Hyde Invitational
2021 — NSDA Campus, CA/US
Policy Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideEmail Jororynyc@gmail.com
Perry Hs
ASU Finance
Assistant LD coach at Peninsula, 2023-Present
Cleared at the Toc.
Alot of the way I think comes from Amber Kelsie, Jared Burke, Tay Brough and Raunak Dua - LD thoughts from Elmer Yang and Gordon Krauss.
Condense the debate to as few arguments as possible and have good topical knowledge.
Mostly read K arguments - Some policy arguments on the neg. Some Affs had plans.
I am bad for Phil or Trix.
FW: Fairness is an impact,
I also have an increasingly higher threshold for K debate because most of it done in LD is bad.
I wont flow until 1NC case so I can read evidence. I also have no problem telling you I did not understand what you said if its not explicit by the last speech.
Hi debaters,
My name is Amanda Cisse. I did parliamentary for 3 years in middle school and I am now a JV policy debater at Stuyvesant High School.
Middle School Parliamentary: Sound like you know what you're talking about, speak loudly and clearly and command the room. Use up all of your time. Signpost in your speeches and flow. Define terms in the first proposition. If the first proposition does not define terms I will deduct points, and the the first opposition should define them. If neither first speaker defines terms I will fall asleep because it will be a really boring debate. I believe that the second proposition speech is the most important in the round. Weigh. I will deduct points for excessive heckling and POIs, but they are fine when used properly. I will also deduct points if your POIs are too long, or if they are not questions. Do not try to have a conversation with a speaker during a POI. Do not stand up and say uhhh for twenty seconds and then ask your question because that wastes speaking time. Have it formulated beforehand. I will deduct points if your heckles are more than a sentence, or if they become conversations. State your burdens. If you are discriminatory or explicit you can expect a 25, an automatic loss, and to be reported to the udl lol good luck
Public Forum: just read Tuilaepa Katoanga's paradigm and spread fast and I am super tech over truth thanks (he has this whole section on arbitrary points none of which i will honor except for "Emailing dbajada24@regis.org "cats are awful, especially yours" (provide proof) = +1 speaks").
Michelle Du
tjhsst, uchicago (4 years as a 2a in high school, multiple elim rounds, 1 toc bid)
she/her
email: tjhsstdx@gmail.com (add this one)
General
no topic knowledge outside judging rounds
quality > quantity (1 off > 8 off) -- or at least narrow it down before the 2nr please
tech > truth but truer arguments are probably easier to win
DO IMPACT COMPARISON
present a concrete plan or affirmative
don’t be rude or sexist or homophobic or racist, don't steal prep, clip cards, etc. have fun and be polite to the other team.
i'll pretty much listen to/vote for any argument. will listen to both plan/planless affs (flex debater). will probably default policymaker unless told otherwise. don't adjust your arguments to my paradigm - just do what you do best. be creative and strategic!
nathan.gong@utexas.edu / I prefer tabroom fileshare though
I qualified to the TOC three times for LD, debated twice, and cleared once (as Plano East and Plano Independent)
Read good quality evidence, be clear, compare arguments, and ballot paint!
Stop talking early when possible - I don't want to hear a 6 minute speech when a theory shell was conceded.
I can tell you speaker points after round if you want
Don't read evaluate after X
I have no topic knowledge, please explain everything without acronyms
He/Him
Debated 4 years in high school
Add me on the email chain: thomasjeffersonht@gmail.com
Top Level
You should not change your strategy too drastically based on what you think I would like but instead, do what you do best and do it well.
I like K debate, but also policy debate. I am not as experienced in the latter, and will likely over-compensate by reading cards if I get confused or lost. I will do my best to judge your debate fairly.
I am not too familiar with this year's high school topic so what you may assume to be common knowledge may be something I don't know. So if there's an abbreviation make sure to say what it stands for
If you have any questions that I may not have addressed feel free to ask before the round.
FW & K-Affs:
If you are aff you need to have a good explanation on a couple of questions in order to get my ballot. If debate is not a game what is it and why? Why is an aff ballot important? What would debates look like under your counter-model of debate?
If you're going for an impact turn strategy then I need more than just a bunch of theories related to the aff. I need that work to be contextualized to debate as an activity and why it matters.
If you're neg, I prefer procedural impacts (ie fairness, etc) more than portable skill args. However, you need to do the work of warranting out why, for example, fairness matters, why it's an important impact, etc,...Don't assume that I automatically default to fairness being intrinsically valuable because I can be persuaded otherwise. Also, engage case, otherwise, the aff can get away in weighing their entire aff against anything.
For both aff and neg, please do impact calc. Too often teams just extend their impact without doing any comparative work. Make sure that you're also contextualizing your offense to new spins being made by your opponents. Otherwise, it will be very hard to win.
K:
This is the style of debate I personally chose to do. If you argue your position well and prove that you have an understanding of your literature base I will probably want to vote for you. If you're good at what you do, do it.
Links are better when they are specific to the aff - I'm down for spin, but a generic state link or a security K with no impact defense is unlikely to make me want to vote for you
Line by line is important to me, and I have yet to hear a way to evaluate debates in a reasonably fair fashion except some version of the offense/defense paradigm. If you don't want me to flow or want to change the format of the debate, I support you in your efforts but I'm also probably not the judge for you
Debates about debate (The section is a bit of a tangent for K teams) - I grow increasingly tired of the "standard moves" in these debates. I feel many ballot commodification/currency arguments are very reductionist and very much resemble whiny debaters screaming about fiat being illusory. I will obviously vote on them, but I would say I have a higher threshold than most. I care a little bit less about what the ballot does for the aff/neg, and more about what strategies, tactics, methods, alternative world views etc my ballot ought to endorse.
CP:
Cheaty CPs are super fun if you can get away with them (I err neg on Condo and aff on CP theory)
I really like well-researched PICs.
Word PICs are dumb.
Make sure that you explain why the CP doesn't link to the Net Benefit
DA:
They're cool. The more creative the better. Politics is good. 1 good and well-compared impact scenario is better than 3 with loose comparison or impact calculus.
T:
Make sure to explain your impacts in-depth and to do impact calculus. I'll vote on T even if the aff is the core of the topic if you win it, although it'll be relatively harder.
I think topicality should be a question of limits.
I find competing interpretations to be more persuasive but I can be persuaded otherwise.
I am not as familiar with this year's high school topic so if you are planning on going for T or you are answering T make sure that you clearly explain how debates under your interp differs from that of your opponent. (ie case lists, etc,...)
Theory:
Slow if you plan to go for it. High speed blocks are unpersuasive and are optically a cheap-shot. Potential abuse is probably not an impact I care about that much.
Other:
I'll only flow what I can understand. If you're mumbling or going hyperspeed, I'll alert you
Being mean or stealing prep will be reflected on your speaker points
The less wasted time in a round, the higher everyone's points will be
Exclusionary language - including misgendering anyone, racism, ableism, sexism, etc is a voting issue. Almost guaranteed your speaks suffer at least. I will usually leave it to the team that has been transgressed against to make an argument about it, because I don't want to decide for you when your debate should end.
