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Re: flowing evidence etc.

On Wed, 6 Dec 1995, Earl Croasmun wrote:

> 
> On Wed, 6 Dec 1995, Maxwell D. Schnurer wrote:
> 
> > They tried this in Vermont HighSchool debate recently and it 
> > has been a dismal failure.  the Varsity debates got worse (assertions and 
> > guesses about evident abound, but little analysis about the actual cards 
> > exist BECAUSE THEY CANT SEE THEM)
> 
> So WHY WASTE TIME READING THEM ALOUD??
> 
> Your point seems to be that some high school debaters in Vermont had 
> problems either (a) reading evidence in a way that the content can be 
> understood by listeners (without the remedial step of handing them the 
> evidence later) or (b) listening to and comprehending evidence as it is 
> read.  Maybe so.  But I believe that there is hope for these people.  
> They can learn; they can improve.

Prof. Croasmun,

I think that even you can recognize the increased comprehension one can 
gain from more careful examination of evidence. Certainly it is possible 
to get some meaning from a verbal presentation of eidence, however, more 
careful examination of the evidence allow debaters to determine more 
fully the meaning of evidence. Additionally, meaning can be changed with 
different emphasis read into cards even if the words are the same. It is 
entirely possible that what meaning you received from an ORAL 
presentation would be different than the meaning you would receive from 
READING it. 

This can only aid the full understanding of evidence by a critic, 
especially if the critic chooses not examine evidence after the round is 
over - it at least provides some check on evidence abuse by either team. 
Now the affirmative has carte blanche to insert words into cards, etc...
Aaron Klemz 
University of Minnesota - College of Natural Resources
Assistant Director of Debate
The Blake School
Minneapolis, MN
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