Simon Hankinson
A Venn diagram of political positions agreed upon by former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy would show little overlap. But Incubate Debate founder James Fishback recently brought them together to hold a joint master class to prepare students for the national championship of his upstart debating forum.
I know from experience what a good program this is. Last November, Incubate Debate asked me to help prepare students for a debate on immigration policy. These kids didn’t start with any preconceptions. They asked good questions and had open minds—a refreshing change from Washington.
Earlier this month, I helped judge Incubate’s national championship in Florida. Some 5,000 participants from public and private middle and high schools across four states had been whittled down to 90 finalists. The topics: whether former President Donald Trump was guilty of the Jan. 6 charges, whether the U.S. should intervene if China invades Taiwan, and whether there is a climate emergency.
Tough issues—and of national importance.
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In contrast, this month’s “extemporaneous questions” posted by the “national authority on public speaking and debate,” the National Speech and Debate Association, were larded with implied critical theory. Examples included “How should the education system be reformed to address systemic inequities?” and “How can the federal government do more to promote Latino/a/x entrepreneurship?”
The topic of Incubate Debate’s championship round was “Should college DEI (“Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”) programs be abolished?” The finalists spoke eloquently for and against the motion. To institutions captured by dogma, there is only one answer to sensitive questions and one allowed position. Dissent is crushed.
As Mr. Fishback wrote last year in The Free Press, at the National Speech and Debate Association, “judges with paradigms tainted by politics and ideology are becoming common.” Incubate Debate, » Read More
https://www.heritage.org/civil-society/commentary/incubate-debate-takes-woke-national-speech-and-debate-association