this post was submitted on 06 May 2024
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I always took the weak position in persuasive essay assignments and debate class. I thought it was more of a challenge to argue for the wrong side.
i hate when debate pieces are presented. It's such bullshit. Just let me talk about the two sides and then fuck off. You don't need me to explain to you how to think about something. You have a brain, i put ALL the shit you could ever possibly want right in front of you and now you decide "oh no i need you to tell me how to think, i no rember, it hard" Fuck you.
don't get me wrong, i enjoy researching and writing them. But fucking hell, you don't have to have an opinion about every little fucking thing to exist.
I think you're right up to a point. I disagree about teaching people how to think. I credit a particular lesson in early high-school in a media studies class with giving me the framework to critically consider the media I consume and the headlines / viewpoints I read.
Whether debate is the best format for that, I dunno. But I do think teaching kids how to think critically is valuable.