used to build shelters for people. Bricks can also be misused in order to bash someone in the head. That doesn't make the bricks harmful or decrease their value when properly used. Whether a corrupt government of an undemocratic country would manage to abuse SR to harm its people has no impact on this debate. The Rwanda Genocide, is not an event which has occurred in a modern constitutional democracy, was not proven by the Aff to be a result of SR and has no impact on this debate..
It Leads To A Truly Sectional Society

William F. Halsey All problems become smaller if you don't dodge them, but confront them. What team affirmative is trying to propose is hiding the problem without offering a solution. It is clear that these problems already exist, but ignoring them will only allow them accumulate harming tolerance and coexistence in the society on the long term. Furthermore, it will leave the minorities vulnerable and unprotected. The proposition stands for equality among everyone in one country. But not having their rights protected certainly leads to inequality between different groups in one society. In times of crisis, political changes and instability, the first ones to suffer are minorities. The majority is always the harbinger of change, and the main focus is always on the needs of the majority. For this reason the opposition strongly stands for specific recognition of minorities in the constitution, that way their rights will be protected with the highest act in the legal hierarchy. Finally, in the process of creating constitutional amendments, both the parliament and the public are included. Experts (legal and on the topic) prepare the amendment in special Committees, while the representatives thoroughly debates them on sessions. The public, on the other hand expresses its position through media and public discourse. We firmly believe that the solution to the problems perceived by the affirmative team lies in extensive debate on the issues in the legislative bodies and the public.
Opposition analysis and framework

For the purpose of developing a fair and clear debate, we shall define the key terms, since we believe they were not given the appropriate attention. A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. Bearing in mind that this is a debate concerning constitutional principles, the negation team believes that while defining the term "minority group" the principles of legal writing should be respected. Legislative texts must be clearly worded, the words themselves should derive their meaning from the official language of the nation. We define minority as a racial, religious, political, national, or other group thought to be different from the larger group of which it is part.[[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/minority]] Special recognition is the process of specifically naming all minority groups in the preamble constitution. Currently, constitutions consist of certain principles that guarantee the basic human rights to all citizens of the country, according to which all country policies must be adjusted. Sadly, the minorities in many countries are not recognized as such, and their rights to free cultural, religious, and ethnic expression are not given sufficient protection Throughout this debate, team opp. will prove that the minorities possess specific ethnic, racial and religious needs that require special recognition in the constitution. All minority groups should be listed in the preamble of the constitution, in order to guarantee the general principles of the constitution apply to them as well. The nationalities, when specifically recognized in the preamble gain protection of their identity and further protection of their rights derived from the general provisions in the constitution and eventually in the laws of the country. Only when this process is wholesome, can the diverse rights of the minorities be protected.
The constitution is a superior guardian of minority rights

In times of political change and conflicts, minorities are the first one threatened, because they are not fully integrated in society and often there is bad blood between them and the majority. If a government that aims to harm a certain minority is elected, it could change the national politics easily, as it is easily to acquire sufficient majority in parliament to vote any suggested law. Due to the large majority of the representative bodies required to change a clause of the constitution, and because of its highest position in the legal hierarchy of the state, the constitutions stands as a guardian of the minority rights. These rights do not refer to privileges and benefits that the representatives of the majorities would not gain, rather the most basic rights. Some of the updated amendments of the US Constitution referring to minority groups are the right to free thought, right to equality, and the right to free support.[[http://bit.ly/ruxcav]] In 2004, the Israeli Constitution committee, for the first time in history, has undertaken the task of discussing collective rights for minorities to be listed in the constitution, such as the autonomy in education, using their own language etc.[[http://bit.ly/otsdCv]] With this they are trying to keep the promise The Israeli Declaration of Independence made “The State of Israel will maintain complete social and political equality for all its citizens, without distinction on the grounds of religion, race or sex”. Having the minorities specially recognized in the constitutions would produce even better results, as they will finally be recognized as an existing ethnic, cultural or religious group of the country, and will be protected from government manipulation. Since the constitution is the highest legal act, any possible harm to the rights of minorities would be counter- constitutional. This protects minorities from a sudden change of politics and principles that a new government could make.
Ideal method to protect minority rights in modern constitutional democracies

Throughout the entire debate, team Prop. gave us examples of crimes against humanity from history, but never did they manage to causally connect these events with the method of SR. The example of the Bosnian genocide is misrepresented as special recognition. The fact that only three ethnic groups were recognized in the constitution, while the others were being excluded and systematically discriminated is not considered to be special recognition, as this term was defined as “specifically naming all minority groups in the preamble of the constitution”, and was never questioned or tackled by the Prop. Therefore, the examples they depicted were not really cases of SR, rather cases of sectionalist legislature. The black codes example was also unrelated to SR, as this is a law made by the government, and not a constitutional clause. It is even less relevant to the debate when juxtaposed to the definition of SR. Furthermore, the Prop. offers an example of states whose values at that period depicted black people as a factually inferior race. It is our opinion that the goal of this debate is to discuss constitutional democracies and determine whether SR is the best method to achieve equality for the minorities in these systems. Finally, we would like to point out that all modern constitutional democracies not only strive to protect basic human rights, but are also bound by the peremptory norms of the international law. We agree with team Prop. that the constitution (SR clauses included) itself cannot stop a genocide, but it does a great job at deterring attempts to legalize the abuse of human rights and attempts to cover it up from the international community as shown in the South Africa case. Furthermore, SR clauses in the constitution grant protection from sudden changes that a new government would try to impose against the interest of a certain minority, as explained by the Opp. team in the second argument.
Leads to Sectionalism and Unnecessary Squabbles:

