Debate Tournament Commentary

Amorymeltzer

Not to make an ironic analogy, but have any of you played MTG? In a team battle, it can work sort of like that. Players/Members 1 and 2 are against 3 and 4. Order is 1, 3, 2, 4, etc. Players/Members should communicate, spread the damage, and play up their strong points while defending the others' weakpoints. No Type II cards allowed.

Be careful, your inner dork is showing. (I also used to play competetively. Neutral Ground, represent!)

I like the idea of a team debate, though I think I would have a better time reading them than participating. Ever since pre-school I've had "Doesn't play well with others" stamped on my permanent record.

Memory Shock
So basically heavy on BS and light on facts? That's the most entertaining sort of debate, even if it is the least useful in terms of contributing to the erudition of our fellow members.

I maintain we got real lucky in '97/'98, and we continue to slaughter tens of millions of animals every year to prevent the disease from ballooning out.

There's got to be a better method of prevention, I just don't know what it is.

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
Memory Shock
So basically heavy on BS and light on facts?

Not really.......though laying it on thick is part of the debating experience.

1918 was so devastating in part due to the simultaneous World War....where resources and hospital space were already burdened with the wounded........there was no concerted effort to even determine a problem prior to the fact of their being one.....little forethought (unless it was an intentional culling of the herd, which would be a different debate )


Now adays, we not only have the time to sit around and talk about it, we also have the benefit of more advanced medical knowledge as well as a more hygenic society who happen to be aware of what it takes to maintain a shield from infection.....upon learning of the pandemic, you would have a whole population turn into OCD overnight!! And those are the points I would elaborate to eat up the word count.......I'm positive there are facts out there to support this case........

The only problem i would have with team debates is maybe collobarting. How are you supposed to unify two different styles of writing? I guess one person would be doing all the writing.

Originally posted by ktprktpr
I guess one person would be doing all the writing.

I suppose the best way would be either to elect the strongest writer to edit and compile the information from the other team members, or else take turns in writing up the post.

Either way would involve a lot of back chat on mail, or maybe the mods could provide a secure discussion and posting area for each team. Only the team members could access and read this area. Afterwards it could be opened up for everyone to read.

It would be a great learning tool for anyone wanting to learn how to debate to see how the arguments were formulated and finally presented. It would probably be more logisticaly feasible than doing it by mail as some members may wish to preserve their privacy and personal details.

As for the Avian Flu debate, how many are willing to bet that we will all be vegatarians within 10 years? The only sure way to prevent such outbreaks would be to dispose of the meat industry altogether. Having said that, looking over history, societies within proximity of such intensive farming have always developed stronger constitutions and immune systems by virtue of survival of the fittest. Maybe it is just nature taking it's course?

I'm not taking any chances anyway. I am eating as much steak and chicken as I can lay my hands on. Something to tell the grandkids about, I suppose!

Originally posted by howmuchisthedoggy
As for the Avian Flu debate, how many are willing to bet that we will all be vegatarians within 10 years?

What an extreme measure!!!!

But perfectly in line with prevention.....

On a side note, I really decided to experiment with vegatarianism based on a thought a buddy of mine came up with, and that is meat tends to provoke a specific physiological reaction that may or may not encourage a greater liklihood of certain behavioral inclinations, which would then tend to affect the capacity for different activities, intellectual and physical alike.....

I'm still doing the research end of it, though the experience is interesting....but damn, I wouldn't mind a cheeseburger!!

You can't get B12 from anything other then meat.

I will risk bird flu, over anemia.

Well, the 1st responses are over and it looks like the Non-Western Democracy debate could turn ugly!

kptrkptr managed to get the ol' pimp hand loosened out and smacked all and sundry taking a few innocent bystanders out in the first few lines. Judges should note promised crayola diagrams were not supplied for those of us still trying to figure out which way this debate is going.

However the debate once again threw up this tournament's pet peeve. The accuracy and validity of Wikipedia. The debate also shows danger of falling into a semantic tit-for-tat over definitions rather than dealing with topics as we would hope. One can only hope that the 2nd responses will bring further depth to this increasingly interesting topic.

So what will happen next? Will we see kptrkptr swinging the ol' pimp hand or will we see theLibra mount one of his now trademark "Chewbacca Defenses"? Will the pimp hand be able to reach the wookie's chops? Will the debate spiral into arguing definitons or will theLibra's next response be measured enough to pull it up in time?!?

Stay tuned for 2nd responses!!

Well the definition is one of the most important things.

If Western Society was taken to be the normal meaning that we all understand (esp. me and theLibra) thent here wouldn't be a debate. That's why we're battling over it so much.

Originally posted by ktprktpr
Well the definition is one of the most important things.

If Western Society was taken to be the normal meaning that we all understand (esp. me and theLibra) thent here wouldn't be a debate. That's why we're battling over it so much.

Another reason why the term "Western Society" is so important to define in the debate is because no two references seem to fully agree on what it means. For grins, I asked about 20 people at work, and got 30 different definitions.

As for the use of Wikipedia, one must consider that it is one of the few quotable encyclopedias that does not require a membership fee, and also is usually among the first items to show up in a Google search. In a "real life" debate, the subjects would be quoting primarily from newspaper and magazine articles. The "qualification" of the contributors to either will always be variable. I would, however, argue that Wikipedia was a more credible reference than most of the ones I see posted on this site.

Well ... you could go to the library. But I don't think I've ever gone to the library for any of my debates. That's just above and beyond the call of duty.

Originally posted by ktprktpr
Well ... you could go to the library. But I don't think I've ever gone to the library for any of my debates. That's just above and beyond the call of duty.

LOL! The Library!?!? I'm lucky to manage the hours it takes to research and compose response every 24 hours. Perhaps if enough money were on the line that I could take time off work to do so, but otherwise, the library is closing about the time I get home.

Well, ktpr, not necessarily. You could do it that way, but you could also each have your own writing style and each submit your own work. You'd just collaborate on the work itself.

Odium: You're so right. Meat is worth my life.

Anyway, ktprktpr and thelibra: This fight is DIRT-AY! I love it!

Originally posted by Amorymeltzer
Anyway, ktprktpr and thelibra: This fight is DIRT-AY! I love it!

A dirty fight to be cleaned up with...



The Soap of Justice!!!

"I am Jack's raging bile duct."

Project Mayhem my foot!

Originally posted by Amorymeltzer
Anyway, ktprktpr and thelibra: This fight is DIRT-AY! I love it!

Something smells funky in here. We got mod-lovin. Now dats just un-natural!

Originally posted by ktprktpr
Something smells funky in here. We got mod-lovin. Now dats just un-natural!

Hey, not all of us are asexual. But, if it makes you feel any better, I'm loving the down and dirty fight. Reminds me of my brief career.

Hunh? When did you debate? I don't remember you debating... You weren't in the one OIMD was in were you?

Only entered twice, I'm sad to say, sort of. Once against Loki. I was sore about that one, and although I feel I should've won, I see why I lost. My style was very coarse. And another, half one this year in the tournament that got cancelled.

lmao
"Well, I'd like to congratulate you Loki for your use of the English language. It seems you finally developed a taste for it."

No wonder you like abrasive debating! Will you guys be putting in quotes from the judges this time around?

Now I know the rules on response times are a bit more relaxed this time around, but that's twice in a row now the 24 hour time limit has passed...

C'mon Kptrkptr, don't let me win through forfeit. I want all my rounds to be legit...