Gratuitous Inter-Org Rhetorical Violence

[Shawn Batt <batt@UWYO.EDU>]

Greetings, 

Much of the recent discussion on this list has been interesting.  I
especially enjoyed Whitney's and Balthrop's posts.  Part of that enjoyment,
no doubt emerged in their distinct differences in tone from those of Scott
Elliott.  So, Scott deserves a great deal of credit for his incredibly fun
writing style.   But, sadly, my attraction to his movement is sullied by at
least one failing of his.  If I remember correctly, earlier this week Scott
professed ignorance of parli.  In that case, I hope anyone revelling in his
delightful prose will hear his subsequent pronouncements about parli with
some hesitation.  The expression "Hell no!!!!" in reference to parli strikes
me as especially "hollow" given the confessed qualifications of the source.
Still later, he writes "PARLY--COmes down to a matter of taste. Argument
without research seems a little hollow to me."  

Well, argument without research often appears hollow, as Scott's own
discourse on parli does to me, as many debate rounds (NDT, CEDA, and Parli)
have appeared to many critics over the years.  The proper relation of
research to forensics in general is an ongoing concern, but I think it's
reasonable to expect some knowledge undergirding hostile claims against
another forensic organization.  Otherwise, it's what I mean by gratuitious
rhetorical violence.

 Parli debaters who fail to research appear clueless as they debate ones who
do research.  Imagine a CEDA team trying Parli at the "end" of this year
against a Parli team who hadn't read that much on SEA.  No boxes would enter
the room, but I think that, absent a large difference in speaking skill, the
CEDA team would dominate that debate.   Question: was there research?

As for taste, I think some research on Elliott's part, would discover
something more than that behind some folks' attraction to Parli.  In any
case, I've made my point.  Those interested in a start can find more info on
parli at:
http://www.willamette.edu/cla/rhetoric/debate/
Also, you can talk to people who have done the research or have the
experience, and you'll find diversity of opinion anyway.

In all honesty, some people say "Hell no!!!" all to quickly about CEDA or
NDT  as well.  I've often been one of them.  I promise to heed my own advice.

Best,
Shawn Batt


=========================
Shawn Batt
Univ. of Wyoming
batt@uwyo.edu
703-242-8996;  2831 Thaxton Ln., Oakton, VA  22124
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

---

• Prev by Date: Re: Slusher, Bryant, Korcok, and alternate agent counterplans
• Next by Date: Back from Yugoslavia....
• Prev by thread: SO CAROLINA TOURNAMENT INVITE
• Next by thread: Back from Yugoslavia....
• Index(es):
  • Date
  • Thread
  • Author

---

Archive created by Jonathan Stanton (jonathan@cs.jhu.edu)
Return to main CEDA-L Archive Page