Time to head to the mind gym with Marcus Viney for an LD exercise session...
Episode 10 Resources:
Episode 10 Transcription:
My name is Marcus Viney, Head Coach of Cheyenne East, and this is, Episode 10:
Exercise Episode!
This time, instead of learning about concepts, we’ll be practicing some exercises. You don’t have to listen all the way through, because you might want to try each of these at different times. They increase in difficulty from easy to hard. This is the beginning of the “Easy” exercise. Flow each argument and create at least one answer for each, or two if you’re feeling feisty. Ten reasons why you should always spend all of your money. The first reason is fun. Working for money is hard, so you need to reward yourself with things that make you happy. The second reason is motivation. When you spend all of your money, you will quickly realize that you have none left, so you will end up working more. The third reason is showing off. Spending large amounts of money is unusual and it will attract the attention of other people, which is neat. Fourth is making friends. Everyone loves that one person who offers to pay for movie tickets or food (especially tacos!), and you will become that person. The fifth is helping others. When you buy things, it supports businesses and the people who work there; you’re basically a hero. The sixth reason is dating. If there is one thing that will attract a love interest, it’s reckless spending, and there’s no possible downside. Seventh is making money. That’s right. As the old saying goes, “you can’t make money without spending money.” Number eight is family. We all know that family is your support system, and they deserve to have fun and be supported in return. The ninth reason is investment. Whatever you spend your money on will inevitably grow in value, so it’s a wise thing to do. And the tenth and final reason is… YOLO. Yup, that’s right. You only have one life to live, so you better live your best life. Spend that cash and don’t look back.
This is the beginning of the “Medium” exercise. Flow each argument with details, and create at least two answers for each. If you want to try one defensive and one offensive, be my guest. Resolved: Everyone should be required to own 10 cats. Contention 1: It will solve the homeless cat problem. It’s estimated that there are 100 million stray cats living in the US, and perhaps even more. With 350 million people living in the US at 10 cats each, that will easily give every cat a home. Currently, stray cats are susceptible to malnutrition, danger, or even abuse, simply because they don’t have someone to take care of them. This matters because it means there is widespread and unnecessary suffering on the streets. If everyone did their part, we could make our country a safer place to live for cats and humans alike. Contention 2: It will teach responsibility to the public. Research suggests that roughly 68% of Americans are pet-owners, which means that about 32% of people live in petless homes. One of the major benefits of having a pet at home is learning responsibility. Cats require food, water, exercise, and love. But without a pet in the home, a person is unlikely to gain the benefits of caring for a living creature. By requiring 10 cats each, we not only make everyone in the US a pet-owner, but we increase the responsibility that current pet-owners have. The impact of this is that we will become a more caring and attentive nation. Contention 3: It will improve the quality of everyone’s sleep. Cat owners know that having a cat companion to cuddle with helps you get better sleep. Cats have warm bodies, and when they lay on top of you, it radiates a cozy feeling that induces drowsiness. They also purr which can have a calming effect, making us fall asleep more quickly and for longer. The important outcome of this is that, with 10 cats each, everyone will be sleeping better, which dramatically improves health and wellbeing.
This is the beginning of the “Hard” exercise. Flow each contention, with details from each (including the author and date), and plan at least two responses for each, one defensive and one offensive ( you may have to do a little research). Resolved: The US should adopt a Universal Basic Income. Contention 1: Other countries are doing it. Tse 2016. The universal basic income is a more cost-efficient method of alleviating poverty. Swiss and Finnish governments have recently launched basic income experiments, and Canada and Spain have demonstrated interest in the UBI. Contention 2: It would simplify our system. Tanner 2015. A guaranteed national income would be far simpler than the current welfare system. Today, the federal government funds 126 separate and often overlapping anti-poverty programs. A guaranteed national income would consolidate all of these programs into a single entity. Finally, Contention 3: It will solve the problem of rising automation. Schiller 2015. Robots already do many menial tasks. In the future, they’ll do more sophisticated jobs as well. A study from last year from Oxford University found that 47% of jobs are at risk of computerization over the next two decades. That includes positions in transport and logistics, office and administration, sales and construction, and even law, financial services, and medicine. We’re approaching an era when there will simply be less to do.
After you master these exercises, try making some of your own! Thanks for listening, and see you next season!