Barnow,+Grant

=Grant Barnow= Depauw University The Pembroke Hill School

I debated for 3.2 years at Pembroke. I do not debate in college. Except when in front of disciplinary committees involving my raucous room parties, but that's not important here. I did national circuit debate, so I can probably handle whatever you do, though I am a little out of practice, so don't act like I have a ton of topic knowledge. During my time in high school, I specialized in cross-x orders "It'll be three off, receded by one off, and then another off, then case." I also quite liked disads and counterplans. They didn't like me though, and I didn't win that much.


 * Please debate the arguments you are best at, I will do my best to remain objective and listen fairly to arguments made in the round. What follows should be seen as suggestions, not rules.*

Speed - It's fine. Whatever. Though the recreational drug speed would probably create some debate rounds I don't want to watch. Or maybe ones that I really do want to watch... Hm.

Disads/CPs - They're fine, these were the arguments I was most familiar with when I debated.

Kritiks - I find that I agree with a lot of critical literature, though I don't have a very deep background of your Žižek and Foucault stuff. Kritik debates in front of me need to focus on explanations and strong linkage between the thesis and specific instances of 1AC and 2AC violations. I think I tend to vote on permutations frequently, so this needs to be a major point of contention for the negative.

Critical Affs - I'll be honest, the project and/or critical approaches to the topic are not my favorite arguments to hear. This one time, a kid beat me on a metaphor about Destiny's Child and Africa and it's never really been the same since. I tend to think that critical affs should have some plan text or advocacy statement, whether it be the government or not, that they will defend throughout the round. I definitely think these arguments have their place, but if anything I'm a little more conservative here.

Topicality - I'm not DHeidt on the flow, and topicality was never something I investigated too thoroughly, so in highly technical debates I will probably take more time to decide and may be a little aff biased.