What does the word "debate" mean to you? Have you ever been on a debate team?

[Edited on August 18, 2006 at 5:00 PM. Reason : ?]

8/18/2006 4:58:55 PM

yes

8/18/2006 5:04:04 PM

I was president of the debate team for two years in high school. Well, one of those years I was technically VP, but I ran everything because the pres was a shiftless resume-padding drug addict who did very little.

The one thing I can say about debate tournaments is that they were pretty much an orgy of sex and drug abuse. And also that I kind of kicked ass at them.

8/18/2006 5:05:01 PM

^ You mean you were the best fucker and substance abuser?

8/18/2006 5:14:15 PM

What did you think of debating? Besides the fact that you were good at it.

Did you go to any state/national tournaments? Summer camps?

8/18/2006 5:18:07 PM

1) An exchange of conflicting viewpoints centering around a single topic or issue.

2) No.

8/18/2006 5:25:59 PM

Quote :

"You mean you were the best fucker and substance abuser?"

Sadly those were before my fucking and substance-abusing days started, but I took advantage of everyone else being distracted and was good at the actual events.

Quote :

"Did you go to any state/national tournaments? Summer camps?"

State tournaments didn't really matter for anything. District tournaments (of which there were two in NC, East and West) mattered as far as getting into nationals. I went to both each year, not that you had to meet any qualification to get to them. I never had time or money for summer camps.

As to the national tournament, no, I never went because our team was poor and so was I and so when districts came around I didn't take them too terribly seriously because I couldn't afford to go on to Nationals anyway.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, though. If nothing else it was just a lot of fun (for most of the events -- those Lincoln/Douglas debaters wouldn't know fun if it bit them in the ass), and I liked a lot of the people both on my team and from some of the others we would regularly meet.

Over the years I did a few events but mostly I stuck to Congress, because it had more flexibility in subject matter and speech format. I enjoyed it immensely. A lot of the legislation we'd debate was repetitive (there was always one about lifting the Cuban embargo and legalizing drugs and banning the death penalty), so you got the chance to develop really solid arguments against the tired old ones that your opposition would bring out. I consistently use a lot of my old debate talking points here in the Soap Box. But you'd also get plenty of variety and some off-the-wall topics that lent themselves to extemping or humor.

Overall, recommend A+++ would do again

8/18/2006 5:45:47 PM

"Debate" to me means formal, highly-structured arguing.

I've done it a few times in an academic setting, and it's effing annoying. It's far too rigid and gets in the way of its intended purpose (reaching a conclusion)

8/18/2006 6:07:36 PM

I did forensics in HS. It was basically a public speaking competition. My voice was changing the year I took it. So when I would give my speech, I'd introduce myself in my high squeaky voice and then give my speech in my deep voice. That really woke the judges up.

8/18/2006 11:35:27 PM

This is a sad day for the Wolf Web


We're debating the meaning of the word "debate"

8/18/2006 11:48:09 PM

^No, Prawn Star.

8/18/2006 11:56:26 PM