DEBATE in AMERICA

Debate is shunned in America, because it makes people uncomfortable - and that's politically incorrect and "mean." Unfortunately, though...we only grow by challenging ourselves and our notions. Thus America's glaring lack of knowledge on politics and world affairs. Ask anyone to name even one of their own state's politicians - or the Speaker of the House - or the Senate Majority Leader, and you hear that they have no time for that. Life is busy these days, right? But ask them about Madonna's list of boyfriends or the entire line-up of any season of players for the Yankees.....

When you next find yourself defending a point or watching someone else defend theirs, look for actual topical refutations as your standard for success in debate. Too often, that standard is neglected in favor of personal attacks, reducing the quality of the exchange to what one might see in an adolescent "verbal cut-down war." One example would be Ted Kennedy's oft-emulated approach to debate, where he favors tactics like calling a political opponent a "mean-spirited, close-minded S.O.B. who isn't worth listening to anyway" (do you see the irony there?)

Regarding talk show hosts: One of my favorite things to do when someone tells me that they can't stand a particular talk show host is to ask them what specific point the host had ever asserted that specifically bothered them. They never can come up with an example because they have never actually listened. Instead, they have opted to accept what others have told them about that person as a reason not to listen for themselves.