Last changed on
Fri February 16, 2024 at 1:48 AM CDT
Debate success doesn't matter! Have fun and do what you love! Be a good person!
Hello! My name is Anna Dean (she/her). I will default to (they/them) if I don't know you.
Bentonville West High School '21 (AR) | Harvard '25
I currently debate at Harvard. In High School, I did: Policy (Bentonville West DR FOREVER.), Extemp, World Schools, a little bit of Congress/ LD.
If you are racist/sexist/homophobic/etc I will vote you down, end of story. Your rhetoric and how you treat your opponents matter.
TL;DR
Put me on the email chain: annadean13@gmail.com
Time yourself.
Do what you do & do it well.
Speed is fine (in CX/LD) (slow down a bit online & emphasize clarity)
Truth over Tech
If you read 40 cards in the block = fascism
I love a good cross-ex :)
Win an impact.
Number your args... please.
You have not turned the case just because you read an impact to your DA or K that is the same as the advantage impact.
Don't clip cards.
If you're unclear I won't yell "clear" I just won't flow well...
Updated 2023: DO NOT GO FOR THEORY. Don't read tricks. I don't buy the bs. Win your arguments without tricking your opponents.
I do not like disclosure. I won't vote for it. You should be able to win without knowing exactly what your opponents are going to say(can't believe I have to even write this)
Policy:
KvK:
I like them if they're well done. I should say, I don't have immense knowledge of theory. I ran Fem, Fem Killjoy<3, Queer, Set Col, Cap in high school. In college, I've done Afropess, SetCol, and Fem stuff. I evaluate method v. method.
*I study Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. I have knowledge about gender/ feminism/ race critical theory and loveeeeee these arguments!
Plans:
Yes! I love a soft left AFF. My ideal round is a soft left aff and 3-6 off.
T:
I love T. Go for it. I think it's underutilized. I like procedural fairness impacts (when it's clearly an impact). If you want to win my ballot, paint a picture of what your vision of the topic is and what happens in debates on it, which matters much more to me than conceded generic blips and buzzwords.
Framework:
I lean more neg (60/40). IMPACTS.
DAs:
Yes, but they can get boring and overdone. I would rather read 5, solid, well-highlighted UQ cards than 10 poopy cards that say "it'll pass but it's cloooooseeee!" without ever highlighting anything beyond that sentence. Uniqueness controls the direction of uniqueness and the link controls the direction of the link.
CPs:
I tend to think condo bad (55/45). Some teams try to get away with murder. Yes, I will vote on 'condo bad'. I lean neg when the CP is based in the literature and there's a reasonable solvency advocate. I lean aff when the CP meets neither of those conditions.
Ks:
Focus on arg development & application rather than reading backfiles.
If your strategy involves going for some version of "all debate is bad, this activity is meaningless and only produces bad people" please consider who your audience is. Of course, you can make arguments about flaws in specific debate policies & practices, but you should also recognize that the "debate is irredeemable" position is a tough sell to someone who has dedicated 7+ years of her life to it and tries to make it better.
Examples are incredibly helpful in these debates, especially when making structural claims about the world.
LD:
I am policy debater at heart. I will flow every word you say. Speed is a weapon in debate.
I don't love theory/meta-theory/tricks. I find a lot of Philo debates have tricks. Please just win your arguments and do not trick your opponents. It is extremely rare I vote on it.
I am good for more policy-oriented theory arguments like condo good/bad, PICs good/bad, process CPs good/bad, etc.
See above for more specifics.
PF:
Send your docs and create an email chain from the get-go! Every other debate style has managed to learn this. Stop asking for evd without taking prep, just send everything and be fair.
I'm not flowing off the doc and probably won't look at it unless I have to.
Act as if I don't know the topic
I'm good for speed/ more policy like args BUT I do think that PF is changing in a negative way, if you want to do policy why are you in PF...
Congress:
Speak well. You are role-playing a policymaker... act like it.
Be prepared to speak on both sides of the bill.
I value evidence and credible sources.
DO NOT re-hash args.
Extemp:
I love good intros and transitions! I love to laugh a lil in an extemp round!
Organization is key!
I value evidence and credible sources.
I stay very up to date on current events... I will know what you're talking about... take that as you wish:)
Best of luck to you! If you have questions feel free to ask me before a round or email me!