#debate advice

[representative-blank]

So, it’s the day before the tournament and you have no prep: a guide from a very burnt out debater

Do you care about your ranks in this tournament? Because this will fundamentally change what you should do

If you don’t care about your ranks:

PO. If you don’t know how to PO, have someone teach you and learn quickly. This helps both if you care and don’t care. (I’ll post a guide for PO-ing later)

Crystal. Crystalling is when you summarize all the arguements in a round and argue why your side overall wins the debate. You need to have really good flow and really good fluency/good bs-ing skills because you CANNOT prepare a crystal in advance

Hope and pray a teammate won’t be in your chamber and steal their speech

Possibly, don’t speak on a bill. If it’ll do you better to give no speech than a bad speech (depends on your definition of bad), then don’t speak. It sucks, but if you’re like me, it’s because you’re burnt out

If you care about your ranks:

PO. Same as what I said before- and a lot of judges rank POs very highly. Just make sure what you know what you’re doing, and try to have a gavel beforehand, otherwise you look very unprepared

Try and get speeches from other people. It’s embarrassing, I know, but if they’re not in your chamber then it’s up for grabs if you ask me

Crystal. I’m putting this at the bottom, because as I said- it’s hard even if you take good flow, because you need to have good fluency & improv skills. If you can pull one off, go for it. Crystal your every speech, but for someone who’s not, I’d recommend to try something else

Stay up late & wake up early. I lied, this is the bottom, because IMO, to preform well, you need good sleep, and I can’t recommend this in good faith. But if you can’t PO, crystal, or get speeches from other people, you don’t really have any other choice. And I’ll be honest, it sucks. If you need help with researching, send me a dm and your timeframe and I’ll see what I can do if I see it in time. Just… take care of yourself.

Good luck, y’all! My night before the tournament tips are here, and you’re gonna do great! Remember- you’re always right, and they’re always wrong

[men-are-human]

How To Debate

Debating is hard. To debate properly, you have to put aside some of your ego and work with the other person. In most cases, this absolutely doesn’t happen. One or both parties are tribalistic. They will attack on an emotional level, assume bad faith, and assume the opponent is insane. Nothing is funnier than watching two people use the exact same accusations to attack each other over something…

[curiositysavesthecat]

*This poll was submitted to us and we simply posted it so people could vote and discuss their opinions on the matter. If you’d like for us to ask the internet a question for you, feel free to drop the poll of your choice in our inbox and we’ll post them anonymously (for more info, please check our pinned post).

[autism-corner]

its his emotional support animal MC. you wouldnt get it >:/

[isawthismeme]

[deedeedeedeedeedeedee]

But like? Am I in the wrong if when, I’m at this fairly conservative bar and grill with my mom, right? We frequent it every now and then. Very small place, everyone there knows each other? The football game ends and suddenly ads start playing that are incredibly pro conservative. The men around us at the bar continue to chatter and say very right winged things about Kamala and I start getting antsy.

Two guys next to us start talking about the “they’re eating the cats and dogs quote” and my mom starts laughing and talking with them because she thinks it’s incredibly funny. By this point, I was like “oh no” and my mom explained how the rumor wasn’t true but how it was funny and the guy tried to tell her that she was wrong and they just kept laughing. So atp I’m frantically trying to get my mom to look at her phone as I’m begging her for us to leave. The conversation continues with the guy asking “but you’re a trump fan right?” And I freeze and my mom is like “I really don’t want to vote. I don’t do politics.” In a voice that makes it seem like she thinks it’s all some big joke. So, as she’s talking and I’m messaging her to let us leave, I give a light kick to her thigh. A tap. As I am desperately trying to get out. As far as I could tell, it wasn’t hard at all. Though I could have gotten her attention another way. Mind you, we are sitting on two bar stools.

She glared at me and, slaps the foot that was once there, away. A guy across the table, earnestly asks “could you be convinced to vote for Kamala, though?” In a surprising hopeful tone. To which we finally get the check and she says that she’s not “into politics.” To which I try to get out as fast as possible. At this point I’m angry and incredibly uncomfortable. In the car, which I drove there, she says “don’t you even kick me like that to get my attention again. Embarrassing.”

