Participants Needed! First ATS Debate Tournament for 2007

edit to add:This is now also the debate discussion thread.

It is in poor taste to give advice or criticism on debates which have not yet ended. It is fine to talk about whats going on, marvel at the brilliant manuevers, express your fear and trepidation or that which you think your opponent should be feeling, just don't armchair quarterback eachother. Its sink or swim for everyone on their own merits.
(end edit)

Well guys. There's two things I'm never going to be: patient, and humble.

Everytime I achieve humility I just can't wait to brag about it.

Anyway, in a display of something that is most definately not patience, I'm unlocking the threads a couple of ours early.

Replies are officially due by 1 AM tomorrow. Let me know in advance if you need graceperiods. My night-owl tendencies have made this opening very oddly timed, so I will absolutely understand that. Just do what you can.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, I've already read you my instructions in the dressing room, but I'm gonna go over them again. You gotta put your hips into your kidney punches. I don't wanna see any hitting above the belt. Protect yourself at all times. In the event of a knock down, don't kick your opponent more than twice, you will go to your opponent's corner and tease his trainer while waiting for my instructions.

Now, in the words Mills Lane: Let's get it on!

[edit on 7-8-2007 by The Vagabond]

I'd like to join, but I might lose the 2nd round.
I'll join anyways.

This is my first time so im a little lost


and i need help

All spots are currently filled but you can be one of our backups. Odds are we won't have enough people dropping out for you to compete, to be honest, but you never know.

If you don't get to compete during this tournament, there is always afterwards.

I believe that if you watch the debates, you will learn a lot which will help you when you do get your chance.

I've been making a butt of myself all day long my misspelling eNjoies05's name, and none of you other than enjoies had the decency to stop me. If this happens again you're all disqualified for brown nosing.

lol

No, actually I'm just taking a public bite of crow to express my embarrassment and apologies for the mistake.

I can see that most of you have now recieved your u2us. Only one of the posters who has to open has not yet found out, to the best of my knowledge.

But just in case anyone had a hard time finding their debate, the list is here, with links:

www.abovetopsecret.com...'

I totally said I would right after Justin.... I just asked when it was so I could prepare for it..... If I get Shafted I will be so freaken mad!!!!!

I'm extremely appologetic Parry, however from your post it seemed uncertain as to whether or not you could do it. I asked for confirmation but you were gone for a day and a half and it just didn't seem fair to keep 16 people waiting for 1 when I had no way of knowing when you might be back.

For what it's worth, there will not be a long wait after this tournament- there will be individual matches available almost immediately, and judging by the tremendous interest in this tournament, I suspect that we will schedule the second tournament for November.

I would be reasonably interested in participating in a debate, if it's possible in the future. It's something I'd like to try.

I don't know how good I'd be at it though.

Originally posted by chissler
The sides of each debate are randomly selected.

The only problem I ever had with these types of debates.
If the truth is obvious (or at least obvious to human perception), then you're basically forced to BS when you're put on the ''false side'', or at least twist ''reality''.

One example was a debate about "That we learn from nature.".
The best argument the ''Agree" side could come with was (summarized) "We exploit nature and we use it."

They got totally washed away by those who were put on ''against''.

[edit on 7/8/07 by -0mega-]

Great. When the tournament is concluded all you've gotta do is hunt down somebody to challenge.

Another tournament in November eh? Excellent!

I love it when the community gets active like this. Really makes me glad to be an ATS'er!

BS is in the eye of the beholder. I'll grant that it's had for a topic to be perfectly balanced, and once in a rare while one might come that should have been better thought out, but more often than not, a strong debater will be able to shape the question in a moderate way that makes it competitive.

One of our other mods, thelibra, actually beat me in a debate where he had to argue that humans weren't responsible for global warming. Talk about the slam dunk of all debates, but he was that good and I made a couple of mistakes, and he not just beat me, he beat me by a good spread.

Outside of tournaments it may be possible to come to another arangement, but in a tournament as I explained earlier, its very difficutl to give everyone both the topic they want and the side of the topic they want, so randomness so far has always seemed to be a necessary evil.


But you know, a lot of the things in this world that I think are BS, just might be true even without me believing them. A person has to entertain that possibility and be able to discuss the side he doesn't believe in intelligently.

I'll tell you, I have definate opinions on what is true about every one of these topics, but I wouldn't have let a topic go through if I would have been afraid to argue either side of it, and I'd be willing to defend my integrity on that point when the tournament is over if challenged.

