azza1625/createdebate-arguments huggingface dataset:
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: No, it should not be mandatory

I believe that National Service should not be mandatory.National Service does not train every man to be more responsibility:As many people says, National Service will nurture boys to men, make them more responsible. These may be true to SOME people, not all. One of the famous newsletter is the 'National serviceman needs maid to carry his backpack'. How is this responsible when the man was busily SMSing away, letting the maid to carry the bag? Also, another one I recently found. Instead of a maid, it's a dad... The link is:http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110327-270356.htmlhttp://sglinks.com/pages/958205-maid-story-father-now-carries-pack-ns-man/p4 (Dad)Precious time is wasted:Another reason is that the National Service is 2 years, which is very long (in fact, one of the longest in the world). We are now in 21st Century, where time is extremely important. A quote of one of the person that experiences National Service and agree that National Service would not be mandatory."We ain't living in the 80s or 90s anymore. It's the 21st Century. Time is what money can't buy, just like you can't buy back your yesterday. A lot of accomplishment can be done in 2 years, completion of studies, start up of business, and lots more. Sad to say, that 2 years is crucial moment."That is quite true.In a battle:Of course, this is unlikely but let's say if there is war. some National Servicemen will be reluctant to sacrifice their lives in an undetermined war. Singapore has a higher chance of defeat as other countries have more soldiers or even more advanced technology than Singapore. Some Singaporeans have the mind-set to save themselves before others.With current technology, they even researched about satellite laser weapon. It seems that it is useless to send human armies when advanced technology can create armed robots for war purposes, this is partially true. The link is:http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/03/washington/03laser.html (Satellite Laser Weapon)http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2007/10/ tt-tt/  (Armed robots groomed for war)Deaths:There are cases of deaths in NS, but they are hushed-up by the government. Maybe the government did it to protect Singaporeans, or because they are afraid Singaporeans know the real truths behind the death cases. Shouldn't Singaporeans have the right to know what they were going to do, especially when they are risking their lives?I'll end this with a quote I found in one of the forums. "Patriotism and loyalty cannot be forced. It is ultimately up to an individual whether he wants to serve the country." Ttd. Vito
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: Yes, it should be mandatory.

I do not agree on this although it IS true that not ALL men will learn the good out of it. This might sound a little harsh, but, if they don't learn the good qualities like perseverance etc from all those trainings in NS, then they never will, until a time when it is too late to regret. For example, when one (who does not go for NS) goes out for business and he just get thrown off with all the setbacks that everyone definitely will experience one day, and refuse to stand up again,then what is the point of using the 2 years to study and study when you just "become a walking book of knowledge yet is just a frog in the well who has never experienced the world outside"? I would say that the ones who go NS and learn the good qualities will become even more successful than not going.Also, you say that some men will be reluctant to sacrifice their lives in an undetermined war, it is true. However, that mindset can change if you mature and know that you have to protect your country no matter what. Even terrorists are willing to sacrifice themselves to go attack another country even it might not work out in the end (not that i think that they are right in doing so), but the thing is, they ARE willing to sacrifice their lives for something that they want to accomplish. Lastly, where is the place that a Singaporean is going to live in for the rest of their lives? Some might migrate to other countries, but Singapore is the place that we are born in, studied in, made our friends in, and for most of us, to have a family in. Are you willing to just see Singapore losing in a war and getting controlled by other countries again? I am just a PR, but if i have to see Singapore getting controlled by other countries, I will feel really angry too, just like how I will feel if i see my homeland Malaysia get invaded and controlled by others.
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: No, it should not be mandatory

Yes people do suffer from setbacks in business, but everyone fails. From there they can learn from it and will stand up again. Why won't they stand up again? when a man trips, he will stand up. The outside world is where the person faces a lot of problems in their carrer. They will lear good qualities and will learn how to face trouble.
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: Yes, it should be mandatory.