For online:
Record prep time in the zoom chat - I find it really hard to keep timers at the best of times, and this is not the best of times. Will make exceptions for novices, but otherwise you are big kids. Please time yourself so we don't end up in awkward situations.
Post the order in the zoom chat
Webcam is not mandatory, but consider that it is both harder to pay attention to your speech, and to understand you when I can't see you.
We will negotiate what happens if someone's tech glitches out in the middle of the speech before the 1ac. Please be upfront about the tech problems you have. Telling me you almost got it 13 times while trying to fight with your internet connection is much more frustrating when you haven't communicated effectively.
Do not start interrupting people. As annoying as it is when people talk over others to ask another pointless question in real life, it's even more annoying over zoom. Treat each other with respect, like you would a classmate. Some people seem to be taking the computer screen as a reason they can be even more rude. Don't do this.
2016-2018 Los Angeles Metropolitan Debate League
2018- present CSU Fullerton
email chain- javierh319@gmail.com
Frame the ballot by the 2AR/2NR and don't leave me shooting darts please.
Overviews really help me/you out unless they're longer than the debate proper-be concise.
Prep- Prep ends when doc is sent out or the equivalent of that. Let me know if there are any technical difficulties.
Spreading- speed is fine-go at it if thats ur thing. this shouldn't be exchanged for clarity/emphasis, and ultimately, persuasion. My face tends to be pretty expressive so use that to ur advantage.
Cross Ex- Humor is much appreciated so long as it doesn't offend ur opponent. Attack the argument not the debater.
I generally err on the side of tech over truth. However, too many buzzwords are kinda annoying and don't mean anything if you dont impact/flesh them out. I won't evaluate concessions for you unless you do it first.
Policy Affs- Spent most of hs reading these- read them at will. Internal link work and framing is crucial.
Performance/K Affs- Have a clear explanation of what the advocacy does and why it should precede a traditional endorsement of the resolution (vs framework). Presumption arguments are some of my favorite arguments. Being untopical for the sake of being untopical is sooooo not the move. Even if i think that ur aff is the most interesting/entertaining thing in the world, I can resolve that with speaker points. Offense. Offense. Offense.
Framework- Go for it. Slow down just a tad. Procedural fairness and education are impacts, I'm usually more persuaded by education but fairness is fine too.While I'm usually more persuaded by fairness as an internal link to something else, enough impact comparison can resolve that if ur not down with the former.
Theory/Procedurals- Go for it. I'm not one to love hearing theory debates but will vote on it if you do the work. These can get really petty. Usually not in a good way. Condo is probably good PICs probably aren't. Don't let that dissuade you from saying otherwise because I also love hearing pics and multiple advocacies. I'm a 2N if that is relevant for you.
DAs- Make sure to flesh out the internal links. Winning uniqueness wins direction of link debate. I prefer hearing isolated impact scenario(s) rather than a generic nuclear war/extinction claim although u can totally claim that as ur terminal one. The more specific the link the less spinning the aff can do, the less intervention I have to do, the higher ur chances of winning are. I find it hard to believe that there can ever be 100% risk probability but if the CP solves 100% of the aff you're in a much better spot.
CPs-Resolve questions like how does this solve the case and is this theoretically legitimate if it becomes about that. If you wanna be noncompetitive, you do you but be ready to justify that.
Ks- Tbh I would much rather judge a robust debate about the intricacies/consequences of a traditionally political action vs a less-than fleshed out k debate. Links to the status quo and not the aff are awkward. Generally speaking, im probably down for ur thing. Regardless of me being familiar with ur authors or not-do the work. Framing is super important. Does the alt solve the aff? let me know. You don't need to go for the alt to win
Random/Misc
-a claim with no warrant is a pen with no ink
-know where u are losing but make it fashion
-dont be a jerk
Former varsity policy debater at the University of Miami.
*Updates to my paradigm are at the bottom, which detail my general distribution of speaker points. The rest of the content remains the same.
Add me to the e-mail chain: zhomeijer@gmail.com
In-depth analysis of your ev. and arguments that clash with your opponent are preferable. Impact calc in 2NR/2AR
Condo: Up to 2 might be okay, but if the aff wants to make a 1 condo interp, I'm all ears. I am more generous to the aff on condo in general. If aff makes condo a voter issue, the neg better defend it. Dropped condo will be a loss. Also, I have a low tolerance for multi-plank conditional CPs. If each plank of the CP is independently conditional, then the number of worlds is each plank and also the various combination of planks (you are not 1).
Separately, your arguments should not contradict. Oftentimes neg condo answers will be about condo in general. If the aff makes contradictory condo an independent voting issue, make sure you're actually addressing it with the correct theoretical arguments.
Kritiks: I am a policy debater and not well versed in the literature. Kritiks must have a concrete link to the aff. The neg must explain why the specific plan is a bad idea. I may have a basic understanding of your K, but if it's high theory, you should probably slow down and clearly explain it. All kritiks should have an alternative.
I'm a pragmatic policymaker - if the aff proves why something needs to be changed and the neg never explains why the plan is a bad idea, generic answers won't cut it.
Topicality: T is a voting issue. Topical affs preferred. I am not a fan of K affs, but that doesn't mean I won't vote for you. Need to have impacts to your arguments. I probably default to reasonability, but this must be argued by the aff in the round.
Extratopicality is an independent voting issue.
Counterplans: I have a very low tolerance for CPs with no solvency advocates or ones not connected to the literature. Using FIAT to make your entire CP and all of its planks competitive won't fly with me. Aff should make theoretical arguments to kick any planks without solvency advocates. CP evidence should be held to the same standard as 1AC ev. Multi-plank CPs should have a solvency advocate for each plank or one advocate for the combination of the planks (the latter will yield a much more legitimate & stronger CP). That being said, I think CPs are great. Ones that are researched and specific to the presented affirmative will do well in front of me.
If neg wants me to judge kick the CP, they should tell me to do so. Otherwise, you made a strategic decision in the 2NR and I'll hold you to it. Aff should make theoretical objections against judge kick.
Disads: DAs are awesome and probably my favorite arguments, preferably case specific ones/case turns. I thoroughly enjoy a straight up case v DA debate, especially because so many 1ACs are written poorly so that they can fit a ton of impacts in that they can claim the neg dropped. Oftentimes, the 1ACs suffer from this and lead to logical leaps. Neg should always look for this and make solvency takeout args. If presented correctly, I might even be persuaded on zero risk of affirmative case solvency the way that some 1ACs are written.
Make sure the DAs actually link to the plan. Although I love DAs, I am skeptical of generic ones. If you read a DA in the 1NC, it should be complete. I know you're trying to fit more args in so you cut down on the length of the DAs, but this is not preferred.
Impact calc should be done by both sides to demonstrate why your DA (or case) outweighs. DA turns case args are great.
