Major debating tournaments like the Harvard tournament have a prestigious reputation. is under threat because judges who only approve of left-wing arguments have «created a culture that stifles free speech,» insiders claim.
Students and debate coaches told The Telegraph that there has been » decline” in youth debates because the tournament judges’ criteria are “riddled with political and ideological” statements.
James Fishbeck, a former school debater and coach, said that about 250,000 students across the country participate in school debates, and many of them continue to compete in national tournaments.
Many of them are under the care of the National Speech and Debating Association (NSDA), which Mr. Fishback claims has been “taken over by the radical left.”
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Mr. Fishback talked about some of the judges' notes and «paradigms» that describe what they are looking for during the debate in a lengthy article for The Free Press.
'Marxist-Leninist-Maoist'
One judge, who describes herself as a «Marxist-Leninist-Maoist», openly stated that she «cannot check [her views] at the door when I judge» on the NSDA website.
Judge Leela Lavender, herself a former debating champion, continues: «I will no longer evaluate and therefore ever vote for right-wing capitalist-imperialist positions/arguments.»
Mr Fishback told another judge , X Braithwaite, «prefers people of color» in debates.
He said it is common practice for students from opposing teams to reveal their evidence before the round, «because both teams benefit from spending more time with the other team's evidence.»
Judge Braithwaite's paradigm is about disclosure policy. : «The disclosure theory is good, EXCEPT if you are debating with a black person or you are one yourself.»
«Judges are also coaches.»
According to Mr. Fischbeck, this particular judge held 169 rounds of debates with 340 students.
Meanwhile, according to him, Ms. Lavender, in addition to refereeing tournaments, worked as a coach «in one of the most prestigious debating camps in the country.»
«So it's much more than just [tournaments] because many of these referees are also coaches,” Mr. Fischbeck said.
One former debater who now coaches high school and university debating teams said that participation «has dropped» as a result. /p>
There are fewer teams than ever, he said. “In the past, major tournaments like Harvard were prestigious. Now in the debating community it is seen as a kind of tournament for mediocre teams.”
Customs of “racism”
A former debater who wished to remain anonymous said he was in one of the biggest tournaments. school competitions, Tournament of Champions.
But he was put off by accusations that he was «covering racism or homophobia» during the debate rounds.
He said that during one of the debates, when he supported the issuance of visas to foreign students to study in the US, he was told that he was in favor of «virtually removing the native population from America.»
Mr. Fishbeck, who coached a high school graduate in a poor, predominantly black community in Miami, said he had seen first hand the impact this politically charged environment had on students.
He claimed one of his students, a young black man lost the debate because he «condemned» Black Lives Matter during an exchange.
«That's why you lost the round»
«The judge subsequently said, «That's why you lost the round,” Mr. Fishback said.
He added that another student who lost a round was told by the referee on a feedback sheet, «Good luck next time, Trumpy.»
Students quickly learn that if they say the wrong thing, they lose . . They are being forced to conform and you are suppressing free speech,” he said.
Steve Dubois, debating coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Kansas City, said one of his students recently gave a speech against the impeachment of a Kansas Republican Governor.
The student was awarded the lowest possible score, said Mr. DuBois, the judge, who «made it clear in his comments on the ballot that the participant was not punished for any either an element of her exposition or argumentation, but for the «defense of a fascist.»
However, Mr. Dubois said that he did not agree with any presentation of the situation as a «freedom of speech» problem. “At the end of the day, every judge in a debate criticizes an argument and prefers one over the other,” he said.
The National Agricultural Security Administration (NSDA) has yet to respond to The Telegraph's request for comment.< /p>
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