@ VitorioI agree that National Service does not train every man to be responsible BUT it does train the majority. Of course there will be exception, like for example, the NS man letting his maid carrying his backpack while SMSing away. Not all boys will walk away from national service as well-refined man, but the majority will as there will always be a exception.@Precious time wasted,2 Years is a lot and you can do a lot in 2years. However, you will learn a lot in the 2years you spend in National Service. For example, you will learn what is true teamwork, perseverance, respect, responsibility and to be independent etc. This are all known as life-long values which can't be bought by money either. While spending your time in National Service, you may meet some potential business partner and some life-long friends therefore, the 2years you spend in national service is not wasted after all.@In a battle:Singaporeans have the mindset to save themselves before others, i agree. However, we cannot solely depend on machines and technology to defend ourselves, we would need manpower too as no machine can replace a human.@DeathsYes, there are deaths but like what i said before, it's just the minority. How do you know that death cases are being hushed up? Isn't just a rumor? The National Service officers have taken care of these young cadets but there will be exceptions,of course. These cases of deaths can be prevented if these young cadets get well-prepared for the service before they get enrolled in it as majority of these cases are related to the victim being physically unfit.Thanks you.P.S. I hope i did not offend you in any way.
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: No, it should not be mandatory

Of course Ka Wei, there will be exception of those who will benefit or not.Precious time wasted:True, we may learn a lot in NS in 2 years time. But all those qualities does NOT need to be learnt in NS.In a Battle:True, that NO machines can replace a human. But they can aid us. We can use them for dangerous purposes such as military purposes to simple things like education purposes.Deaths:I admit that this cases may NOT be 100% true. But the officers can do their part by not over stressing the cadets. What lead the cadets to death is excessive training or maybe other things. The officers have the role to train them, yes but not till the extent of deaths.P.S. Don't worry, I didn't get offended. :D
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: Yes, it should be mandatory.

I would like to address the point of which you said about the deaths and about some of them being rumors and so on.I do agree that there can be deaths during the two years in which National Service is being served by the males but do you not think that these deaths could be purely accidents and the fact the the victim could have not been following safety regulations,being ignorant to the rules? If a cadet is dedicated and follows all the rules strictly he would have no problem keeping himself alive during his two years in National Service,only when he turns his back towards the rules and acts out of his place does he then have high chances of losing his life. I have to admit that even though the cases of National Service men dying is rare when it does occur it does not necessarily mean he was out of place,he could also have been physically pushed to his maximum but it should be his duty to voice out he is unwell so that he can be properly treated.
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: Yes, it should be mandatory.

Can you make the argument that in order to learn the beneficial skills that NS men learn (such as responsibility and discipline) that they need to be stressed and tested. How can you learn to survive and defend when you're not put into similar conditions?
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: Yes, it should be mandatory.

Granz, i would like to say that your point was quite fascinating. In fact, it depends on how you at it. Like this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK3wi2Tt4Pc  National Service is the time where you contribute back to the society which had brought you up to a high status. In addition, time is not being wasted as the sweat you perspire out is what you are giving back to society and going towards a healthier lifestyle. You do not have to waste time to find time to exercise, when you in National Service you get free exercise periods. Thus in the end i would like to say it really matters on how you see an object.
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: No, it should not be mandatory

I do not agree with the point of deaths. As these deaths are mainly just due to the NS men overstretching their limits , furthurmore , these deaths occur only once in a blue moon. I feel that servicemen should know what their limits are , to prevent anymore serious damage or deaths in that matter. The government probably did not blow up the death cases as blowing it up would show that the government would be insensitive to these deaths , thus not blowing the matter up. Furthurmore , the family would also have mixed feelings if their son would be in the media spotlight.
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: No, it should not be mandatory

True, that the deaths occur only once in a blue moon. But a death occurring once in a blue moon is still a death. The officers have the role of training the cadets, physically and mentally, but they cannot overstretch the limit of those cadets to the extent that the cadets would die. Of course, it would be insensitive to blow up the death cases to the public. But what if the family allows the public to know?
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: Yes, it should be mandatory.

Two things to think about: 1. When (and if) NS overstretch their limits, are they to blame or is their training to blame? 2. Should the government and media be obligated to show a true picture of NS and all things related to it? Should it be kept secret?
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: Yes, it should be mandatory.

