[eDebate] on debate and illiterate morons

[Ken Sherwood]

For those who may not understand my need to do this or my indignation,
let me explain...At two of three tournaments this semester I have had
judges (I could almost excuse the behavior from some of the novice
debaters who have made the claim, but this has come from judges) tell my
teams that their affirmative is the most non-topical and most abusive
case on the topic this year because our plan ratifies and implements
four of the five treaties listed in the resolution. To which resolution
do you refer? You certainly cannot be referring to this year's CEDA/NDT
policy resolution. This year's CEDA resolution reads "one or more" not
"one of the following,". It is for this reason that I am so angered and
frustrated. Granted the competence of judging has significantly declined
over the last ten years or so, but this is beyond egregious. Every
person who has made such a claim (as a judge) should lose their
privileges at tournaments for the rest of the year, if not their place
in graduate school. If you can't even read all of the words in the
resolution then you have no business judging debate rounds; especially
novice rounds where the debaters look to you for knowledge and
education. You are doing more damage than good in our activity when you
say things to new debaters that are more uninformed than the debaters
themselves. 

Secondly, for those of you who employ these more than substandard
judges, you should know that as representatives of your programs, they
are making you and your programs look bad. It is past time that we as a
community start making an effort to improve the quality of judging in
our activity. For too many years we have abandoned our responsibility as
educators. I want my debaters, especially my novices to learn from the
post-round comments given by their judges. Right now, this is not
happening. The fools and half-wits who are being allowed to judge my
teams are doing more damage than good; and it needs to stop. 

Finally, for those who will be offended at my vilification of certain
people within our community (I know I will hear from you each
individually), please try to understand my anger. I get very tired of
trying to teach my students (usually completely new to the activity)
good basic standards of argument and debate strategy only to have some
graduate student in his or her first year of coaching tell my students
that their coaches don't know what they are talking about. 

Sincerely and with great frustration, 

Ken Sherwood 
Director of Forensics 
Los Angeles City College
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