To which, I respond angrily, “do you know how upset it makes me? To hear you say that you’d rather not vote when MY rights are on the line. MINE, it affects me. I figured if you knew it affected your child, you would care a little more.”

She seemed sympathetic for .25 seconds to which she said “what RIGHT do you have to tell me how to vote. It’s my god given right for me to vote for whoever I want. You don’t get to force me to vote.”

I yell “I’m not forcing you to vote. I’m saying it would hurt ME. You can vote for whoever you want. I’m saying it will HURT me.”

She says the same thing again, more offended. And then she asks “well what if I DID vote for trump? You would still have to love and respect me. It’s not your business who I vote for”

I said “id leave.” (I’ve since apologizing for saying this because I was answering as if it was a hypothetical) and then followed with “I’d still love you but I wouldn’t respect your beliefs because if you vote for him, it would tell me you don’t care about the rights of people like me and many other groups.”

And she said “what if I want a better economy?”

And I said “a better economy over human rights? That’s rich.”

She just kept yelling “you aren’t in control of me, you can’t control who I vote for” and I said “I can’t! And you can’t control if I’ll be upset or not!”

So when went to the store and she just kept saying how she “can’t do me anymore” and I ruin “every time we hang out.” And more things that were difficult to hear. So i don’t knowww.

Anyone have any advice on how to deal with this?

[gmotd]

House of Memes (gmotd.tumblr.com) 2023-06-30

At last week's presidential debate, Mango Mussolini claimed that undocumented workers were taking "black jobs" from African Americans.

[preservationofnormalcy]

So, uh, asking for a friend-

Let’s assume that one wakes up in the forest entirely naked and soaked head to toe in blood, and we can also assume that our individual starts puking up what can only be blood and fur and entrails, and then said individual somehow makes it home and the next day there are tons of missing fliers for people’s pets, hung up around the neighborhood? But let’s also say that nothing has happened since…. Yet. It was probably just a fluke, right? Our individual is not going to have another incident in the next two weeks or so… right??? It’s probably totally fine.

How would Norm handle this?

Ok, so, caveat: I'm not an expert on this kind of thing, but my ex-boyfriend is a werewolf, and I kept track of his transformations and the moon phases for him because he thought having PhaseTracker on his phone was "kinda gay," so I know a bit about the ins and outs of faunathropy.

The first thing is to take a deep breath on a count of four, hold it for four, and then release it for four. Then do that again, and keep doing that while you read the rest of this.

So, not a fluke. This is your life now; take whatever time you need to process and grieve. The next full moon isn't until the 28th, and you won't begin experiencing involuntary transformations until the 25th or so, so you have time.

In the positives column: you didn't attack any people! That's huge for a first time transformation; first-timers account for a whopping 73% of new infections.

You're going to find yourself getting more irritable as the moon waxes, and in general your sense of smell is going to get better and better. You may find yourself bothered by air fresheners and cleaning products; Rudy used to be able to smell when I was doing the dishes from the bedroom because of the soap.

Beyond that, there's tons of support groups full of folks going through the same thing as you, I would check out Howl Together's website to see if there's a pack in your area.

Keep us updated, okay?

[jopzer]

okay. i have finally finished my rewatch and i think i've finally made sense of my thoughts vis a vis ted and jamie's relationship.

i think it's very interesting that the exact moment ted pulls away from being directly involved in jamie's development is when he realizes that what jamie needs is a father. like in season one and arguably the first half of season two he is very hands on in trying to get jamie to realize his potential/the error of his ways but like. things are noticeably different after he sees him and james through the door, and then after wembley they do not really interact again in a meaningful way until mom city. roy literally picks it up as ted sets it down, like. he can't be what jamie needs he doesn't Want to, he can barely even handle what he feels for henry like we see in mom city, he's not picking up a bonus son you know

i really do think it's a very interesting way to handle their relationship specifically. they're so so intertwined in their character arcs and they're constantly setting each other's off but they can't really meet in the middle because ted can't/won't connect with him on that level. they're a son without a father and a father without a son and they can't click into that relationship because ted pulls away from him the minute it becomes clear that's what jamie needs, and we see it come full circle and see why in his monologue during mom city

[uncanny-tranny]

It's always tempting to debate bigots about their bigotry, but honestly the best thing you can do is often to directly help those affected by said bigotry.