Did you look at the link? Did you look at the link? Did you look at the link? Did you look at the link? Did you look at the link?
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: No, it should not be mandatory

I agree with Granz in the war part.Because with Singapore's current technology, singapore cannot even compete with other countries.One main reason is that we have no natural resources.We are still struggling to survive until today.Another reason is that our land space is too small to even build military facilities.Singaporeans are scared to die that when there is danger, they "run" away instead of protecting the country.I think that with the SLW technology.... singapore can be roasted in a few seconds,therefore whats the point of building an army
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: Yes, it should be mandatory.

I do not agree with you. How can precious time possibly be wasted when males are training to be fitter to protect and fight for the country in times of wars or attacks? Males should be honoured and proud instead, since they are doing something for the country. In addition, I believe that one will learn quite a few moral values during this period of time, and experience new things which we most probably wouldn't go through if we hadn't been to NS. So, therefore i disagree with you saying that "precious time is wasted".
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: No, it should not be mandatory

I agree on males will be fitter, learn few moral values and new experience. But think of it...Fitness: MUST it be in NS? Without NS, we still can be fit.Moral Values: It does NOT need to be in NS. We can learn moral values in school, even your parents can teach you that.New Experience: The new experience that we learn in NS may not apply to current 21st Century (this depends on your future occupation of course).
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: Yes, it should be mandatory.

@vitorioYes, without NS we would still be fit BUT would you have the self-descipline to go train yourself and become fit. In NS, we have officers to push us to strive for the best and improve our fitness by leaps and bounds.Moral Values:Its does not but we can learn A LOT in NS. Those 2years can be used for character building and to bond with your comrades therefore it is not a waste of time. In NS, officers are there to shape you and change you in to a man.
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: Yes, it should be mandatory.

Granz , in NS , fitness training are more intensive and disciplined . If you say that we can still be fit without NS, people will tend to be less disciplined . In NS , no one can escape from doing all the fitness activities hence , without realizing , they become fitter .For Moral Values , you said that it can be learnt in school and even parents can teach us that . However , if you think about it , without exercising those values it will never be learnt . In school , it is not as strict as NS . There are still many students who did not exercise the moral values . For parents , in this current era , many children just tend not to listen to their parents . Its as though everything that are being said will be 'thrown away' . However , as for NS , people in there will not have a chance to really against the officers or they'll face major punishments . For new Experience , you said that it may not apply to current 21st century and it depends on our future occupation . When you say this , it comes back to the two words , which is ' New Experience' . Would'nt you want a new experience hence expand your knowledge ? Or would you just want to focus on what you intend to do in the future and not trying and learning new stuffs ? I guess you would want to expand try out something new right ..
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: No, it should not be mandatory

How do you that doing NS is very annoying ? You have not tried NS right? And how can you say that doing NS is a waste of time? Doing NS can help strengthen yourself and make you healthier. Do you have all the time to play computer games? When you grew up and go into the workforce, do you still play computer games instead of completing the job assigned to you?
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: Yes, it should be mandatory.

Er,shouldn't this be put at the 'Yes,it should be mandatory' section?
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: No, it should not be mandatory

I feel that National Service, NS for short, should not be made compulsory. However, it is not for the reasons many people think such as, the two years could be used to pursue a career or that it is too tough, just to list a few. I think that NS should be voluntary. By now, I expect many of the opposition to be ranting and raving about people not willing to join. I ask you to sit down and think. WHY are people not willing to join? It is simple. At the age of 18, which is the mandatory age youths must sign up for NS, many of us are still childish. We are too pampered. Iphone, ipad, macbook, ... We are MATERIALISTIC! We have been spoon-fed for most of our life that we do not want to experience 'tough' life. But, I ask you all a question. Why do we think that NS is a tough life? I am sure many of us, myself included, think about push-ups, running up and down, drills in hot sun and endurance test when we hear the word NS. But why does this torturing image pop into our minds. Instead, why don't we think of honor and pride when we serve our country, the thrill of holding a rifle and shooting, the respect we earn in our uniforms, the strips we earn when we are promoted and soon we may be in-charge of our own platoon. Do we have no sense of patriotism? Are we going to run away when we are under attack? Perhaps when we sit back and really think about it, we may find that NS isn't that bad after all. Thus I end my argument with a question for you think about; Are you willing to sacrifice some comfort to protect yourself, your family, your friends and your country?
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: No, it should not be mandatory

Hady - that is a very thought provoking question. Well done.
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: Yes, it should be mandatory.

