Weber,+Desiree

Desiree Weber

School Affiliation: Minneapolis South High School Schools Attended: Wooster High School (Ohio), Macalester College Number of Rounds Judged (2008): 40 + Number of Years Judging: 5+

My Approach to:

Topicality: Topicality is about competing interpretations (a priori, prima facie and stock issues are dead). Make the debate about the link between the interpretations and the standards.

Kritik: You can read them, but execution is everything. I am well-versed in critical literature but be aware that that may come to haunt you if you butcher a particular school of thought. I don’t think that all kritiks need an alternative. I do think that affs often lose by relying too heavily on link defense and not enough on offense to the alternative. Negs should make sure to point out the implications of the kritik on the case (ie why the kritik turns case).

Performance: When done well, performance can add another layer of argument to a round. The vast majority of the time it is not done well. Consider yourself forewarned.

Counterplans: Counterplans don’t have to be non-topical, but they do have to be competitive. The permutation is a test of competition, so argue it that way. I err neg on most counterplan theory and I err aff on most permutation theory.

There are no arguments that I inherently favor. I debated a wide range of arguments in my career (from heg turns to Foucault – but then again, I guess both of those are about power). If you do what you do, and do it well, you should be fine.