Trolls are generally bad evil creatures.

I reject my opponent's resolution that "Trolls are generally bad evil creatures". I do not accept this resolution, and I consider that this debate commits not only one, but two violations. I am basically running a Kritik on this resolution. Violation 1: Labeling trolls as "bad evil creatures" is unacceptable The violation is glaringly evident. No one or any group people should be labeled a derogatory term like the one in this resolution. To label trolls as "bad evil creatures" is setting a stereotype against trolls that can have negative impacts to them. If a good debater somehow manages to win the Pro side, a misguided person may perceive that all trolls are actually bad and evil. Also there are some fantastic troll debates out there instigated by imabench that made me laugh really hard [1]. At the same time imabench is a fantastic debater winning 427 debates and has an Elo ranking of 4,310 [2] (That's more than the two of us combined). In this sense, this troll debate added value to DDO. I feel offended if imabench was labeled as bad evil creature. I personally was considering doing a troll debate, and I feel offended that I would be label as bad and evil. Also don't forget the psychological negative impact of labeling someone as bad. Labeling someone as evil has led to people killing people for that reason [3]. It can lead to verbal abuse which has massive negative impacts: "fear and anxiety, depression, stress and PTSD, intrusive memories, memory gap disorders, sleep or eating problems, hyper-vigilance and exaggerated startle responses, irritability, anger issues, alcohol and drug abuse, suicide, self-mutilation, and assaultive behaviors." [4] I can go on and on. Labeling someone as "bad evil creatures" should not find a place in DDO. If my opponent was trying to defend trolls, he should have been careful and labeled the debate as "Trolls are good people" or "Trolls should be able to debate". Role of the Ballot is how a voter should evaluate the debate. A debate is an attempt to "to foster international understanding, cooperation, and a free and lively exchange of ideas" [5]. This also involves fun debates. Jon Stewart vs. O'Reilly was a joke debate, but it was very funny and had value too [6]. This is why I urge the voter to award me all 7 points to set an example to my opponent. Kritik I ask kindly that if you don't know what a Kritik is, that you refrain from voting on this debate. However, I hope that this debate serves as a good example on how to run a Kritik. But for the Kritik to be successful, I have to establish 5 elements [7]: 1. Violation - Labeling anyone bad or evil unacceptable 2. Link – The resolution precipitates this valuation because it labels trolls as "bad evil creatures" 3. Impact – I've established many significant impacts, including: - It undermines trolls and their value. - It can lead to verbal abuse which has significant impacts as shown before. - It also may encourage good debaters such imabench to leave the DDO site. - It would prevent us from good troll debates. 4. Alternative – I've demonstrated an alternative by clearly labeling the debate in a way not to offend anyone. If it's a troll debate, to label it as such. 5. Voter – I've demonstrated the Role of the Ballot and why the voter should vote for me with all 7 point. Violation 2: Unfair debate It's extremely rare to find multiple violations in a debate that can be Kritik'd, but this debate actually has a second violation. My opponent is clearly trying to get an easy win by setting a resolution that's outrageous and taking the Con side of it. It's like someone arguing that "We don't live on planet Earth" and taking a Con position. Or, someone who says "My opponent/Jews/Blacks/Muslims/Atheists/Christians/<Enter a group> should be killed" and takes a Con position. These are not appropriate debates if they are not meant to be troll debates. They are considered as "Truism", which "is a claim that is so obvious or self-evident as to be hardly worth mentioning" [8]. My opponent is clearly trying to get a cheap win given his weak record of 22 wins and 104 losses. In the DDO guide, it explains that regarding truisms: "As a debater, never start a debate in favor of a truism. It's a cheap tactic." [9] As I stated earlier, debates have a lot of value and generates thoughts and ideas. I've changed my stance on the Death Penalty as a result of debating. Engaging in cheap debates just for the sake of winning point should not be encouraged. This is why I ask the voter again to award all 7 points to me. There are other impacts. Many debaters might end up leaving. They might feel that there aren't many interesting and valuable debates out there. Just this morning, an amazing debater Lexus left DDO because she wasn't able to find good debates. So what my opponent should have done is provide a thought provoking debate that helps the DDO community rather than hurt it. For Truisms, my opponent could have started a forum post stating why trolling is good or why trolls should remain in DDO or necessary for DDO. These are positive messages that he would have shared. Also, he could have explained that it's a troll debate, which he failed to do. Kritik Again, I was able to establish the 5 elements related to this Kritik: 1. Violation – Truism debates are bad 2. Link – The resolution pertains to truism 3. Impact – I've established many significant impacts, including: - It undermines the value of debating - It can lead to good debaters leaving the DDO community - They don't provide good value to the reader so it's basically a waste of time - It becomes all about winning, and not about presenting valuable arguments 4. Alternative – I've demonstrated several alternatives such as using the forums, or labeling the debate as a troll debate. 5. Voter – I've demonstrated the Role of the Ballot and why the voter should vote for me with all 7 point. Thank you. Please vote Pro. [1] http://www.debate.org... [2] http://www.debate.org... [3] http://www.dailymail.co.uk... [4] http://www.healthyplace.com... [5] http://idebate.org... [6] https://youtu.be... [7] http://www.debate.org... [8] https://en.wikipedia.org... [9] https://docs.google.com...