I think your point about youths being childish is the reason why we must make NS as a mandatory thing. NS is a platform for someone childish to grow up into a mature being. In NS, there are a lot of decisions that are to be made and you can't make a decision without having the maturity and wisdom. So if you're saying that you don't want to grow up even at the age of 18, when is that going to happen? If you don't want to grow up even when there is people guiding you, who will help you then? Yes, you can help yourself, but with that mindset of not maturing at the age of 18, you will never be matured enough to think about making decisions. Even you yourself mention that you are materialistic. Don't you think its time to forget about comfort for a while and try to live in hardship? This also why NS is here. It is there so that you can see not all things are about comfort. There will be a time where you will face tough times. If you are not being prepared now, do you think you can handle the challenges in the coming future? Remember, life has its ups and downs. If you're not given a challenge, like enduring the hardships in NS, when will you learn?There is another point I would like to say. You said that 'torturing' images pop out in our mind. Did you ever wonder why? Have you ever consider that it is to make us feel proud that because of these 'torturous' events is a platform that will bring us to the end product? The product of being able to serve your country in honor and pride. Thus, I really think that NS should be mandatory for male Singaporeans.
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: No, it should not be mandatory

I disagree that NS is a platform for someone childish to grow up into a mature being. NS is basically a phase in life where we are trained to be protectors of our country. Maturity is based on individual. A person may mature at 8 years old or 30 years old. It all depends on him. You ask me whether its time to forget about comfort for a while and try to live in hardship. I have already experienced hardships in life which I daresay none of you have ever experienced. It your last paragraph, you mentioned about my torturing images and proceeded to rebut that statement. However, from your rebuttal statements, I can see that you obviously have not read my whole argument and you probably just read bits and pieces. This obviously shows your inefficiency. Another possibly is that you are just quoting certain parts of my argument just so you may take a swing at me. Well, it has backfired on you and I can see that you are probably just restating everything I said. It doesn't take a genius to see that you have mainly just rephrased what I had said. For example, you mentioned, about considering that the torturous training (which is the correct terminology, not events) is to make us feel proud. Did I not mentioned about the honor and pride when we serve our country, the thrill of holding a rifle and shooting, the respect we earn in our uniforms, the strips we earn when we are promoted and soon we may be in-charge of our own platoon? Those were my exact words. From here I can see that you basically just summarized my own statement. Thus, your dispute is weak, though it was entertaining to see someone attempting to take a shot at me. Good attempt.
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: No, it should not be mandatory

That is their own choice. Why should others decide for them? If they do not want it do not.
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: Yes, it should be mandatory.

So,why is it that I do not want to go to school but I still turn up for it almost everyday?I do not want it but do I have a choice?
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: No, it should not be mandatory

That is quite different. Adults make decisions for the stupid kids. School is perhaps not as much fun, but if you're an adult, then you see how happy you must have it. I myself am still a child, but I know that school is good for you and that you're once teren respectful of others.
Debate: Should National Service be mandatory for all male singaporeans?
Side: No, it should not be mandatory

I feel that National Service(NS) should not be mandatory for all male singaporeans for some reasons. Although NS help males to have discipline but Chew once said that is passion that helps,not discipline so if(i said IF,not really gonna happen) singapore is going to have a war,it will most probably be the passion of the soldiers for singapore to make them fight for singapore and not because they have the discipline through NS to make them fight for sinagapore. Also,not long ago,there is this article on a NS man letting his maid carry his bag for him.Why will something like this happen when NS helps man to have discipline? It is because the NS man does not have passion in National Service thus something like that happen. Also,another reason is that for many years,people have the misconception that man has better physical standard and is stronger than woman thus NS is mandatory for man only but what if is the other way round? For example,if the government has NS mandatory for females as well,perhaps they can do better than males?In conclusion,i feel that NS should not be mandatory for only male singaporean.