Policy Debate photography project update
On May 15th, 2010 the Washington Debate Coalition gathered for an open entry debate tournament that featured two debates on the new topic, specific to Okinawa troop withdrawal from Japan, “Who would win in a fair fight: The Superfriends or the X-men?”, and Arizona’s SB1070 (immigration law).
There is more need, now, than ever, for people to be able to return back to intelligent civil debate and discourse and in-depth policy discussion. Over the past year the United States has been entrenched in so-called debates that largely revolved around vicious hyperbole and violent, illogical discourse. Throughout the shallow policy discussions that gripped much of the nation over the last year, a tiny subset of high school students dedicated themselves to engaged discourse, research and debates. Poverty, immigration, military practices, capitalism, racism, health care and a nearly infinite number of other topics are debated out in the high school weekend blood-sport called cross-examination debate. There was a time when the majority of high schools across the country participated in speech and debate competitions. Over the past twenty years high school speech and debate programs have been cut at an alarming rate. In the state of Washington, less than half of the schools that participated in policy debate 10 years ago continue to do so. As a former high school and college debater, a debate coach, and a photographer, this project represents a personal and public call to action. It is time to revive in-depth debate to the United States again. It is time for all people to engage in the nation’s policy debates appropriately, not just high school debaters who cannot vote yet. It is time for the nation to revive high school debate before true policy debate goes extinct.
