Speech Topics

[Jaxb]

I'm a member of a Toastmasters club and I'm working through a project in one of the manuals where I have to give a speech on a controversial topic. A Q&A period is included. Do you have any suggestions? My club consists of mostly non-Christians and talking about religion and politics are allowed.

Just in case you don't know, Toastmasters is an organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members to develop their communication and leadership skills. Members work through different manuals that entail giving speeches and serving in different leadership roles.

[Sparko]

Talk about how homosexuality is wrong. That is controversial, but it might get you burned at the stake.

Abortion might also be good, but not at a meeting with food.

Oh heck, go to our Civics101 area and pick any thread and you will find a controversial topic.

[Jaxb]

Talk about how homosexuality is wrong. That is controversial, but it might get you burned at the stake.

Abortion might also be good, but not at a meeting with food.

Oh heck, go to our Civics101 area and pick any thread and you will find a controversial topic.

Abortion sounds like a good topic.

[fm93]

Somehow I feel like I saw a thread asking this exact same question in the exact same context on the old site. Were you a member pre-crash, or are there just a lot of religious-minded Toastmasters members looking for controversial speech topics?

[Cow Poke]

Immigration - and the way it's framed. The fact that many (most) of us support LEGAL immigration. So, when the left uses "anti-immigration", they're being dishonest, because we (conservatives) are anti-ILLEGAL immigration.

[fm93]

Immigration - and the way it's framed. The fact that many (most) of us support LEGAL immigration. So, when the left uses "anti-immigration", they're being dishonest, because we (conservatives) are anti-ILLEGAL immigration.

The problem is that the main conservative party in the US has let its loudest speakers frame the immigration debate in a way that appears to be anti-immigration in general.

It's one thing to disapprove of people crossing a border when some law says they're not supposed to. It's another thing to call those people disparaging and dehumanizing terms like "those illegals."

It's one thing to believe that the US economy might ultimately suffer if people keep illegally immigrating. It's another thing to depict those people as rapists and violent criminals.

And, of course, it doesn't help when conservatives nominate as the Republican nominee a disgraced TV host who's focused his campaign around depicting immigrants as dangerous threats who need to be kept out by an utterly infeasible wall.

[Cow Poke]

The problem is that the main conservative party in the US has let its loudest speakers frame the immigration debate in a way that appears to be anti-immigration in general.

Which makes it an interesting topic worth debating.

It's one thing to disapprove of people crossing a border when some law says they're not supposed to.

"some law"?

It's another thing to call those people disparaging and dehumanizing terms like "those illegals."

It's one thing to believe that the US economy might ultimately suffer if people keep illegally immigrating. It's another thing to depict those people as rapists and violent criminals.

And, of course, it doesn't help when conservatives nominate as the Republican nominee a disgraced TV host

Wow, I bet you don't see the hypocrisy..... you don't want illegals being called "those illegals", yet you have no problem denigrating a successful businessman as a "disgraced TV host".

who's focused his campaign around depicting immigrants as dangerous threats who need to be kept out by an utterly infeasible wall.

You're making my case - it would be an interesting topic for speech and Q&A.

[fm93]

Wow, I bet you don't see the hypocrisy..... you don't want illegals being called "those illegals", yet you have no problem denigrating a successful businessman as a "disgraced TV host".

Considering that he's had several businesses go bankrupt, has resorted to hypocritical practices such as having undocumented Polish immigrants work on his construction projects, and had the benefit of a million-dollar loan from his father (which Donald laughably refers to as "a small loan"), I'm not sure it's actually fair to call him a "successful businessman."

But seeing as he was basically kicked off his own TV show, I'd say it IS fair to refer to him as a disgraced TV host.

[mossrose]

Considering that he's had several businesses go bankrupt, has resorted to hypocritical practices such as having undocumented Polish immigrants work on his construction projects, and had the benefit of a million-dollar loan from his father (which Donald laughably refers to as "a small loan"), I'm not sure it's actually fair to call him a "successful businessman."

But seeing as he was basically kicked off his own TV show, I'd say it IS fair to refer to him as a disgraced TV host.

Perhaps a good topic to bring up in Civics. But it doesn't really do to carry on this discussion in this thread. The op is just asking for speech topics, not discussion on said topics.

[Jaxb]

Somehow I feel like I saw a thread asking this exact same question in the exact same context on the old site. Were you a member pre-crash, or are there just a lot of religious-minded Toastmasters members looking for controversial speech topics?

I was a member pre-crash and I'm still a member. I'm working through a manual which requires to speak on a controversial topic.

[Jaxb]

Immigration - and the way it's framed. The fact that many (most) of us support LEGAL immigration. So, when the left uses "anti-immigration", they're being dishonest, because we (conservatives) are anti-ILLEGAL immigration.

That would be a good topic.

[Raphael]

That would be a good topic.

Speaking as a legal immigrant to my country (I now have Citizenship here) I agree. Would also be worth covering, if time permits, how other countries handle both legal and illegal immigration (for example in the UAE, it's absurdly simple to get a long term work visa, but you can never get Residency. )

[Cow Poke]

Speaking as a legal immigrant to my country (I now have Citizenship here) I agree. Would also be worth covering, if time permits, how other countries handle both legal and illegal immigration (for example in the UAE, it's absurdly simple to get a long term work visa, but you can never get Residency. )

Yeah, there are many aspects of this that could be discussed, and it would be a good test of a person's ability to reason and debate without getting in the gutter.

[Sparko]

Considering that he's had several businesses go bankrupt, has resorted to hypocritical practices such as having undocumented Polish immigrants work on his construction projects, and had the benefit of a million-dollar loan from his father (which Donald laughably refers to as "a small loan"), I'm not sure it's actually fair to call him a "successful businessman."

But seeing as he was basically kicked off his own TV show, I'd say it IS fair to refer to him as a disgraced TV host.

good logic

so then by your logic, since illegal aliens are people who are in the country illegally, it is actually fair to call them "illegals"

right?

how is that denigrating? It is merely descriptive. Like calling people who break the law, "crooks"

but in truth, Trump was not kicked off his TV show (The apprentice) - where did you get that from?

[Cow Poke]

good logic

so then by your logic, since illegal aliens are people who are in the country illegally, it is actually fair to call them "illegals"

right?

how is that denigrating? It is merely descriptive. Like calling people who break the law, "crooks"

That actually could be another topic of speech and Q&A --- "Has this !@^!&!#@$ Political Correctness gone too far?"

And, by the way, they're not "crooks", they are "justice involved individuals".