Last changed on
Fri January 12, 2018 at 6:11 AM MDT
Last Updated for Copper Classic 2018.
Affiliation: Woods Cross High School, Weber State University, Beehive Forensics Institute (University of Utah), Wasatch Debate Institute
TOPLINE
With the exception of things that are listed in the "misc. important things section" everything else is merely a guideline and my personal preferences, i would much rather see a debater(s) go for an argument that they're more comfortable going for and have fun with it than feel pressured to align themselves with things that i prefer to see in debate. Thats not to say don't continue to read the rest of my paradigm, especially if you're a rather versatile debater, but moreso that i'm pretty open.
I believe I have an unique experience as an autistic disabled member of the debate community and I believe that any opening of inclusion in debate is best for activity as a whole. I will do anything and everything in my power to make sure that the round you are involved in with me is a safe and inclusive space. The round MUST be accessible to all, and I think pre-round disclosure is crucial in assuring that happens, particularly when in the context of debates where there is a significant difference in terms of the style of arguments and debate presented. If there is anything I can do during the round to make it more accessible to YOU please let me know.
SHORT
Background: I grew up debating in a traditional LD circuit, but gradually became more fond of critical debate, this in no way means that my judging paradigm is more skewed to the progressive debater compared to the traditional one.
Things I like: Voters, clash, impact weighing, topical links, critical arguments, real world application, link turns, really good case debate, being polite. Impacts that don't include nuclear war.
Things I dislike: Really anything that could make the debate space hostile, that would be ablest, racist, sexist, homophobic rhetoric. (Don't further exasperate the social problems that debate attempts to solve.) Failure to signpost, stealing prep time, not articulating the link = impact level. Feel free to ask further questions.
How I view a Debate: I typically default to some form of comparative worlds/cost benefit analysis type of FW unless told otherwise.
LONG
--------------------MISC. Important Things---------------------
- If you think something runs even the slightest risk of warranting a trigger warning, then for the sake of your partner, opponents, or maybe even me please use a trigger warning.
- If you use the word "retarded" as equivalence to "stupid" or "bad" expect 20 speaks. - Exception would be as a method to reaffirm one's identity as a crip debater within the debate space.
- Need to win the link to win the impact
- Seriously, slow the hell down on the T shell, and slow the hell down on the tags and authors, if i have to say "slow" more than 4 time's i'll probably stop flowing.
- Really solid analysis over reading 6 different cards all saying the same thing any day of the week.
- Someone told me I didn't give a single 30 all last year, that's probably true.
- I flow straight down on an excel sheet. - I very much vote off the flow
- Dropped arguments are important
- I try not to be extremely expressive, but I am. Use that to your advantage.
- Don't make args outside of your social location - I don't want to hear white people read Wilderson.
- I call for cards probably more often than i should.
- Both you and I would prefer me paying attention to the arguments you are making, and not having to stop and focus on giving you the right time signals. Please time yourself.
- As much as I would like to give a 30 minute critique at the end of each round, (there are several obvious reasons as to why i can't do that), therefore i'll spend a good portion of CX writing comments on the ballot or finishing up the flow. I DO NOT FLOW CX, So if there's something super important that came up in CX bring it up in the next speech.
- CX is binding.
---------------------- Policy ---------------------------
Affs:
- Really I’m down for whatever, plan text, performance, but don't assume I am going to weigh the impacts of your affirmative out for you.
PTX Affs:
- Tell me how you solve and emphasize it, weigh the advantages. I feel that a lot of teams get caught up in answering the neg and not utilizing the affirmative as a mechanism to outweigh.
Performance:
- I am very fond of these arguments
- I need warrants as to how/what the performance does. Specifically in the debate space/other spaces and what my job as an educator includes if I endorse you/your method with the ballot.
- Refusing to affirm the resolution in front of me is fine, as long as you warrant out sufficiently why the resolution is problematic. Some form of topical link/semi-topical link is preferred and makes that a lot easier.
- Exclusionary ROB's may be hard to win in front of me.
Neg Strats:
T:
- Things such as fairness and education are rarely genuine and I hate the time suck that T is becoming.
- Theory/Topicality is almost always a question of access to the debate. I’m very skeptical of your ground, limits, education arguments when you’re reading the same shell you’ve read all year in addition to 3 other off-case positions.
- I find myself often defaulting to T as a question of reasonability when not specifically framed as competing interpretations. If you point out that your Aff is on open-evidence and its the same aff literally everyone is reading (I.E the drones aff from a few years ago) +1 speaks.
- This doesn’t mean never read T in front of me. I think theory arguments are incredibly important when there is evidence of actual abuse or a discrepancy between access to the debate. Accessibility is almost always automatically a voting issue.
The K:
- My favorite type of debate - I am familiar with substantial portions of lots of different types of the literature.
- if you decide to make critical arguments, make sure that you not only slow down, but you explain them clearly and concisely, that will make the round more accessible for everyone involved.
- Have a good link, don't run the same generic cap link for every aff. Also win the link, i'm not giving you access to other parts of the argument if the link articulation is extremely clear.
- Links based off of action and behavior in round is something that I am extremely sympathetic to.
- Historically I have trouble voting for criticisms that lack an above average articulation on the alternative. Tell me EXACTLY what the world of the alt looks like, (no zizek says its a good idea, so what?)
- Super familiar with: Ableism, Biopolitics, Ecofem
- Explain it to me like i am 5: Lacan, D&G, Virillo, Heidigger.
CP/DA:
- Unique, reasonable scenarios > rehashed shells with somewhat recent uniqueness updates.
- PIC's are cool and easy to win in front of me if you can do a good job on its distinction from the aff.
- Process/time CP's are pretty abusive in my opinion, but that's your arg to make not mine.
Politics:
- All I ask is that your politics scenarios are realistic and the Squo/Link level is well articulated.
------------------------LD-------------------------------
Write the ballot for me. Tell me what I should evaluate.
I typically default to some form of comparative worlds/cost benefit analysis type of FW unless told otherwise.
Dropped arguments are the easiest place for me to vote in LD
Theory: I feel that T is becoming an ever increasing important part of debate to maintain opportunity for equal engagement in LD debate particulary in regards to bigger debate schools v smaller debate schools. Theory should also be run as a way to counter proven abuse not probable abuse. In LD i'm totally open and have voted on things such as Condo, 1 AR time skew, those sorts of things. But in general my threshold for theory is not incredibly high, and is viewed moreso as a legitimate way for debaters to gain access to the round.
That doesn’t mean that im going to vote on it by any means, but a round where theory is warranted and not understood how to be executed a conversation will definitely be had as to how to level the playing field in future rounds for debaters who may be disadvantaged.
Condo: I'm pretty sympathetic to the aff when it comes to multiple off-cases. Especially regarding LD. But no matter what event it's probably bogus to have to answer an absurd amount of off cases. I don't care if Congress has multiple options on an issue, aff debaters arrive at a extreme disadvantage even if it is as simple as perm do both to seven different things. This isnt to say don't run any off cases, its simply to say its probably really bad for educational engagement and I’ll be rather annoyed if you read more than 2 + case in an LD round.
"Become the link-turn to the disads in your own community."
Wirtjoleonard@mail.weber.edu
I would like to be on your email chain.