Evidence: Looking for quality evidence with analysis of your ev. I will read the relevant ev. at the end of the round to see if it supports what you are arguing. If certain warrants of the ev. were never extended or fleshed out during the debate, I am not going to make the argument for you at the end while I read it. Teams should point me to the strongest pieces of ev that supports their arguments.
*Update 1 - Points: I generally fall between 26s to high 28s. 29+ is reserved for exceptional debating. Perhaps this is not in line with the trend of higher points, so please pref me accordingly.
*Update 2 - Profanity: I believe debate is a tremendous educational activity that pits some of the brightest and most intellectually curious minds against one another. Resorting to curse words to explain your argument is unimaginative, especially in the context of nuanced argumentation. Therefore, your speaker points will be (slightly) lower and reflect your intentional stylistic choice. I have no objection to the language outside of the debate space, I simply think more intellectually powerful, developed, and professional rhetoric exists for within the space. The use of curse words will not influence the outcome of the debate (winner/loser), but it will lower your individual speaks as a reflection of your presentation. And I do mean only slightly.
Please use content warnings for content related to SA or self-harm.
Hi! I'm Neel (they/them). I debated at Plano East (TX), starting out in circuit PF and debating circuit LD during my senior year. I now attend Michigan (I don't debate for the school) and would say that I'm somewhat removed from debate.
Yes, put me on the chain - gimmeurcards@gmail.com
Be mindful of how rusty I may be - go slower, explain topic jargon, and all that jazz - it'll be tremendously helpful for how confident I am in my decision and your speaks.
Tech > truth, but a combination is ideal. Don't be rude, because I can also decide that not being mean > tech.
I primarily find/found myself in debates that center around policy or kritikal positions both as a debater and a judge. I'm not very confident in my ability to adjudicate very fast and blippy theory/T, phil, or tricks debates. I'd say I'm a 1 for policy, a 1/2 for the kritik (aff or neg), a 3 for theory/T, and a 4/strike for phil or tricks.
For policy -
Impact turns are fine, but I refuse to listen to death good.
Evidence quality is your best friend in front of me.
I'm probably more open to letting CP theory debates unfold than other judges.
Read more than 1 argument on case please.
For the kritik -
I have a soft spot for cool K-affs, but I'm neutral on framework and all of the iterations you can go for.
Your overviews should have a purpose - apply stuff you say to the LBL and contextualize the things you are saying.
I've been in more debates about identity and the "stock" kritiks than pomo stuff - do with that what you will.
Cool case args are my jam (even presumption is cool).
For T/theory -
CIs, no RVIs, DTA for theory. DTD for T.
Huge fan of disclosure but I feel uncomfortable evaluating other violations sourced outside of round.
I'm very mid for frivolous shells.
Be organized and clear please.
For tricks and phil -
Not a great idea - I probably would barely be able to follow along a Philosophy 101 course.
If you want to read these, SLOW DOWN and number stuff.
Evil demons don't force me to vote aff and I only evaluate debates after the 2AR.
I honestly am just uninterested in 95% of this literature base - sorry.
For PF -
Good for all the progressive stuff and PF speed. I will hold you to a higher standard than most progressive PF judges.
Sticky defense is silly. Extend your arguments.
Turns case arguments are the truth. Probability weighing is fake.
Underutilized arguments and strategies are fun - if you can win the presumption debate or the impact turn, go for it.
Hi! I'm Carolyn! I use she/her pronouns
kamiak '20
stanford '24
Add me to the email chain: carolynkyy@gmail.com
Paradigm inspired by Kai Daniels, Niko Battle, and Larry Dang
tldr- Tech > Truth. Read whatever you want. When left to my own devices, I lean on my defaults, but prefer to be persuaded on how I should view the debate. CX is binding. Flow-oriented and speed should be dictated by clarity. Ending Speeches: Write My Ballot for Me. Start with overview with offense on top.
LD specific: Did policy debate in high school, so LARP/Policy judging is best. I'm not great for traditional or tricks debates. Most of my policy paradigm should apply. Let me know if you have any questions!
quick takes:
- T > Theory
- fairness is an impact
- will vote on cheap theory shots when dropped unless it's a reverse voting issue
- should be able to run a line between any arg in the 2ar to the 1ar
- Flex prep is okay
- Speaks start at 28.5 and I'll move that up and down. 29+ is reserved for people that I think will break or at least make the bubble.
Affs
- Be super clear when reading the plan text
- Don't enjoy affs with a bunch of scenarios that aren't developed
- Affs should have good, well-warranted i/l evidence
- I'm willing to vote on presumption
- Don't enjoy plan flaw debates but willing to vote on it if answered incorrectly
Topicality
Since I’m not super familiar with the topic, I would advise going a bit slower so I can digest the jargon easier.
- T is about the model of debate. I don't care about in-round abuse.
- competing interps > reasonability 60% of the time
- impact debate > procedurals
- For aff - please have a counterinterp and a clear defense of reasonability. Reasonability is your best friend in t debates in front of me, but winning reasonability is not an autowin. It just lowers your threshold on the standards debate (by how much? you tell me).
- For neg - please have (1) clear impact calc on the standards debate AND (2) a case list. I lean aff on most standards but having those two thing outlined will provide a clear ballot if done well. fx and extra-t are underutilized
DA
- I tend to believe the weakest part of a DA is the internal link(s), so the aff should try to pick at it if true and the neg should be ready to defend it.
- Clear throwaway da's that barely link to the aff will likely cause a slight drop in speaks
- For aff - willing to vote on conceded or solid defense on DA
- For neg - please have offense (i.e turns case). Generics das w/ specific links are great if ran well:)
CP
- Theory can go either way with good ev/better tech/sound education args
- For aff - you should prop ask about judge kick, need to win some offense against the cp AND why that outweighs the net benefit
- For neg - won’t judge kick unless specifically told to (at least by the 2nr). Smart CPs that question/use the aff's mechanism make me :) You should probably have a solvency advocate but don't have a problem with a CP without one unless it's brought up by the aff. Then, both sides have to resolve that.
K
- Familiar with cap, foucault, antiblackness, queer theory, asian id, and imperialism/set col, but overall have a limited knowledge base of kritiks.
- I tend to vote for k's, because the aff reads generic answers without indicting anything the neg is saying. In general, I think aff teams SHOULD win k debates, since the neg tends to read a bunch of blocks with throwaway jargon words and can't explain the k/alt in CX
- If you can't explain the K in CX in your own words, your speaks will not be great.
- Lean towards aff fw 80% of the time, since most fw debates seem to be a wash anyway. You're not likely going to win that Ks should not be allowed in debate. However, when neg wins fw, all the neg has to do is win a risk of a link
- Both sides but esp the neg need to have historical examples (the more recent the better) that prove their methodology/praxis true. The team with the most convincing real-world examples of their impacts/impact turns/links/link turns is likely going to win the debate.
