[eDebate] Brian Smith

[Scott T. Phillips]

Staunch supporter of small boys, err, schools, everywhere (also, what? you go
to dartmouth kiddo, just because your town is small and crappy doesnt mean you
get to make emory jokes) Brian smith points out that this rule will not stop
emory. That is true, cause we can't stop, wont stop. Seriously though, this
helps large schools more. Small schools can at least save and hire coaches for
the NDT if they wish, they cant fake debaters to bring with them. At the next
NDT when emory rolls up in our bus with 40 kids, people who voted for this rule
will be feeling like a horses patoot. 

But in all seriously, this rule is lame.

AT: Large school/small school
This does nothing to address it. Coaches don't have to be at the tournament to
cut cards. Nor do debaters. I went to a small high school. If someone had told
me they were passing a law because they didn't think i could compete with
klinger and stacey they way things were i would of told them to SIUTA. As a
somewhat odd microcosm of debate at emory, Cyrus and I rarely read/went for any
of the arguments other people produced at emory (read: substance). We ran an
aff we wrote, consult japan which i think some kid from wisconsin did at the
DDI like 8 years ago, and some K's we(read: ricky and goof) did. Not becuase
other people on the team didn't do good work, but just because we decided we
were gonna debate how we wanted to debate, and repko be damned.  We did ok. I
can't imagine that a small school of just 2 people (i know of no such school
this small) couldn't replicate said results, unless the movie The Edge has lied
to me. 

AT: Encourages student researchers
Last time I checked, Charles was successful sans this rule. The NDT is sweet
because there are lots of new args, and then new args to answer the new args.
This will just encourage big schools to go for generics against small schools
who run new affs. Generics our army of coaches prepared ahead of time while we
sat around thumbing ourselves and watching TV. Generics small schools won't be
able to beat on theory since it's the NDT. 

AT: Advantages hard workers over spin doctor tech people
Seriously, this anti tech crap makes me want to kill someone. The ballots say
"the team that did the best debating was _____" not " the d-rockets who sat at
home all night cutting cards because they were unable to get a date" or "the
team who best knew the differances between MiRV's and MaRV's when discussing
deterrence".  If someone takes the time to develop the debate prowess such that
they can pick up a file they know nothing about, prep it in the 20 minutes
before a debate, and then beat someone who has researched the issues involved
for months, they are the better debaters. Reasons why:

1. Numbers- very few people can do it. Many can research good files.
2. Adaptability- they can operate outside thier comfort zone, evolve with new
arguments, think quickly on their feet etc.
3. Debate is not school- its a game. People who are smart already get rewarded
because they get better grades and I will soon be pumping thier gas. 
4. This is the equivalent of saying "we are gonna outlaw dribbling in the NBA
finals because all those excellent outside shooters are having their advantages
taken away by prima donna ballers who dive to the hoop to much". Debate is a
rounded activity. Seeing as how no one can K me here, i will go and speak for
others: its hard as hell to get good at tech. Anyone who saw me debate in
Minnesota knows i sucked a whole lot of ass for a really long time. Shit, i ran
an aff that went through NASA and goof beat me on the states counterplan,
States don't have no god damn space program... The first time i went to a
national tournament, i couldnt beat a team on T renewable energy when their aff
was fossil fuels. In college, we broke a literalism bad aff against berkley and
those monkeys beat us on literalism bad. I dont really remember why i was
listing these things, but the point is, if debate is all about research, why
even go to the tournament. Just post your files to e-debate and we can all see
who's got the biggest "heg DA" and no one has to get up early. Now this could
clearly be an argument against any coaches being there period, (and you can bet
your ass i would be in favor of that), but putting an arbitrary limit on the
number of people who can cut cards because there are people who are good at
talking is stupid. 

AT: Best hired guns
We didn't hire anyone (at least not with money) to cut cards at the NDT who
hadn't worked with us throughout the year. Some ex students and a certain Hooch
Hoss came out with us because, for whatever reason, they like us. This rule
necessarily excludes that element of (i hate myself just saying it) the
COMMUNITY who are not just profit driven utility maximizers selling their
bodies to the highest bidders. (ok so maybe josh sells his body, but that has
nothing to do with debate and so is neither here nor there)

AT: Coaches will now teach research

This is the worst arg of them all. No one in the country is a bad researcher
because no one taught them. If you want it bad enough, you learn. It certainly
wasn't the lectures from the dartmouth library staff imparting such gems as
"statistical universe is usefull if your looking for statistics, because,
basically, its a universe of statistics" that taught me how to cut cards. It
was practice. 


The fact that the hardest workers in recent memory like charles (and i would
bet Big Chappa) are against this kind of rule should also prove that if you
voted for it, you are imperialist. 

But seriously none of the debaters at the tournament even knew this thing was
coming up. It was passed in a very stealthy/secretive manner, which is
bullcrap, and I officially declare shenanigans. The fact that it was not openly
debated ahead of time on e-debate should make it obvious that it can't stand up
to any level of scrutiny. And if it was mentioned in an email somewhere and
everyone missed it, that doesn't make it better. If this was really a decision
"for the children" their input should have been saught. 













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