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Help with a speech

I'd prefer serious help... But won't get bent out of shape if you call me an 16 year old anarchist, smoking pot on the railroad tracks..

I'm preforming a speech on what a Libertarian is, and justifying our ideal at some points. I want a strong, abrupt opening. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions :)
 
[member="Lupe Baracka"]

*Cracks Knuckles* You're in luck, I'm an introvert who got an A in Public Speaking. Still not sure how...


Anyways, have you thought about opening with phrases such as "Free will" , "Maximum liberty" ....Hmmm...maybe your first line could be similar to

"How would you like to live your own life as you see fit?"
 
Rule #1 : Don't cite Wikipedia
Rule #2 : DON'T cite Wikipedia

Read a few books and pamphlets regarding classical liberalism, since socially speaking, it has most in common with the Libertarian ideology. Don't do cheesy one liners unless you can expand on them immediately, and if they have something to do with the subject you are approaching. The Libertarian manifesto is almost entirely an economical one, so unless you have some knowledge on how the markets actually work, what inflation is, and how the Federal Reserve works in America, then don't do it.

As well, don't paint it in rose tinted glasses as it is the most surefire way to invalidate your presentation due to bias. Take a professional approach to this entire matter, citing sources, facts, and studies regarding what you are talking about, offering breaks in the presentation to explain, more in depth, certain facets of either the movement or economical terms and what they represent in order to keep your audience on the up and up. Compare it to other economical systems, such as the Fascist / Communistic government ran / centrally planned economies, and the current modern day Capitalist economic model of government regulations.

Don't sugar coat it. Libertarianism, like Fascism, Communism, Anarchism, Monarchism, etc all have their pros and cons. You will be taken more seriously if you don't ignore the downfalls of your ideology and people will be more willing to listen to those that can admit their mistakes or don't attempt to make them seem smaller than they truly are.

Most important of all, do your goddamn research. If this ideology actually means anything to you besides a fad, you will do your utmost to research the topic from all angles, listen to any opinion presented to you, be it that of a supporter or a dissenter of the ideology, and form your own personal opinion on the subject. Parroting is the death of the liberty you hold so dear.
 
skin, bone, and arrogance
Darth Junra said:
Say something about Ayn Rand and see what happens.
"I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."

or

"The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities."

or

Anything Ayn Rand has ever said. But if you're at an American school, I would avoid this, because the American education system doesn't turn out people who can wrap their head around true libertarianism, much less the hardcore Rand libertarianism. You will be accused of racism, hatred of the poor (probably women, too, for good measure) - and that's by the people who don't sneeringly dismiss Ayn Rand without explaining a rationale for it.

I would start with some foundational quote on liberty. Provocative - the people you're talking to will probably not have been exposed to this philosophy in anything remotely neutral terms. You want to challenge them without offending them, and to lay it out in the simplest and most logical terms. The basic flaw in marketing libertarianism is that it is based more upon logic than it is upon feelings. It isn't prone to slogans like left-wing ideology and it doesn't stir moral ire like right-wing ideology. It's about liberty, it's about a balance between the rights of individuals and the rights of the capital-S State, and it's about the fact that every time a capital-S State acts in any way, it leaves a little less freedom for the rest of us.
 
Natasi Fortan said:
I would avoid this, because the American education system doesn't turn out people who can wrap their head around true libertarianism
Sadly true. I had to explain to a friend yesterday about why the general Tea Party follower doesn't really follow what Ayn Rand says despite claiming so. I don't think he understood.
 

Nyxie

【夢狐】
I know this sounds TOTALLY radical and immoral but before you jump the gun and take it the wrong way...

...watch a few Hitler speeches.

Gives you a great idea on how to get a crowd excited about a speech.
 
Ridist Dracko said:
watch a few Hitler speeches.
Hitler is hardly saying the same messages, though, and spoke to a different generation and in a different language (assuming). There's reason why modern English-speaking politicians normally do not approach a speech with the fervor that Hitler had.
 
[member="Darth Junra"]

I'll agree with her on this bit, although I would argue that generation and linguistics have little to do with the success of a speech itself, geopolitical events of the recent past and present having a greater impact on whether it will be widely accepted or not. I'd say Nigel Farages speeches to the EU would be more relevant here in terms of delivering an aggressive speech towards a body of power / status quo.
 

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