A disadvantage, often shortened to DA, is an Opposition argument that claims the Proposition's plan will cause a specific bad outcome. Disadvantages are most common in Cross-Examination debate, where the Negative team frequently reads one or more DAs as part of their core strategy.
The Standard DA Structure
- Uniqueness - the bad outcome is not currently happening
- Link - the Proposition's plan causes the bad outcome
- Internal Link - the causal chain between the plan and the impact
- Impact - the terminal consequence of the bad outcome (why it matters)
A DA that is missing any of these pieces is usually easy to attack. For example, if the Proposition shows that the 'bad outcome' is already happening without their plan, they have defeated the uniqueness and the DA is dead.
How to Respond to a Disadvantage
The Proposition can respond to a DA in several ways: attack the uniqueness (show the outcome already happens), attack the link (show the plan does not cause the outcome), attack the internal link (break the causal chain), attack the impact (show the outcome is not as bad as claimed), or turn the DA (show the plan actually prevents the outcome).