These are my hastily considered thoughts on debate, an activity that I loved, but feel needs a serious makeover: Debate does reinforce privilege in many ways. It has evolved over time, and the schools that have dominated are those that have immense resources. Top debaters pay thousands of dollars a year for specialized training camps. What can be done about that? Im not sure, but I think a change of format is a reasonable answer. Critiques (Kritiks now) are common, and this is one form. Before we can blame this, we came blame the Kritik culture, which was a way for clever people to play the game without having to spend the scores of hours required researching and reading in libraries (or now at home). Once Kritiks were widely accepted, there was a tipping point and they became the norm rather than the exception. At that point, anything goes. There really was a slippery slope. So, heres where Ive come to stand: yes, its all absurd, but these black debaters arent tearing down the game. They saw the direction it was going, and have been playing their cards this way for a few years now. Do I think its absurd? Yes, but less so than what happened during the transition when wealthy schools pushed most schools out of the activity entirely, then proceeded to erode the structure in place over a period of two full decades. At this point, the entire structure of debate is broken. There are some new ideas and new programs springing up, but without the support of the established wealthy schools, there really isnt change to be had to bring the format back down to Earth.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Apr 2014 15:39:12 +0000
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