- For aff - don’t lose your aff (the best form of offense) in most of these debates when you explain why your impacts outweigh or why it's just a good departure from the squo. Don’t be afraid to engage the K and their thesis claims. Please have a coherent strategy. Impact turns are underutilized, but don’t contradict your case. While I don't condone sexism/racism/etc. good, but cap good, fem ir bad, etc is gg. Perm with link turns and alt solvency deficits as net benefits is a cool strat too. Will vote on theoretical voting issues to reject the alt
- For neg - Don't love big overviews. Line by line is key. Ideal: have specific link(s) to the aff, have external impacts for each link, and why each link turns case. At the very least, have a link contextualized to the aff. Find specific lines in the aff. Don’t necessary need to win the alt if the link is debated well enough to be a da on its own. You can kick the alt if you tell me where on the flow you're gonna get offense and win. Treating the K like a da/cp with case push will be rewarded.
K Affs
-
Neutral on whether kaffs should get perms and like these debates
- Ending speeches: whoever simplifies the round the best with concrete arguments is likely gonna win the round.
- FW: While I believe "framework makes the game work", I see myself voting against fw because the neg reads a big shell in the 1nc and block and can't write my ballot with clear voters and standards in the 2nr. However, if you're prepared to read framework beyond your blocks, fw is a very powerful argument.
- TVAs: They don't have to solve the aff, but "Carded TVAs with proper extensions are pretty damning for the aff and your good research/engagement will likely be rewarded (either with speaks or the ballot)"- Niko Battle.
- K v K debates are very enjoyable when both teams indict the problematic aspects of the other's scholarship. I genuinely find these debates one of the most educational parts of debate.
-
For aff - Your aff should have a tie to the topic and a competing model of debate, but what that means is debatable. I should clearly know what the aff is doing by the 2ac, especially if it's based on lit I'm not familiar with. Enjoy k affs w/ a performative aspect. Huge overviews are not ideal. Prefer most work done on the line by line.
- For neg - Please answer the case (don’t need to read cards- analytically poking holes in the aff’s methodology or solvency is great too. I will vote on presumption. Don't be afraid to engage the aff. Also, be creative- in the way Kai Daniels says it: “k affs some of the time can be unfair - so you should be too. read 6 off, 3 counterplans, make them go for condo and then go for t and say it outweighs. read their own cards back at them as piks and take advantage of the fact that they invited a debate that is ~unpredictable~."
Debated Policy for Polytechnic for 4 years on the national circuit in High School. Semis at Berkeley, and like 6 or 7 other tournaments that I made it to outrounds at. Currently debate for Cornell's team.
Anything goes for me, as long as it's well argued.
For most arguments, I'm fairly in line with where my past coach stood. Here's his paradigm pasted below.
Overall:
1. Offense-defense, but can be persuaded by reasonability in theory debates. I don't believe in "zero risk" or "terminal defense" and don't vote on presumption.
2. Substantive questions are resolved probabilistically--only theoretical questions (e.g. is the perm severance, does the aff meet the interp) are resolved "yes/no," and will be done so with some unease, forced upon me by the logic of debate.
3. Dropped arguments are "true," but this just means the warrants for them are true. Their implication can still be contested. The exception to this is when an argument and its implication are explicitly conceded by the other team for strategic reasons (like when kicking out of a disad). Then both are "true."
Counterplans:
1. Conditionality bad is an uphill battle. I think it's good, and will be more convinced by the negative's arguments. I also don't think the number of advocacies really matters. Unless it was completely dropped, the winning 2AR on condo in front of me is one that explains why the way the negative's arguments were run together limited the ability of the aff to have offense on any sheet of paper.
2. I think of myself as aff-leaning in a lot of counterplan theory debates, but usually find myself giving the neg the counterplan anyway, generally because the aff fails to make the true arguments of why it was bad.
Disads:
1. I don't think I evaluate these differently than anyone else, really. Perhaps the one exception is that I don't believe that the affirmative needs to "win" uniqueness for a link turn to be offense. If uniqueness really shielded a link turn that much, it would also overwhelm the link. In general, I probably give more weight to the link and less weight to uniqueness.
2. On politics, I will probably ignore "intrinsicness" or "fiat solves the link" arguments, unless badly mishandled (like dropped through two speeches). Note: this doesn't apply to riders or horsetrading or other disads that assume voting aff means voting for something beyond the aff plan. Then it's winnable.
Kritiks:
1. I like kritiks, provided two things are true: 1--there is a link. 2--the thesis of the K indicts the truth of the aff. If the K relies on framework to make the aff irrelevant, I start to like it a lot less (role of the ballot = roll of the eyes). I'm similarly annoyed by aff framework arguments against the K. The K itself answers any argument for why policymaking is all that matters (provided there's a link). I feel negative teams should explain why the affirmative advantages rest upon the assumptions they critique, and that the aff should defend those assumptions.
2. I think I'm less technical than some judges in evaluating K debates. Something another judge might care about, like dropping "fiat is illusory," probably matters less to me (fiat is illusory specifically matters 0%). I also won't be as technical in evaluating theory on the perm as I would be in a counterplan debate (e.g. perm do both isn't severance just because the alt said "rejection" somewhere--the perm still includes the aff). The perm debate for me is really just the link turn debate. Generally, unless the aff impact turns the K, the link debate is everything.
3. If it's a critique of "fiat" and not the aff, read something else. If it's not clear from #1, I'm looking at the link first. Please--link work not framework. K debating is case debating.
Nontraditional affirmatives:
Versus T:
1. I'm *slightly* better for the aff now that aff teams are generally impact-turning the neg's model of debate. I almost always voted neg when they instead went for talking about their aff is important and thought their counter-interp somehow solved anything. Of course, there's now only like 3-4 schools that take me and don't read a plan. So I'm spared the debates where it's done particularly poorly.
2. A lot of things can be impacts to T, but fairness is probably best.
3. It would be nice if people read K affs with plans more, but I guess there's always LD. Honestly debating politics and util isn't that hard--bad disads are easier to criticize than fairness and truth.
Versus the K:
1. If it's a team's generic K against K teams, the aff is in pretty great shape here unless they forget to perm. I've yet to see a K aff that wasn't also a critique of cap, etc. If it's an on-point critique of the aff, then that's a beautiful thing only made beautiful because it's so rare. If the neg concedes everything the aff says and argues their methodology is better and no perms, they can probably predict how that's going to go. If the aff doesn't get a perm, there's no reason the neg would have to have a link.
Topicality versus plan affs:
1. I used to enjoy these debates. It seems like I'm voting on T less often than I used to, but I also feel like I'm seeing T debated well less often. I enjoy it when the 2NC takes T and it's well-developed and it feels like a solid option out of the block. What I enjoy less is when it isn't but the 2NR goes for it as a hail mary and the whole debate occurs in the last two speeches.
2. Teams overestimate the importance of "reasonability." Winning reasonability shifts the burden to the negative--it doesn't mean that any risk of defense on means the T sheet of paper is thrown away. It generally only changes who wins in a debate where the aff's counter-interp solves for most of the neg offense but doesn't have good offense against the neg's interp. The reasonability debate does seem slightly more important on CJR given that the neg's interp often doesn't solve for much. But the aff is still better off developing offense in the 1AR.
