It seems nearly preposterous to me that some here are getting themselves into a knot over whether or not Senator Obama should have gone on the TEE VEE because Fox is to be scorned at all costs. Good grief, has anybody been paying attention to the fact that ALL the major networks are corporate-owned bastions of right wing garbage? Wasn't it just a few weeks ago we were all yelling about Charlie Gibson and the ABC debacle we erroneously were told was a debate? Fox may have a larger corner on the market, but they don't have Glenn Beck, Lou Dobbs, Pat Buchanan, Joe Scarborough (you get the point).
Now, I run the middle school debate club where I spend my day as the school media specialist. But after school each week I meet with 10 very opinionated and bright 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. The first meeting was basically a "getting to know each other" session. But we quickly moved into the structure of how to set up a debate. The first debate started out nicely, but quickly the little middle school egos crept in and the students were acting like many of the silly people here. They would yell at each other and make noises when the other team was stating their position and making their contentions.
We invited the high school debate members to become advisors and they showed the younger students how they were expected to conduct themselves. In a real debate forum their ill-advised behavior would get them booted out by the judges.
The only criteria for removing a participant would be because of bad behavior. Apparently that's not what has been happening here today. It seems implausible that a differing of opinions would be cause for getting asked to leave, but that's what seems to have happened.
I leave you with this thought:
Men are never so likely to settle a question rightly as when they discuss it freely. - Thomas Babington, Lord Macaulay
From its very beginnings, debate has been inextricably intertwined with the concept of the open society. In ancient Athens, citizens gathered in forums to discuss and debate the most pressing issues of the day before casting their votes. Such debates were an integral part of the new form of government Athens was to bequeath to the world: democracy.
Unlike totalitarian and other undemocratic regimes where a limited set of ideas are imposed as absolute truths, democratic societies depend upon the free and open exchange of ideas. Indeed, it may be said that true democracy cannot exist without debate. For democracy to function, the values that debate encourages - reason, tolerance, the careful weighing of evidence - must be cherished and nurtured. But even within societies that restrict open discussion, debate can teach young people that no one person or government possesses the ultimate truth.
That's what draws me to worthy blogs with worthy, thought provoking discussions. I know tensions runs high when there is so much at stake, but let's not devolve into the silliness of some sites where the level of education appears to be that of a slug. If those middle school kids know the value of real debate surely we adults can manage the same.