Special recognition leads differentiation and segregation based on certain criteria and ultimately ethno, religious and other form of definitions which is often inimical to peace ,progress and tranquility in any society. It was definitions and special recognition in South Africa that led to apartheid; according to Wikipedia- Apartheid was a system of legal racial segregation enforced by the National Party government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994, under which the rights of the majority 'non-white' inhabitants of South Africa were curtailed and minority rule by the whites was maintained. It was also ethnic/tribal differentiation that led to the Rwanda genocide of 1994 according to Wikipedia- It was the culmination of longstanding ethnic competition and tensions between the minority Tutsi, who had controlled power for centuries, and the majority Hutu peoples, who had come to power in the rebellion of 1959–62 and overthrown the Tutsi monarchy.”
Special recognition protects and fortifies minority rights

Our opponents have gone forward to argue that special recognition protects and fortifies minority rights. As good as this may sound this has not being the case and what they have refuse to realize is that it is special recognition that brought about the Bosnian Genocide of 1992–1995. As they rightfully pointed out the Bosnia and Herzegovina constitution only recognised Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks at the detriment of other groups constituting the country, but the question is really did the constitution needed to support certain groups or section of the country or did the constitution needed to recognize one people and neglect others? The answer is no, because all the constitution needed to do was to recognised all the people of the country and the component groups as equal and give them the same set of rights, privileges and duties as citizens. What are our opponents still don’t understand is that all over the world, it is special recognition laws that brings about groups for whatever reasons. The following example from the black American history will help buttress our point. “For more than 200 years before the Civil War, slavery existed in the United States. But after the war things began to get worse for blacks. The south thought they needed to do something. The Southern legislatures, former confederates, passed laws known as the black codes, after the war, which severely limited the rights of blacks and segregated them from whites.(2002 Rossville Jr. High) history website. From these one can easily see that it is classifications like whites and blacks, Muslims and Christians, Arabs and Asians ,rich and poor, bourgeoisie and the proletariat etc. that fuel the ember of discord, segregation, exploitation and other minority disadvantages in society. http://www.kawvalley.k12.ks.us/brown_v_board/about.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_history
Lack of special recognition disables the acquisition of constitutional rights

The opposition is trying to take the matter of constitution making a complex thing. In as much as constitutions are meant to guarantee the rights of the citizens, it should be worded in a way to protect the peace and tranquility of the nation. We have asserted previously that giving special recognition to minority groups will create problem of sectionalism and can also lead to separatism. We believe that inserting the fundamental human rights provision in the constitution as declared by the United Nations will be helpful in protecting the rights of every citizen. http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ In the United States of America, the following provision is in the constitution and it has helped the protection of rights of the citizens which also a race within the nation has benefited from: “…We hold these truths to be self-evident — that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…”. The subsequent amendments to the United States of America including the Bill of Rights and other Acts of Parliament have never given special recognition to any minority group, yet there has been remarkable achievements within these groups including but not limited to the election of Mr. Obama (a black man) as President. We hereby state that lack of special recognition of minority groups in the constitution does not disable the acquisition of constitutional rights by it or any of its members.
Macedonia summation

Throughout this debate, Opp managed to logically explain how the application of the SR method would lead to greater protection for the minorities, as they will be recognized as an existing group within the country, and will have their rights guaranteed, thereby achieving our burden of proof. We offered numerous examples of minorities with lack of constitutional recognition that are denied their basic human rights and forced to give up on their heritage, culture and values, explained how in times of political change, they are the first to suffer. Finally, we have proven how this situation is about to change should there be SR, since the minorities would be protected with the highest legal act. What the Proposition did, on the other hand, was trying to equate the term "SR" with “sectionalism” and “systematic destruction” by offering examples of past class segregation and genocides. By doing that, they completely ignored to follow our proposed definition for SR, on which they agreed to debate on, which explained SR as the process of naming strictly all minorities in the state within the preamble of the constitution, without excluding any. Therefore all of the examples about prioritizing certain groups, and discriminating others, no matter whether those groups were minorities or majorities didn’t have anything to do with the method of SR. Furthermore, team Prop. listed examples that had nothing to do with constitutions in general, where the case was a discriminative law, or a government that corrupted the executive, legislative and judiciary system of the countries, but never did they debate on modern constitutional democracies. Another discussed point in this debate was the presumption of the Prop. that SR would prioritize the minorities in terms of quotas and privileges that other citizens wouldn't receive. On that point, we refuted by saying that the affirmative action policies can occur regardless of the SR method, simply because these privileges are always given through the national policies and not constitutional clauses. The constitution consists only of general principles, in terms of cultural, religious, and ethnic expression, that must be then followed during the policy making process. These rights do not interfere with the rights of other citizens and therefore present no risk for disputes. The Prop. has also argued that the SR would accentuate and emphasize the differences between the different groups of people. But hiding a problem instead of working for a solution has proven to be highly damaging to the society on the long term. Besides that, we firmly believe that the citizens of one state can coexist only when they acknowledge that they have different values, cultures and heritage.