Dear students who have been given the honour of presenting on this challenging topic, you guys looked so worried I felt I had to offer some possible approaches to this topic. Don’t feel restricted to these ideas though, feel free to take off with your own interpretations. It’s not always a matter of who is wrong or right, but a matter of who manages to make the most convincing argument. Relax, and enjoy yourselves!

Race matters.

Questions to ponder:
What exactly is race? What is ethnicity?
Race is often confused with religion or nationality.
Are there biological differences between races?
Does race matter to people?
Should race matter?
Is race a useful category to define humans?
Can categorising people by race lead to discrimination?
Is it possible to be proud of one’s race without looking down on other races?

Possible approach for -
Proposition: Show that race does matter to people, it influences their decisions, forms part of their identity, and this is NOT necessarily a bad thing. Acknowledging differences can lead to mutual respect. Can show that it would be naïve of us to assume that racial differences can be erased from people’s consciousness so easily. Show examples of historical events which show clearly that race matters to people, for better or for worse. Proposition can take the stand that it is an undeniable fact that race matters, and your evidence has proven this beyond a doubt. The proposition’s task is to prove that the statement is true.
Opposition: convince the audience that race SHOULD NOT matter. There is little if any evidence of biological differences between races. Humanity is or should be moving towards an integrated existence, rather than one based on differences. Have to acknowledge that there are differences, but these differences are only superficial; humans all generally have the same needs and desires. Race, ethnicity, nationality – these are all social constructs that have meaning only if we choose to give them meaning. Can show examples of people and groups or communities for whom race does not matter. Opposition could take the stand that race matters only in our minds, it is NOT a natural or desirable outlook, and to say that it matters is to propagate a false idea created by man. The challenge the opposition face, and their task, is to take the moral high ground and show that race SHOULD NOT matter, and to show that those who say race matters are only looking at surface differences. When it comes to basic human qualities, the goodness or evil in one’s heart, the ability to tell right from wrong, our basic human emotions and needs and desires, we are overwhelmingly alike.