Last night, after assembling the nautical horde for a team photo or two for the yearbook, we had a practice round. Ordinarily I figure they’ll have plenty of practice rounds without me, and the advice of the varsity is always top-rate and mostly what I would say, but I’m curious about the new breed of Plebes, and figured it was a good chance to watch a couple in action. It worked out well, and I’ll do some more of these after we settle into the new topic, which is coming soon to a debate team near you. New topics always concentrate the mind for a while before you get tired of thinking about them, and the Jan-Feb has the extra attraction of being the TOC topic, with a whole extra layer of thinking, although we don’t looked poised for any trips to Ky at the moment. Since no one has signed up for Harvard or Emory, there’s not much for anyone to pin their hopes on, and I guess that will be that. I’ve been sort of looking for a break from it, to tell you the truth. As you know, I’m no great TOC fan, although I’m not terribly against it. It’s just that, as I always say, if TOC didn’t exist, I wouldn’t invent it. On the other hand, I’m almost banking on qualifying folks to CatNats, just because we’re due, and although it’s always an odd tournament, I don’t hate it as much as some other people do. Granted it’s usually so poorly run that we all get thirty or forty stories a year to tell the grandchildren, but it’s also usually someplace interesting, and I like all the people, so one muddles through it. And when it comes to muddling through things, I’m a pro.
Meanwhile, there’s the new LD rules, which we haven’t visited in a while. We were up to the new ballot. Here’s the instructions:
1. In LD debate, the resolution to be evaluated is a proposition of value. Values are ideals held by individuals, societies, governments, etc., that serve as the highest goals to be considered or achieved within the context of the resolution in question. A proposition of value concerns itself with what ought to be instead of what is.
2. Each debater has the burden to prove his or her side of the resolution more valid as a general principle. No debater can realistically be expected to prove complete validity or invalidity of the resolution. The better debater is the one who, on the whole, proves his/her side of the resolution more valid as a general principle.
3. Students are encouraged to research topic-specific literature and applicable works of philosophy. The nature of proof should be in the logic and the ethos of a student's independent analysis and/or authoritative opinion.
4. Communication in LD debate should emphasize clarity. Accordingly, a judge should only evaluate those arguments that were presented in a manner that was clear and understandable to him/her as a judge. Throughout the debate, the competitors should display civility as well as a professional demeanor and style of delivery.
5. After a case is presented, neither debater should be rewarded for presenting a speech completely unrelated to the arguments of his or her opponent; there must be clash concerning the major arguments in the debate. Cross-examination should clarify, challenge, and/or advance arguments.
6. The judge shall disregard new arguments introduced in rebuttal. This does not include the introduction of new evidence in support of points already advanced or the refutation of arguments introduced by opponents.
7. Because LD debaters cannot choose which side of the resolution to advocate, judges must be objective evaluators of both sides of the resolution. Evaluate the round based only on the arguments that the debaters made and not on personal opinions or on arguments you would have made.
Needless to say, most of this just recapitulates the rules already discussed, but for many judges, the ballot is the first and only thing they see where there’s any sense of rules being established, so one simply has to ask, if a judge were to read only these guidelines, and were to follow them, would that judge be able to honestly adjudicate a round? The answer, I would suggest, is yes, provided that the debaters also read and follow them. At the point where the debaters are better than the rules, and wish to do things like argue about the rules, then the judge who follows these rules has no choice but to drop that debater. The debater who wishes to critique the resolution should do so with due trepidation: it isn’t impossible, but you’d better be resolutional. You’d better speak so that you can be understood, and you’d better be civilized in your treatment of your opponent. The judge new to LD, from this ballot, will expect these things. It won’t educate the judge about Kant or Derrida or Locke or whoever you’re citing, but if you’re arguing that authority alone is a warrant, or if you’re not explaining your sources, you still deserve to go home without a trophy in your bag. Simply put, I intend to put this text on my Bump ballots starting next year (which is easy enough, having run out of Bump ballots this year). I can imagine no greater affirmation of the text of the ballot.
I’m a little less happy about the speaker points, which as far as I can tell are never discussed anywhere in the new rules, and simply presented thus:
Below Average 20-21
Average 22-23
Good 24-26
Excellent 27-28
Outstanding 29-30
My problem with any point system that goes against the norm is that it is, indeed, going against the norm. Some judges will follow this, some judges won’t. I’m withholding my final determination at the moment. I always tell people at MHLs and CFLs that it’s 29-30 as a Grade A, 27-28 is a B, 25-26 is a C, 24-25 is Unprepared, less than 24 is totally unprepared and/or unacceptable behavior. I think it’s easier for people to think in Grade Point terms, and this system does result in reasonable points, with a decent spread. I may use my approach on the Bump ballots. That remains to be seen. Of course, since points don’t matter in NFL rounds, that may explain why not so much attention was given to them. On the other hand, at least I think we’ve seen the end of the cockamamie Legion of Doom All Points Lead to 25 approach. Oy. What a dog that was. Aside from 2005 Manchester-Under-the-Sea, I don’t know of anyone who ever attempted them. And, of course, Manchester almost sank under the sea the one time they tried. Requisicat in pacem, good buddy.
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