1. Introduction to the Neg
Casey Parsons

2. What is the neg?
In novice policy debate, the neg is just defending that the status quo is better than the plan
This becomes more complex in varsity debate but we’ll focus on novice debate for now

3. Neg Arguments The neg has two generic categories of arguments
On-case arguments directly respond to claims that the aff makes
Off-case arguments are the neg’s main arguments – they compose the neg case

4. On-Case Arguments
These are typically indicts to the stock issues of the aff
Possible examples
Inherency arguments – reasons why the aff will happen in the status quo
Solvency deficits – reasons the aff doesn’t work or doesn’t solve
Impact defense – reasons why the affs impacts are not a big deal

5. Off-Case Arguments
There are only four off-case arguments the neg can make
These are:
Topicality
Disadvantages
Counterplans
Kritiks
We’ll just worry about disadvantages for now

6. Disadvantages
Disadvantages tell the story of what happens when we do the plan
Disadvantages (disads, DA’s) have four components:
Uniqueness – Why the disadvantage doesn’t happen in the status quo and is unique to the plan
Link – What happens as a result of doing the plan
Internal Link – Kind of like the result of the link, it’s the last part of the story
Impact – Why we care about the Internal Link

7. Spending DA
For the sake of simplicity, we’ll talk about a super generic disadvantage that you should never actually run. It’s called “spending”
Here’s the outline:
Uniqueness – The economy is doing well in the status quo
This is why the disadvantage isn’t “triggered” in the status quo and is unique to the world of the aff
Link – The plan tanks economic growth and leads to economic decline
This is what happens if we do the plan
Internal Link – Economic decline leads to regional conflicts
This is what happens at the end of the link story
Impact – Regional conflicts escalate to nuclear war
We care about regional conflicts because they can escalate to bigger conflicts