Been out of debate for a while so please do not use your top speed with me - if I don’t understand an argument as it was presented in the speech I won’t vote on it
ashwinmathi at gmail dot com
Very comfortable with
1. Deleuze
2. Well structured phil
3. Well structured theory
*Pretty comfortable with*
1. Baudrillard
2. LARP
3, Other K debate
*Misc*
1. I don’t have hard defaults so if an argument or paradigm issue is particularly key to your strategy pls explicitly defend it
2. I would like to say I’m tech over truth but the truthier something is to me, the easier it is for me to flow and use the argument in a decision.
3. I am willing to forego as many norms of debate as the debaters want or as is sufficiently argued in round
For extra speaks
1. meaningfully express a change in the world you want to see
2. express emotions (be funny or angry or whatever) in a way that amplifies your message
3. send rebuttal speech docs and analytics to the whole chain if you have em
4. make my decision easy
5. be educational
6. structure your speech time in interesting ways
For low speaks
1. be unnecessarily rude
2. be unnecessarily low effort
3. read silly arguments (disclosure theory, abusive tricks) in front of an obvious novice
Hi! I'm Kabeer Minocha, and I am a student at Saratoga High School. If I am judging your round, here are some things to know:
1. I will not tolerate excessive speeds of arguing, and this will affect my judgement. If I cannot understand you, I cannot grade you.
2. Kritiks are fine, but don't get caught in a hole of trying to argue in theoreticals. Try to stick to some imperical facts.
3. I will weigh imperical evidence over general, so try to give me numbers and facts. I find that to be stronger.
4. I don't want a brawl in the debate. Be professional and during cross-X/rebuttal, don't be rude or hurtful.
Most importantly, present me with a well-thought case and strong evidence. Have fun!
Contact Info: minocha.kabeer@gmail.com (408) 338-7294
Hi, nice to meet you!
In short, I've been debating for a while so I will understand most jargon and stuff. Therefore, feel free to run most types of arguments, don't be mean or use harmful rhetoric in round, do do impact calculus, make sound and logical arguments, and tell me what to look for and vote for. Off time road-maps are a good idea.
I'm sure all you are amazing, but I study public health and am deathly afraid of germs, so please don't shake my hand!
If you would like more information about me or about how I process debate, continue reading here:
General/Important Things on How I Judge:
-Call all Points of Order(POOs)in the last speeches. I will protect the flow as much as I can but calling them is best.
-Content warnings are generally appreciated because we do not know the background of all the people in the room.
-I'm ok with counter-plans (CPs), theory, and kritiks (Ks) and whatever arguments you can make against them
-I am not an expert on theory or kritiks, but generally, I can keep up. Make sure that you are thoroughly explaining your theory and your kritiks regardless because debate is educational at its core.
-Speed is ok, but let everyone in the room know if you are going to spread. If your opponent is talking too quickly, please call CLEAR (this means to say clear in an assertive tone and is a signal for the other team to slow down). If you are talking too quickly and not enunciating to the point that I cannot understand, I will stop flowing.
-Tag-teaming is ok, but be respectful. If you are puppeting your partner to the point of it being obnoxious and rude, I will drop your speaker points.
-Point of Informations(POIs): I think that it is polite to take at least one if not two.
Background on Me:
-I debated through college. I was not super-competitive in high school, but I have won tournaments and medals in NPDA, IPDA, and speech during my gap year (taking classes at a local CC).
Case Debate:
-I will try to be as much of a blank slate as possible (tabula rasa). Meaning that I will not intervene with any of my knowledge to the best of my ability. That being said, if you are saying lots of untrue things it might affect your speaks.
-Please have a clean debate. The messier the round becomes the more I have to go through and pick over information which increases the likelihood of some judge intervention.
-A few isolated quips will not win you the round. Make the debate clean and make it tell a story.
-Again debate is about creating a narrative, so collapse down and create the most compelling narrative you can make.
-Make your arguments logical and make sure they work together (ie. Advantages or Disads that contradict each other really grind my gears and happen more often than you would think)
Theory:
-It should make sense and be specific to the round.
-Throwaway theory is fine as long as you are specifically connecting it to what is happening in the round. (ie. don't run vagueness just to run vagueness, show me where the opponent is vague)
-Make your standards clear and explain it well. (Note: If you get a POI, I would suggest taking it.)
Kritiks: I think they are important to debate and I will listen to them, but because I am less familiar with them than some judges you might have, make sure you both thoroughly understand and can thoroughly explain your K.
-Do not make assumptions about others and do not run anything you already know is offensive and/or hurtful.
-People and emotions are more valuable than a win...and being offensive/causing emotional-damage probably won't get you a win.
-Like theory, make it specific to the round...please don't run something just to run it and not link it to the res.
-Please repeat the alt and take POIs. Ks can be hard and it is exclusionary not to make sure that your opponent understands what you are saying.
-Don't spread your opponents out of the round. If you are not clear or organized, it will be reflected in speaks or (depending on the severity) the way I vote.
-I will flow through what you tell me to and will vote on my flow. This means that you should emphasize arguments or links that you think are key to your Kritik.
Speaker Points: Generally, these are subjective...but I base them on a mix of strategy and style.
25: Please be more considerate with your words. You were offensive during round and I will not tolerate that because debate is about learning and it becomes very hard to learn if someone is not putting thought into their words (ie. please stop being racist, sexist, homophobic, etc).
26-26.9: Below average. Most likely there were strategic errors in round. Arguments were probably missing sections and did not have a ton of structure.
27-27.9: Average. General structure is down, but most likely the arguments were not flushed out and were loosely constructed with hard to follow logic.
28-28.5: Above Average. All the parts of debate are there and the manipulation of the arguments is there but unpolished. The basics are done well.
28.5-28.9: Superior. Very clear and very well done debate. However, most likely some strategic errors were made.
29-29.9: Excellent. Wow, you can debate really well. Good strategy and good analysis.
30: You were godly.
This paradigm was done really late, so it will be edited as I judge more.
Email: vl_pavlov@hotmail.com (yea. seriously. it gets my emails to me on time and im not really looking for a change. i know the world uses gmail)
Please add me on the email chain.
NSDA things and thoughts
Ill add tournament specific things as we go through the weekend.
-- PF/LD notes at the bottom. TLDR -- with a couple minor exceptions I view my role very similar to how I judge Policy rounds. IMPORTANT: for PF make sure to have impacts. I find those are underdeveloped a lot of the time in PF. So for example if youre saying the bad thing is CO2 emissions, why is that bad? Are people going to die? Will the environment collapse? That's the next level analysis that I think will be VERY helpful to get my ballot in PF.
-- I have zero thoughts on the topic. I probably did a little coaching at the tournament so I know a little but by no means anything concrete.
