WHAT’S ALL THIS “DEBATING” GOING ON?
As
the year draws to an end, the United States public has born witness to an odd
political aberration that the mainstream Media calls “debate”. Having grown up
in an era when words actually meant something, and the correct use of the
English language was lauded, I have always had a quite different idea as to
what a “debate” was all about.
I
recall that at one point in time there were extracurricular events as early as
High School called Debate Teams. The format of any debate was comprised of two
people taking opposite views of a subject with each person putting forth an
argument that won over their opponent’s side of the argument.
I start to get a nervous, agitating little twitch when words in our language get hijacked by people who should know better, and twisted into a meaning, or definition, that is far from the original. I have experienced that little twitch as I have been watching and listening to this year’s political panel discussions amongst the crop of Presidential hopefuls presenting themselves to the public. These panel discussions do not comprise a debate. I direct your attention to the Webster Dictionary’s definition of both the verb and the noun shown below:
DEBATE
SIMPLE DEFINITION OF DEBATE
verb, de·bate
·
: to discuss (something) with people whose opinions
are different from your own
·
: to compete against (someone) in a debate : to
argue against another person's opinions as part of an organized event
·
: to think about (something) in order to decide what
to do
noun de·bate \di-ˈbāt\
1.
a discussion or argument carried on between two teams or
sides
2.
a discussion of issues <We had
a debate over where to go on
vacation.>
SYNONYM DISCUSSION OF DEBATE- discuss, argue, debate mean
to discourse about in order to reach conclusions
or to convince.
- discuss implies a sifting of
possibilities especially by presenting considerations
pro and con<discussed the need for a new highway>.
- argue implies the offering of
reasons or evidence in support of convictions
already held <argued that
the project would be too costly>.
- debate suggests formal or public argument
between opposing parties <debated the
merits of the amendment>; it may also apply to deliberation with oneself <I'm debating whether
I should go>.
ORIGIN OF DEBATE
· Middle
English, from Anglo-French debatre, from de- + batre to
beat, from Latin battuere
· First
Known Use: 14th century
SOURCE:
The only true political debate occurs when the vying
Parties produce their final candidate and there is a true, defined debate
between two people with differing views. Ten, or eleven bodies up on a stage is
not a debate. It is usually a match of “one-upmanship” between a collection of
egos each attempting to be heard over all the others. This seems to inevitably
result in oral diarrhea be spewed in the faces of the audience in an vain
attempt to impress someone; usually themselves.
In a true debate, facts matter. This does not seem
to be a practice employed by anyone running for elective office regardless of
Party affiliation.
To have men and women in the Media, who tout
themselves as Journalists, allow this aberration to occur, makes absolutely no
sense. My immediate conclusion on this count is that these “Journalists” are
calling their profession something it is not; that would be Journalism (you can
look that one up, too). I must admit, here, that my first college degree was in
Journalism. It hurts my head to watch in utter wonderment as the race toward
elective office in this Country morphs into some strange, twisted pissing match
between folks who are probably normal outside the political ring. There seems
to be very little of any substance on policy and direction offered during these
trying times. And, that is a disservice to the American public who deserve a
lot better from their potential political leaders.
My overall conclusion is that the voting public is
the last bastion and hope for changing this abortion called the political
process. The American public is not stupid, dumb, or ignorant. It is within
their power to affect change; Lord knows, our politicians have thrown in the
towel on that concept. Does anybody really want to “take back America”? Maybe
it’s time to stand up, make your voice heard, and make your vote count. Please,
just do it!
