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Re: Civil Rights Topic

>Lots of reasons have been raised on CEDA-L and NDT-L about why we should
>not debate a civil rights topic.
>
>How can someone say we can't debate this topic area in the absence of
>specific topics they have in mind? Let's work to craft specific wordings to
>address these supposed problems, not dump the entire area.
>
>I am tempted to join Ede Warner in calling BULLSHIT, but I can't because I
>simply haven't had the time to read all of the posts on this subject (and
>many others).
>
>But I will say that I am tired of debating about war and geopolitics. And
>so are my debaters. I want to debate something which is both important to
>myself and others personally as well as very relevant to what is happening
>in our academic community AND the community in which I live. Any attempt to
>divorce what we debate about from any sense of personal advocacy ("let's
>debate about things which are purely external to us") is the wrong way to
>go. If it is personally relevant, that is MORE of a reason to debate about
>it. The challenge is the word some good topics.
>
>I urge the community to focus on civil rights topic wordings.
>
>
>Alfred Charles Snider III -- AKA "Tuna"
>Edwin W. Lawrence Professor of Forensics, University of Vermont
>Mail: Box 54225, UVM, Burlington, VT 05405-4225
>Phone: 802-656-0097, Fax: 802-656-4275
>+++++
>NATIONAL DEBATE INSTITUTE 1997 - July 31-August 15!
>Application and Information at: http://debate.uvm.edu/
>+++++
>DEBATE CENTRAL:  Debate's Biggest Website -- Upload Stuff to It!
> http://debate.uvm.edu/; text only at gopher://debate.uvm.edu

RE:  Way to go!!!  Look, there are MANY issues involved in dealing with
civil rights.  There is not necessarily one way to go on this.  For the
CEDA coaches involved in the higher education topic of 1990 you should be
awre of it.  Our small little squad at Southwestern College challenged
issues of rights from so many perspectives.  We ran turns on issues of
victimization and there is agreat deal of literature on both sides of this
when dealing with both gender issues as well as race. Please do not assume
that all feminists or scholars dealing with issues of rights are all the
same.  ONe other reason that I would that perhaps we should have thesew
issues is because of the educative value to both students and coaches.  Why
should not the debate community become aware of issues dealing with the
"other" in society?  Don't we have an educational mission in debate?  And
for those who argue that there are not policy related issues and impacts I
would add that you are not searching.  Issues of backlash, of modeling, and
victimization abound.  Don't run away from the topic because the subject is
uncomfortable.   UNfortunately that is why so many problems abound on these
issues in this country, because we are uncomfortable discussing the issues.
Archive created by Jonathan Stanton (jonathan@cs.jhu.edu)
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