-- Debaters get complacent with spreading -- blast through tags, cards and analytics. Dont. Have a clear transition word for tags and on analytics slow WAY down so I can actually differentiate between what argument is being made.
But Vlad, I wont get through my all my arguments!
Ok. I promise you'll still be in an infinitely better position if you do the above adjustments than if youre blitzing through everything.
-- I think I more and more lean away from giving affs the benefit of the doubt on theories of power or models of debate that they endorse. I think when we get to the 2AR and you basically drop and the aff and go for "our theory of power is..." or "our method of debate is..." but never actually warrant out why thats in any way true, my threshold for presumption neg ballots goes waywayway down. This just feels like lazy debating. Not a big fan.
-- I'm in law school now. I think the implication is Ive learned about more and more shitty things in the world and I've learned more and more how engrained institutions are. So what does this mean for debate. I think discussions about reformation of institutions are super valuable and its a shame that debaters generally fall squarely into the camps of "yay state" or "reject all instances of state". Specific criticism of the state and reformation tactics I think are valuable. This isnt to say that if you dont youll lose, in fact I dont think my actual debate judging stances have actually changed...just a thought on the discussions I think would be cool to have.
Side note: If you want to chat about law school, whatever aspect of it youre interested in, feel free to reach out (email or any time at the tournament) Id be happy to chat. Its a big decision so Id be happy to talk to anyone considering it.
Top 'things everyone should be aware of with me judging' level
I debated for NYU for 2.5 years. Most ran policy/soft left affs, but have gone for many things on the neg. Since I've coached and judged on just about every level from Middle School debate to College at the NDT.
A DROPPED ARGUMENT IS ONLY TRUE TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU EXPLAIN IT. The only thing that a dropped argument means you will get 100% of the explanation that you GIVE. It does not mean you get to say 'they dropped X so we get Y argument and we win (the flow/debate).' If anything you should be sitting on the argument for an extended period of time and not 5 seconds. Especially if its a good piece of offense.
I usually wont take any longer then 15 minutes deciding a round. At most. I strongly believe that once I start thinking longer then that I start making connections that were not made in round and end up inserting more of my own thoughts and think about things that I dont have on my flow. My process is mostly limited to the following: I will do my best to vote on the flow, when I look at my flow I look at arguments and warrants made by both teams and how they clash on my flow. If I am able to coherently come to a decision based on arguments and evidence in the round, I will. If there is a block in my decision making I evaluate what is causing the blockage and read evidence to resolve the block. I will refrain from making any extrapolations and building argumentative connections that were not in the round.
**while the above is true, there are two exceptions -- gross misreading and misrepresentation of evidence is a droppable offense EVEN IF the other team doesnt call you out. Other exception is author criticism, specifically if the claim is that authors perpetuate problematic systems, is likely where author criticism will elevate to a voter issue. Otherwise, I THINK its most likely a reason to reject an argument, not the team. I think its important that literature in the debate space isnt written by awful people. If that claim is made, but not super clearly and there is contestation, I might google more about the author to verify who they are. I'd rather make the right decision in regards to authors, rather than keep it within the scope of what was said in round.
Im happy to judge policy v policy, clash of civs and k v k rounds. I will however caution high theory teams against prefing me. While I will vote on it, a lot of high theory K teams seem to rely on a lot of jargon that doesnt mean much to me. (EX. if you framing for the round only extends to the following phrase 'our framing for this round is libidinal economy' that means basically nothing to me). If you want a judge who will hear that phrase and immediately have that mean something to them, in full transparency, you probably should have me lower on your pref sheet. If you are able to give real world examples and implications of your theory to the aff and the world you should be ok, but I do think these are the types of arguments I have the highest threshold for voting on. If you choose not to pref me, fair enough, but if you do get me as a judge dont change what you do best. I will do my best to vote off my flow and stay as objective as possible.
Impact framing makes my life and yours easier especially in clash of the civilization rounds. When in doubt, do it old skool, spell out why you win simply and how your args short-circuits the ability of the other side to access their impacts [too few negs do this and without that step, the 2AR has a lot of ground to play with unencumbered]. If both teams are winning impacts but no one tells me how I should evaluate the impacts it leaves it in my hands which impact is more important and leaves one team feeling sad. This goes for any round.
Timing ends when you tell me it ends. If the email chain takes over a minute to send Ill probably just start running prep again.
I started flowing on computer but I still actually type and im not the fastest typer ever. I also dont EVER just copy and paste things from speech docs onto my flow. This means, especially for rebuttal speeches, that if you make a blippy argument and move on in your speech, dont get offended if I dont vote on it since Im not able to get it down properly as I'll be moving on to the next arguments youre making and trying to get those down. If its a killer argument SLOW DOWN, FLAG IT and SPEND TIME ON IT.Generally a debate is won in the rebuttals by 5 very well articulated arguments, not 40 terribly executed arguments. Focus in on those 5 arguments you need to win and make sure you win them. If your strategy is to make 40 blippy arguments TBH I probably wont flow 50% of them and I certainly wont try to figure out why those arguments win you the round.
Generally Tech > Truth, but if a theory argument is dropped by a team but is just 100% not true I wont vote on it. For example, if the neg claims the aff severed from their aff but thats not the case I will not vote on dropped severance theory.
Affirmative: You do you.
Often times affirmatives get caught up in neg arguments and dont refer to what they are trying to defend. At the end of the debate I want a clear articulation of your affirmative story and what impacts Im supposed to vote on and why your stuff outweighs.
Case Debates: Really enjoy good case debates, unfortunately they dont seem to be very common. Smart analytics and close reading of aff evidence can get the neg far. Yet teams seem scared of going hard on case and feel like they have to win an off case position...you dont. If a team cant defend its aff, by all means, let em have it. Ive voted neg that was 6 minutes of just case in the 2NR. I think a 2NR thats 100% presumption is kinda hard to win. I generally presume that an aff likely does even just a little that I can vote on. Thus, you probably some offense somewhere.
Neg: You do you, and Im fine with voting on it. I think love hearing things that divert from typical strats. Ive gone for anything from DAs, to Ks, to T so Im familiar with a wide range of debates.
DAs: I like them. BUT. DO NOT READ 30 POWER TAGGED CARDS THAT HAVE 4 HIGHLIGHTED WORDS EACH. You've been warned. Generally the Links and internal links are pretty weak in most DAs, so try to have a clear articulation how you get to your extinction scenario. The more clear this is, the more happy ill be to vote on it. Topic specific DAs are cool. A great part of debate is the research and knowledge about the topic that debaters gain. When you read a well thought out DA it shows a great knowledge and effort into the topic.
CPs: Go for it. Im fine with PICS or consult CPs. Have a clear net benefit.
Ks: I think Ks are great and I love judging em. Lately there has been a frustrating trend where debaters have become real lazy with links. 98% of links feel like links to the SQUO and just 'you use the USFG'. I find this to be incredibly lazy debating and makes me sad. I have increasing had a higher and higher threshold for voting on these links. Make of that what you will.
