50 Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics
Written by PSTI
Controversy attracts people like ants to honey. Whether it’s something that happens in the neighborhood or in the political arena, it evokes discussions that last months or years.
A controversial persuasive speech involves picking up a topic that is controversial in nature and it has to be one that either stands the test of time or belongs to the current world we live in.
Here are some creative controversial persuasive speech topics that are sure to attract your audience and elicit an emotional response, which is what persuasion is meant to do. You can create a speech around a topic based on your stand.
A List Of 50 Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics:
- “Pride House” for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) athletes.
- Islamic economics and capitalism. Which is better?
- A non-college education for higher income possibilities. (A PhD Biologist earns less than a highly skilled aircraft engine mechanic.)
- Bailing out of banks and financial institutions by the government.
- UK is a surveillance society based on the level of regulation and surveillance.
- Polygamy should be legalized.
- The negative impact of a lesbian mother on her daughter.
- The requirement of a warrant for search and seizures should be dropped.
- Abolishment of the jury, giving sole power of decision to a judge or to a panel of judges.
- The use of biological weapons that strike a specific race and leave most others unharmed.
- Torture as a useful interrogation tool for particularly heinous crimes like rape, child molestation, murders etc.
- Mandatory implants of contraception against pregnancy for all (both sexes) close to the average onset of puberty until people obtain a license to have children. To conceive, both parents must be certified.
- The merits of genetically modified organisms, specifically transgenic crops.
- The world would be better off without organized religion.
- Why we should not buy music released under RIAA labels.
- Harvesting sperm from dead male relatives/spouses for someone else to have their own children.
- The use of stem cells from aborted babies to cure diseases.
- Legalization of assisted suicide for people suffering from terminal illnesses.
- Hunting is good as it brings in money for the state and local businesses.
- Religion can help with the spiritual growth in a society where people are nothing more than shelled husks without souls, where only money and superficial beauty matter.
- Why self help books cannot help and are cheap and short-term fixes, rather than a long-term solution.
- Nature versus nurture. Going green is not legit and isn’t working.
- The ethics of combining human and animal DNA in order to research stem cells.
- Chip implants in pets for identification.
- Anarchism is better than all forms of government due to its definitions and applications.
- Racial profiling should be done.
- Say no to adult content in cartoons and other programs watched by children.
- Single parents should not be allowed to adopt.
- The use of health insurance companies, of the medical history and genetic information of their clients.
- Gender choice during child adoption.
- Availability of HIV drug kits in drug stores.
- Implanted GPS systems threaten privacy.
- Why using ‘Yank’ ‘N****r’ ‘Abo’ ‘Asian’ ‘Kiwi” etc. is not offensive.
- Journalism is the art of intellectual prostitution.
- Say no to palm oil and other products made with palm oil and save the orangutans.
- Climate change is more political than scientific.
- Allowing drugs in some sports competitions will allow us to keep others clean.
- Why the decision to disarm Americans may lead America to Civil war?
- Why the all-male court culture doesn’t work.
- Why mass school shootings should not get media attention.
- Should prayers be imposed in schools? Why?
- Zodiac signs changed with the introduction of the 13th.
- Fast food chains should face regulations as a result of the nation’s obesity problem.
- It should be legally made mandatory for adoptive parents to allow biological parents access to the children they gave birth to.
- Terminally ill patients should be allowed to use h****n.
- The ethics of Drone warfare.
- Should churches work harder to be multi-racial?
- Why America should stop behaving like the World’s police force.
- New York City soft drink size limit should be implemented.
- Ban all foods containing “beef,” in view of the huge 2013 meat adulteration scandal.
You must understand that controversy doesn’t mean a personal insult. It just means convincing people to accept your side of the story. Go ahead and get your ideas across to the audience with any one of the hot controversial topics listed above.
WARNING: Number 17 is NOT a thing! After watching three stem cell documentaries and doing a week of research on stem cells for an extensive research paper/ debate speech topic I discover that it is NOT possible to recover embryonic stem cells from aborted fetuses, as you can only recover them from a seven day old blastocyst at the OLDEST. I guess it is my fault for not looking into the possibility part of it before the ethics and science part of it. DO NOT MAKE MY MISTAKE!!!
I came to this site to find an interesting topic to speak on in my upcoming speech, unfortunately I did not realize that I was going to come across so much racism in the topics listed. Whoever made this site is obviously extremely racist and should strongly consider removing some of those topics.
Have you consider the idea that the person who made this list was just trying to give out statements/topics that are extremely controversial? Maybe the person was attempting to list great topics/statements that you may want to argue against. The site is not necessarily racist for posting the list.
Grow a pair please. None of these were racist, but rather commented on the racist tendencies of many people in the world. If you cannot handle that people are not nice, get off the internet before your feefees get hurt again.
I mean you did click on a post that was called 50 CONTROVERSIAL persuasive speech topics, so if you choose to be offended so be it.
theyre titled controversial for a reason yknow…
Hence why it is CONTROVERSIAL. You can support or attack any of these said topics, the author is not making claims, but merely providing a list of topics to write about.
being racist is part of the whole “controversial” thing. I mean racism does create controversy.
maybe you should write a paper about how the world is now filled with a bunch of sensitive cry babies. The person who wrote these isn’t racist. these are actually huge topics in today’s. world. Get over it. You’re racist for thinking this is racist.
I like some of these but, some of these are repulsive and shitty.
In defense of the author of this list, the point is that these topics are controversial. The author should not be accused of racism simply because he/she published a list of intentionally hot topics. Let’s thank the author for the topic ideas and understand the intent of the article.
I’m on my high school debate team and I use these topics all the time. Most people on the team think I’m a terrible person.
In regards to 33. The words Nigga and Kiwi are worlds apart and should not be banded into one group! As a Kiwi this term represents national identity and pride. The N word is a term steeped in years of racism, slavery and inhumanity. WTF is this!!!
people should stop being so butt-hurt about everything. These are all good ideas to persuade. They dont necessarily mean they’re true, but they represent an individuals views. We all have the right to believe what we want and to profess that belief. Just like calling somebody a homophobe for not agreeing with homosexuality. Disagreement does not mean hate, nor phobia.
There is a reason they are called “Controversial.” The author of the article did not state his/her opinion on any of the matters that were listed. He/She simply listed them as topics that people are fighting over. Of course racism is going to be a big part of controversial issues. Not only that, but just because a topic hurts someone’s feelings –which, by the way, is kind of a big part of why something is labeled controversial to being with– doesn’t mean it should be taken down. In fact, I would argue that it should be left up so that it can be discussed and hopefully resolved. You guys went on to an article titled “50 ***controversial*** persuasive speech topics.” Why on Earth are you complaining that the topics listed are controversial?!
I guarantee it was a white person that came up with # 33. It’s always interesting to see Caucasians try to be the moral Policemen of the world and try to tell other races how we should think, see, and feel. All racial slurs are offensive!
I could not understand 34.how journalism is the art of prostitution.
It says 50 controversial persuasive topics in the title….Did you really expect to agree with all of them? Don’t read it if you aren’t mature enough to handle a controversial and possibly uncomfortable topic.
lmfao, I find it funny how people find these topics offensive. I bet they’re ignorant of what’s really going on in the world.
You censored h****n but not ni**er? lol