Wow, i am so rediculously backed into a corner that its almost sad

This one is going to take some thinking to argue my way out of, i think i have an idea, though...

well... I hate my topic... I'm completely against it. I'm Christain!!! I'm not Catholic!

Hey, at least you have started your debates! I am still awaiting my opponent to go. I hope he does though, I can't wait to get PWND

Absente........where are you?

Good God. My opponent, EvilBat, essentially conceded the debate in his opening statement. I don't even have the heart to U2U him and explain his mistake.

Guys and gals,
If you're given a position to advocate that you don't personally agree with, fake it. Flex your debating skills. These debates aren't about what you or I actually believe. We get the chance to voice that in the usual forums and threads.

These ATS debates are all about highlighting the gift of argumentation in an adversarial context. On balance, this is an excercize where we educate ourselves at least as much as we attempt to educate others.

This isn't so much about challenging what we think as it is about challenging how we think.

Denying ignorance. I'm lovin' it!



[edit on 8-8-2007 by Tuning Spork]

Thats what I ment about working.... I work like 9 - 12 hour days, I worked from 8 am - 2:45 pm helping my boss move, and then went to work from 4:00 pm - 12:30 am.... Damn it why do I slave myself!!!!

Originally posted by The Vagabond
Great. When the tournament is concluded all you've gotta do is hunt down somebody to challenge.

They could always just go do a Head-2-Head, couldn't they? I mean seriously, that debate format has gotten the big shaft since it started. No one debates there anymore. The last time I checked there, my and semperfortis' other debate was still the last one posted in. And that, my dear readers, was well over a month ago, if not 2.

All I'm saying is that if you have a serious axe to grind, have a go in the H2H format. Trust me, it's a kick in the pants!!!

TheBorg

Tournament News

I'm pleased to see that this turning out to be a widely read and very active tournament.
Kudos to you all for getting in their and posting on time and making the most of what every dabater knows isn't always a good deal.

Special props to EvilBat, Tuning Spork, Justin Oldham, and D.E.M. who have all rocketed out of the gate at 3 times the required pace, finishing a round and a half in a day.

Only one fighter is late. Absent is 1 hour late, but more importantly, hasn't been online in over 3 days. I hope he's OK and wish him well, but we can't wait.
Absente is disqualified. Hikix will enter the tournament and will argue the pro side of our Planet of the WHATS? debate. The fighters in that debate will be U2U'd with new instructions in a few moments. Hikix will have 24 hours to make his opening statement from the time that I send the U2U.

Planet of the WHATS? seems to have struck a chord. With no posts in that debate yet, it boasts 12 flags and nearly 1,000 views. Most first round debates don't get that much attention even by the time they are finished. I encourage all ATSers to check it out.


And last but by no means least, one could not possibly miss the distinct atmosphere of 1st round debates in progress. We've got our quietly confident and our shell-shocked, and members who would trade a thumb for a new topic (afterall, I don't push anything but space bar with my thumbs- they are the least useful finger).

Hang in there. Some of you are doing a lot better than you think. Without naming names or topics, I can tell you that a few of you who probably think you are losing have chances to pull off major coups if you strike hard on the right aspect of your opponent's argument- air-tight cases are a very scarce resource.

Don't feel hedged in. If you can find a way to stretch your topic or take a new angle on it, you can- make all the wiggleroom you can for yourself. Earlier I saw an excellent duel shaping up between one of you who was doing a good job of playing it safe with his topic, and an opponent making a very respectable effort to stop him.


For those of you who suffer from low morale however, rest assured of two things: 1. The topics for the next round are being intensively discussed, and you have a very strong advocate in that discussion who has offered some outstanding ideas, many of which will be taken.
2. We do accept ideas from paticipants. Give us parameters or specific targets and we will dicuss them and they may well show up in this tournament or in future debates.

Keep it up guys- I'm honored to be a part of this with you all.

Originally posted by Tuning Spork
Good God. My opponent, EvilBat, essentially conceded the debate in his opening statement. I don't even have the heart to U2U him and explain his mistake.

Or he is just lulling you into a false sense of security..Have seen debates looking that way before only for the apparent loser to come out of left field with a brilliant and in hindsight very well planned attack..

Good luck to all on the field. We in the peanut gallery will be enjoying the show.