I prefer alts to exist and I prefer that you have real world explanations of how the alt results in something. These are the best and most persuasive alts. Jargon without how it applies to the real world doesnt do it for me. Without an alt, usually I only vote neg when the aff horribly messes up.
FWK: Happy to vote on it. While I ran mostly topical affs, since I stopped debating Ive been coaching more borderline/non topical affs and definitely understand the benefit and necessity of non topical affs. I dont think I have a predisposition for FWK either way. Win the flow, win the round.
Fairness is an internal link, NOT AN IMPACT. Im sure Ive voted on fairness as an impact but I probably wasn't thrilled. Goes for T as well.
T: Especially this year there are some weird plan texts floating around. if its a well thought out violation Ill probably be happy to pull the trigger on it if its well executed.
Performance: Overtime Ive been finding myself judging more of these rounds. While its not something I've ever done and not literature Ive read, as long as you can clearly articulate why your aff is a good idea Ill be happy to vote on it.
Theory: Teams cheat. Ive seen affs in the 2AC sever out of the entire 1AC. Thats probably bad. Thats probably abusive. Theory makes sense. Teams read arguments that are probably unfair. If a team made it hard for you to debate let me know. I might vote on it. These arent my favorite debates to judge, but I also understand that 5 conditional worlds are hard to debate against.
Please dont read violations that didnt happen in the round or REALLY didnt impact your ability to debate at all. New Affs/Non-disclosure bad are uphill battles for me, I heavily lean towards both those things being legit and decent enough debate practices.
Generally becomes a debate of two teams reading blocks of text against each other with 10+ points. Unless one side horribly mismanages this flow it probably wont mean too much at the end of the debate. If you go beyond reading walls of text, and actually make an argument out of the Theory argument you go for, this could become a voter at the end of the debate. Although it seems like its really rare that a deep debate happens on this flow.
MISC THINGS:
1. Dont tell the other team to 'do X (flow, debate, read, etc.) better' and similarly dont say things like 'clearly only one team know what theyre talking about and thats us'. You arent perfect either. Nor am I. Above all else I view debate as an activity to hone vital life skills that debate uniquely promotes. I dont think policy or K or performance debate is any way exclusionary, but I sure do think that 'arguments' that directly attack debaters and their ability to perform in this space are exclusionary and problematic. If this is how you answer CX qs or if this is an argument you think is good, your speaks just became non existent. Im not sure where these types of 'arguments' are coming from but they are popping up and I really hope they get stamped out ASAP. UPDATE: Good news, havent heard this in a while. But just gonna keep this here for a little while longer anyways.
2. In final rebuttals: 3 very well articulated arguments >>>>>>>>>>>> 57 blippy arguments. If you ask why I didnt vote on your 47th blippy argument its probably because I was still trying to process your 28th blippy argument.
3. If I look tired, I probably am. Its also probably not your fault. I also probably just spent all night doing law school work.
Novice Things: If youre a novice and got down this far, congrats. Here are things that if I see in a novice debate your speaks will go up some arbitrary amount.
1. Time yourself.
2. I kinda hate to say it but use your whole speech time. Even if you feel like you said everything you need to say, trust me. You havent. If you feel like youre about to basically just repeat yourself, thats fine too. Theres a chance you might frame or articulate an argument that puts you ahead in the round. Maybe you need to take 30 seconds to think of something to say, thats fine too.
3. Overviews are cool.
4. Less cards, more engaging with the other teams args.
5. 2nrs that go for one off case position. (Or CP with a DA as a net benefit)
PF
My foray into PF has been fairly limited but I found myself evaluating most rounds according to the above. If thats incorrect...sorry. But here are a few thoughts and feelings:
- I know final focus is short. But that doesnt mean 'we extend our card, that takes out their case' is an argument. If that card does in fact take out their argument, you gotta explain the card. Even if the other team doesnt respond to it, it's your responsibility to make sure I still evaluate it. If you dont explain it, I wont think about it, I wont read your evidence, I wont vote on it.
- Impacts are cool. I think a lot of speeches, especially in the final focus forget about actually explaining why things matter. So what if the economy gets better under your resolution? I urge you to think about the broader implication of your impact, are there deeper issues that youre solving?
LD
I judge a tournament or two in LD a year. So far I havent found the need to evaluate these rounds any differently than Policy rounds. But I suppose here are just a couple thoughts:
- I dont know what a trick is, but Ive been told by other LD people and coaches that I would hate them. So unless its absolutely necessary I will default to those coaches whom I trust. Lets keep me ignorant of what tricks are.
- A couple years ago this thing happened where people would read MASSIVE underviews with 25 arguments, and each argument had 4-5 different subparts and decide to blow up dropped underview arguments in later speeches. IDK if it was just a glitch in the LD system or if that a pervasive thing that people do and Ive just been lucky since to not hear that anymore...If that was a weird year, great! We all move on. If thats still a thing and your A-level strategy is to do what I described above -- please strike me. Or if Im judging you I strongly suggest you switch up your strategy for the upcoming round.
utd 26'
email: rahulpenumetcha10@gmail.com
NDT x2
Top Level -
The debate should be up to the debaters and I will not intervene - any of my opinions discussed below will not affect my decision-making process if any argument in the debate is made over them.
A lot of this philosophy (and my beliefs in debate) will echo austin kiihnl, kevin hirn, and julian habermann's philosophies'.
There is almost always a risk of any argument, its a question of how the debaters do calc as to which risk matters more
I will vote on any argument that I disagree with or is not true if the argument is won at a technical level (doesn't apply to non-negotiables)
"Evidence quality influences technical debating and I value good evidence highly"
"I have a fairly strong preference for organized, technical debating, and not debating in this way will probably make it a lot harder than you'd like for me to adjudicate the debate." (From Austin)
Notes:
-Analytics need to be used more (esp vs less truthful args)
-I won't judge kick unless told to
-I don't lean a certain way on cp theory but 2ac blippiness means the neg block has a low threshold to meet. I'm better than most for theory to make it into the 1AR but still, every cp theory other than condo is probably a reason to reject the arg
-We meet on T is a yes/no question - generally T debates are my favorite when done well.
-“I will weigh the aff unless convinced otherwise. I enjoy alt debating far, far more than FW. Aff-specific link explanation will be rewarded highly. I am most likely to vote for a K if it uses its critical theory and explanatory power to directly diminish aff solvency rather than try to access a larger impact. If debated like a critical CP, DA, and case push, you will be rewarded.” (From Julian)
-I've spent a decent amount of time reading critical literature with the most time spent on Calvin Warren, Frank Wilderson, Christina Shrape, Arthur Kroker, and Douglas Kellner in that order. This means my threshold for your explanation might inevitably be higher, however aff specific contextualization and the explanation of the theory of power on the line by line should overcome any gap in understanding.
-I have a sweet spot for impact turn debates.
