Could you go meta and declare the entire debate racist and colonialist? You know, it happens in USA...
(Generally, a nice way to outmaneuver woke people is not to push back, but to go even further. They are not used to their opponents doing that, and you can turn their own rhetorical tools against them.)
Of course! Many debaters say exactly that, and judges are sympathetic towards it.
It’s often more strategic (nobody seems to attempt arguing against critical theory) given you already know the judge is receptive towards your opponent’s ideology/line of reasoning.
I am confused. If the strategy is already known and successful, I would expect that soon everyone starts using it. What happens when both sides are using it?
A: “I am not debating you, because the English language was made up by white cishet males.”
B: “No, I am not debating you, because the very concept of a debate implies a dichotomy, a false binary which is a form of oppression, and that makes makes you sexist, racist, and antifurryist.”
Judge: “I declare player B to be the winner of the debate on...” (checks notes) ”...on the topic of whether capybaras are cute animals. Both players did the right thing of completely ignoring the original topic and focusing on the larger context. Player A, you need to try harder the next time.”
Could you go meta and declare the entire debate racist and colonialist? You know, it happens in USA...
(Generally, a nice way to outmaneuver woke people is not to push back, but to go even further. They are not used to their opponents doing that, and you can turn their own rhetorical tools against them.)
Of course! Many debaters say exactly that, and judges are sympathetic towards it.
It’s often more strategic (nobody seems to attempt arguing against critical theory) given you already know the judge is receptive towards your opponent’s ideology/line of reasoning.
I am confused. If the strategy is already known and successful, I would expect that soon everyone starts using it. What happens when both sides are using it?
A: “I am not debating you, because the English language was made up by white cishet males.”
B: “No, I am not debating you, because the very concept of a debate implies a dichotomy, a false binary which is a form of oppression, and that makes makes you sexist, racist, and antifurryist.”
Judge: “I declare player B to be the winner of the debate on...” (checks notes) ”...on the topic of whether capybaras are cute animals. Both players did the right thing of completely ignoring the original topic and focusing on the larger context. Player A, you need to try harder the next time.”