Where do Politics Fit into Speech and Debate?

Are you democrat or republican? Are you conservative or liberal? Do you support Trump or Biden?

In a community of impassioned students who use their voices to share stories and fight for causes, politics is inevitably going to be a topic of conversation at some point. However, many questions come up as to where politics fit in and what constitutes crossing the line. While the Speech and Debate community strives to be a relatively open and inclusive community, that doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be a general consensus as to when and how politics should be discussed. At the end of the day, we want to be a community that fosters close relationships, empowerment, and international competence.

It’s important for us to understand that we live in a time where political parties are moving farther and farther away from each other, denormalizing a middle ground, and normalizing extremes. Us Americans are expected to choose between Democrat and Republican, a statement that is supposed to reflect your political affiliation, but has morphed into a reflection of character, of personality, and of worth.

The truth of the matter is it hasn’t always been this way. We’ve made it this way. Ritesh Desai and Tony Patel, one on the extreme left and one on the extreme right of the political spectrum, came together for the inauguration of President Donald Trump, as two Indian-American men whom own an architectural and construction material business in Georgia together. This is because like us all, we are Americans first. They said, “It’s pointless to demonize the other side. you have to be able to talk to those you disagree with.” This idea of compromise and meeting in the middle, is one we have yet to realize is possible, and Ritesh and Tony prove that myth wrong.

The Pew Research Center released an article in June of 2014, which demonstrated that the ideological overlap existent in the two parties as of 2004, has practically disappeared to the point where Republicans are 94% to the right of their median, and Democrats are similarly 92% to the left of their median. As a result, this partisanship has grown beyond dislike, but each have been titled a threat to the nation’s well being, by each other. As our government grew partisan, so too did institutions, communities, and citizens.

What can the Speech and Debate community do about this?

1. We must be extremely aware of our surroundings, time, and place. Is this the right moment to discuss politics? Did I just meet these people or do I know them well?

2. We must never force someone to share their opinions on topics they wish to not. No one has an obligation to share their political views and it’s inappropriate to pressure someone about it.

3. We must never put people into boxes or categories by labeling. Just because someone has a particular view on one issue, doesn’t mean that view spans across all political topics. Additionally, just because someone supports a particular person, doesn’t mean they support everything that person does. Just because some support a particular person, doesn’t make them that person. Recognize that political opinions are often formed based off of experiences, environment, and much more.

4. Always take someone at their highest ground. Some people struggle to put their opinions together in an understandable manner. It’s rare that you will find a member of the speech and debate community who says things out of ill-intent.

5. Finally and most importantly, call out blatantly wrong information. Unfortunately, much of our information is found on sources that aren’t truly reliable. Make sure you’re citing information that is reliable. It’s okay to question the validity of what someone is saying, just check to confirm!

We are a strong community capable of being a model of what we’d like the world to look like. Let’s not be the people screaming at each other over their views. Let’s not be the people throwing things at others for what they believe. I’m confident that we can rise to the challenge.