Name: Colin Fogarty

Classification Essay

Oct 7, 2020

Understanding the Various Types of Debaters

Hundreds of teenagers, many with ill-fitting suits, packed into a cafeteria at seven in the

morning on a Saturday. What else could it be other than a Debate tournament? Like any other

high school-related activity, there are cliques surrounding it. But Debate cliques are not merely

the Debaters themselves but said Debaters broken down into their respective categories.

First, you have Policy Debaters. Every one of these debaters has some kind of identifying

element; usually, its their hard-core leftism. Or they are wearing crazy clothing like a chain-link

vest. They speak at a rate of 400 words per minute and while you or I cannot understand them,

they can hear each other perfectly. They even speak their own dialect with jargon like “Order is 6

off.” Their arguments are far and wide, covering ground from stock issues like economic benefits

to the most abstract arguments over gendered language and the literal performance of opposing

teams. They are a dying breed of a debater, but they are the backbone of the institution of Debate

and without them, every other form of debate.

Next, there are Lincoln-Douglas (LD) Debaters. But here you can subdivide them into

two other groups. The Trads and the LARPers. Trads adhere to a more traditional form of

constructing a case, using the Value/Value Criterion system. They are more concerned with

moral philosophy than a line-by-line case attack. On the other hand, there are the Progressives,

who practice a form of debate more akin to Policy. They too have a jargon, spreading (speed-

reading), and wide-ranging arguments. Like Policy, these Trad debaters are dying out, being

replaced with Flay debaters. The latter is a hybrid between Trads and Progressives, bridging the

two groups.
 After Lincoln-Douglas, you have Public Forum (PF) Debaters. PF is perhaps the most

homogenized group of Debaters, with the only differences being one of degree, not kind. Some

debate at a very technical level, while others focus on more rhetorical appeals. However, these

styles are not incompatible with each other. These are also the kids that are always wearing suits

and ties. Unlike Policy and LD debaters that skew to the left, many PF debaters skew right,

especially at the local levels of debate. They’re also the funniest group.

Lastly, there are Congressional Debaters. This is perhaps the most diverse group of

debaters because literally anybody can do it with the minimal presentation. Some present with

completely pre-written speeches, others present with almost no notes. However, without a lot of

back and forth, Congress kids tend to be speech givers, not debaters. They’re probably best

described as the black sheep of the debate community, not completely debaters, but not

forensicators either. Congressional debaters also mirror the political divide in the country. Many

students take the idea of being a Congressperson to an extreme, literally positioning themselves

as liberal or conservative representatives of a made-up district. It is very much a live-action role-

play of Congress that has been co-opted by the institution of Debate as a whole.

Debaters may be a very stratified group of people and they have their differences.

However, they are all united in their pursuit of glory and academic inquisition. They all coexist

to preserve and grow the institution of Debate. Ultimately, there is no bad blood, just teasing, all

of which is reserved for Congressional Debaters.

 Classification Essay Peer Review Sheet

Name of Author: Colin Fogarty Name of Editor: Brennan Manns

Directions: Choose an essay from a classmate. You will read his/her essay and answer the
following questions. Do not be concerned about grammatical errors. You will return your
classmate’s essay and this sheet as well. This way, your classmate will be able to revise his/her
essay accordingly.

1. Name two specific things that you liked about this essay.

a. The intro had a really good hook

b. The word choice

2. Does this essay have a thesis statement? If so, write the thesis here.

Yes, “Like any other high school-related activity, there are cliques surrounding it. But Debate
cliques are not merely the Debaters themselves but said Debaters broken down into their
respective categories.”

3. Who is the audience of this paper?

Those who would like to learn more about the niche of debating

4. What is the purpose of this essay?

Inform the reader of the different types of debaters

5. How many categories does the author use to divide the topic? What are those categories?

4, Policy Debaters, Lincoln-Douglas Debaters, Public Forum Debaters, and Congressional

debaters

6. Are there categories that you can think of that the author has missed in his or her division of
the topic? Write them here.
No

7. Are the categories well-organized? Is there a category that doesn't belong in this
classification?

Yes; no

8. Are there grammatical or mechanical errors? If so, please provide assistance on this sheet of
paper.

There are only a few, I recommend checking the comments and using Grammarly

9. Is there a logical conclusion to this essay?

Yes

10. Other comments?

Very well written and organized essay, and overall keeps the reader’s attention for the majority
of the time. However, the essay could benefit from the addition of imagery.