-My evaluation of K affs vs FW is best for the aff when there is either a firm impact turn strategy with some metric to evaluate aff case offense or a counter interp that focuses on establishing an inroads to 2nr offense while solving external impacts. I'm better for the negative when the strategy is either hard right fairness and providing a metric to view aff offense through or a strategy that revolves around clash/fairness and establishing ways FW can solve aff offense via a TVA/SSD. If it matters I've been on the neg side of these debates slightly more than the aff.
Non-negotiables
Do not be racist, sexist, homophobic, or misgender.
CX is binding
I will not vote on anything that did not happen in the round because that is not what a judge ought to do.
If the debate can be made safer, accessible etc. Please let me know.
I consider myself a judge who will listen to anything as long as it is warranted. I have voted on just about any argument you can imagine. I am open to both traditional and progressive arguments. Do whatever works for you. Please give me voters. I love seeing clear ways you think I should evaluate the round. If you only read this paragraph, here is the TLDR version. I love direct clash. Voters are incredibly important in the rebuttals. Don't make me do the mental work for you.
I competed for 3 years in policy in high school, 4 years of NPDA, and 2 years of LD in college, and I was a graduate assistant for the WTAMU speech team. I have been coaching in some capacity for the last 8 years, so there's not much you can run that I have not seen.
Policy Debate
Topicality
I enjoy a good T debate. Stock issues are still very important in traditional policy debates, and I want debaters to do it well. Run T if there is a clear violation. Please emphasize voters.
Disadvantages
Please read specific links if you have them. Tell me exactly how the aff plan fits into your scenario. I'm fine with terminal impacts as long as they are warranted.
Counterplans
I like CPs when they are run well. Please have a unique net benefit on the CP. You can read CP theory for the aff or neg. It's a neglected argument, but I like hearing theories on different types of counterplans and their validity.
Kritiks
Just like disadvantages, I think Ks should have specific links. Theory is great, and I enjoy it when it is run well. Make sure you have more than just a reject alt. What does the alt call me to do besides vote for you? Do not run multiple Ks in the same round/speech. A good K is a big enough theoretical and ethical issue that it should be your main advocacy.
Lincoln-Douglas
I coached in a very traditional area, which means I see a lot of traditional debate. Ethical debates are incredibly important, and they've grown on me as I have coached the activity. That said, I am open to more "progressive" styles as long as the arguments are solid. Each side should offer a value and a criterion for their case. However, you choose to structure arguments after that is up to you.
Public Forum
I have less experience with PF than I do with CX and LD, but I enjoy judging it. Unlike traditional policy debate, public forum debate does not require a plan text. The time constraints make policy-style cases difficult. I'm open to hearing that format, but it's not required to win my ballot. I want to see well-reasoned cases and good clash in rounds.
Speed
It's very hard to speak too quickly for me. It is possible to mumble or speak too quietly, especially in a virtual debate. Debate is only good if both sides know what is happening. Please make sure you enunciate clearly. Please don't gasp for air while you read. It's one of the few things I truly hate. If you're doing that, slow down. Make your signposts and taglines very clear, so I know where to flow.
At the end of the day, it is not my job to tell you what you should run. Run arguments that you like and think you will do well running.
Add me to the email chain: neel.redkar@gmail.com
Experience: 5 years of debate in policy, ld, and pf
Tech > Truth
Please read overviews and signpost clearly especially for online debate. Even though I've probably already seen your arguments before, please explain them and contextualize any offense, giving a good story of your impacts. Evidence will help with the story, but just a 2ac/2nc of tag extended cards and "they dropped my point" won't help you on the flow, I expect warrants to be extended and explained well, and contextualized.
I'm good with any argument, just if you're running a K, contextualize the link, and explain it well
Debate is what you want it to be, make sure to have fun!
7yrs of policy debate experience
Include me on the email chain -- My email: iby2248@gmail.com
- - -
I'm good with spreading.
Don't be any of the "-ists" (Racist, Sexist, etc.)
Call me Judge Or Ibrahima (Ee-bruh-hee-ma) in round (really wtv you prefer)
- - -
I can be swayed by any argument as long as it is fleshed out well. I believe in Tabula Rasa, although from my experience in debate, I like it when the Affirmative weighs the hypothetical implications of not doing the affirmative effectively. For the negative, any negative argument (traditional or untraditional) can be ran as long as its argued beyond a threshold.
As a judge, I default negative if the Affirmative has not done enough work to prove how the benefits to implementing the plan outweigh the status quo AND any potential harmful aftereffects to doing the plan. Whether it is a Kritik, TVA, CP, etc., the Aff must provide enough defense of their case and can't rely solely on hypothetical implications.
Not too familiar with this years topic so don't expect me to know every term.
- - -
Don't violate any of the non-negotiables: no sexism, no racism, (any of the -isms). No insensitive comments. No blatant disrespect. Treat debate what it is, an academic space and a platform for the voice of marginalized communities and a way for new ideas to circulate.
- - -
More comments can be given pre-round.
---
DO NOT CHANGE YOUR STRATEGY FOR THE BALLOT - I AM OPEN TO ANY AND ALL ARGUMENTS.
Update for Loyola 2020
Honestly, not much has changed since this last LD update in 2018 except that I now teach at Success Academy in NYC.
Update for Voices / LD Oct 2018:
I coach Policy debate at the Polytechnic School in Pasadena, CA. It has been a while since I have judged LD. I tend to do it once a or twice a year.
You do you: I've been involved in judging debate for over 10 years, so please just do whatever you would like to do with the round. I am familiar with the literature base of most postmodern K authors, but I have not recently studied classical /enlightenment philosophers.
It's okay to read Disads: I'm very happy to judge a debate involving a plan, DAs and counter-plans with no Ks involved as well. Just because I coach at a school that runs the K a lot doesn't mean that's the only type of argument I like / respect / am interested in.
Framework: I am open to "traditional" and "non-traditional" frameworks. Whether your want the round to be whole res, plan focused, or performative is fine with me. If there's a plan, I default to being a policymaker unless told otherwise.
Theory: I get it - you don't have a 2AC so sometimes it's all or nothing. I don't like resolving these debates. You won't like me resolving these debates. If you must go for theory, please make sure you are creating the right interpretation/violation. I find many LD debaters correctly identify that cheating has occurred, but are unable to identify in what way. I tend to lean education over fairness if they're not weighed by the debaters.
LD Things I don't Understand: If the Aff doesn't read a plan, and the Neg reads a CP, you may not be satisfied with how my decision comes out - I don't have a default understanding of this situation which I hear is possible in LD.
Other thoughts: Condo is probably a bad thing in LD.
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Update for Jack Howe / Policy Sep 2018: (Sep 20, 2018 at 9:28 PM)
Update Pending
Please use the link below to access my paradigm. RIP Wikispaces.
Hey!
I am currently a varsity debater in LD at Leland, and I also have some experience in PF and Policy. I don't have any particular preferences, as long as arguments are well-explained and have impacting. I do not do circuit nor have experience with theory, K, spreading etc, so I would prefer not to judge it, but I'll try my best.
Look forward to a great debate!