1AC

I stand in affirmation of the resolution It is appropriate for outsiders to present themselves as

experts on cultures other than their own.
Contention One is Extensive Research
In the case of Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse had done extensive reading on the subject of
cultures. Not only was he well-read in the Western philosophies of Plato, Spinoza, and
Nietzsche, but he was also deeply influenced by Chinese and Indian philosophers. It is granted
that reading alone is not sufficient for one to learn about a specific culture, just as one cannot
learn how to swim solely by reading about it. However, more often than not, the outsiders have
spent a lot of time in the environment of the culture which they are not a part of. Hesse, for
example, traveled a lot to many different countries, and was very culturally aware. This allowed
him to compare the culture about which he wrote to the culture that he belonged to. Not only did
it make him very knowledgeable about the culture that we was writing about, but it gave him an
outsiders perspective. This means that he was actually a better candidate for writing about the
culture than was an insider, since he could compare it to other cultures. This increased the
validity of his writing.
Contention Two is Learning
When talking about whether outsiders can be experts on a culture, we must first
examine what culture means to us. It is a way in which we live our lives, and can be seen in the
food we eat, the language we speak, and our mannerisms and behavior. These are all things
that can be learned through observation. Even the way that we learn our own culture begins
through observation. As soon as we are born, we begin to learn about a culture through our
parents. No baby is born into the world already knowing the customs to which they must
inevitably belong. Even now, as teenagers, we learn things through observations. As we grow,
we learn of our roles in our culture and how to fulfill them. Even as a part of the culture, we still
have different views and struggle with different things.
Because of the fact that outsiders can learn a lot through research, and because everyone was
once an outsider to their own culture and only learned through observation, I urge you to vote in
affirmation.

1AR
My opponent talked about the ideas of John Locke, and how the human being is born as
a blank slate. However, they completely ignore the fact that this is in direct support of my
second contention, which states that we learn things through observation, and then through
experience.
The question of this debate is over whether or not an outsider can be an expert on a
culture other than their own. These outsiders have done extensive research on the culture and
have observed it. The affirmative has successfully proven that every person first observes a

culture, and then becomes a part of it. The affirmative side has also proven that Hermann
Hesse, and other outsiders, were actually better candidates for writing about a culture than
those that are part of the culture, since it gives them an outside perspective and allows them to
compare it to their own cultures. It comes down to the method through which we learn about the
culture, which the affirmative side has won. Therefore, you must vote in affirmation.