Bigotry doesn't exist to be debated. People who are bigots do not care about debate - they care about humiliating their opponents. You cannot outsmart somebody who doesn't give a flying fuck about their position being incorrect. You will be playing a completely different game by trying to debate somebody out of their bigotry.

The best thing you can do is to show up for the marginalized. Check in on them, talk to them, and engage with them as people. Ask them if they would like help and then respect their answer to the best of your capabilities. Oftentimes, that will be sufficient enough and will go a long way.

[miles-edgewords]

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how much I wish we were taught in school how to interact with people online (and just how to use the internet in general) and then I remembered that I can type.

So, without further ado, I present…

How to Argue with People on the Internet

A (sort of) comprehensive guide on discussing everything from world peace to your blorbos

Forewordwarning: This is a long (but hopefully useful and entertaining) post. You have been warned.

SECTION I: The Decision

I have read SO many posts that essentially say “want to stop getting annoyed and fighting strangers? Just don’t! Simply do not!” and if that works for you? Fantastic! That is commendable and I salute you for it and I’m only a little bit jealous. (Okay, maybe more than a little bit jealous.) But if you’re like me—an absolute yapper, that is— you will likely find yourself in quite a few situations where you simply must yap. The urge is too strong. The stupidity of this collection of pixels on your screen that may or may not be the vessel for another human somewhere in the world is too much and you just have to tell them so. I understand. I will not tell you to hold back. I will, however, advise that before engaging with any individuals, you follow a few simple steps that I like to call “RAT”— otherwise known as Rest, Analyze, and Type.

Let’s say, for a moment, that you’ve just run into a comment hating on your favorite character in your favorite TV show. Yes, that one. You want to reply—but wait—you’ve just remembered to use RAT first! You intelligent human, you.

First, you REST. You take a moment to bookmark the comment (whether mentally or literally is up to you) and you step away from your phone (or you do what I do and look at that one youtube video of a parrot asking Alexa to fart 939472 times, you know the one) and you wait. Is this comment something you’re willing to take time out of your day to handle? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with deciding that it is, in fact, worth it— but it’s important to consider it first. You won’t ever have time to talk about the things you’re actually passionate about if you reply to every comment that bothers you. (Trust me— I’ve been there.)

Now, if you’ve decided to continue, reopen the comment and ANALYZE. This can mean many different things depending on the situation: is this comment generated by an AI? Is this person expressing a genuine opinion, or are they a troll? Have other people argued with them? If so, how did they respond? These are all important questions to ask, but it’s okay if you don’t know the answers to all of them. Just get the best information you can; you can always come back to this step later.

Finally, it’s time to TYPE. Let those words fly, friend! You tell ‘em!

SECTION II: Debating vs Fighting

So, you’ve RATted it up, and now you’ve decided it’s time to yap. But how to go about this? Should you be aggressive? Appeal to the enemy? What to do? Don’t worry, I’ve got another acronym for you! It’s time to take MOUSE into account: Motive, Openness, Understanding, Success, and Education.

First, think about your own MOTIVE. What do you want to accomplish? Do you want to change the other person’s mind? Are you unconcerned with changing their mind, instead going in with the intention to change the minds of others who might be reading through the conversation? Do you not care about changing anyone’s mind and simply want to discuss the topic at hand? All of these are valid, but they’re all very different. Deciding what your goal is prior to replying is one of the most important things about debating, whether it’s over the internet or face-to-face.

Once you’ve got that cleared up, it’s time to consider your OPENNESS and UNDERSTANDING. How open are you to potentially having your mind changed? Can you see a piece of truth in the other side of the argument? Do you understand where the commenter is coming from, or are they just being ridiculous? It’s okay to have opinions you aren’t open to changing on a whim— everyone has core beliefs that shape who they are as people. But sometimes looking at the other side through a lens of open-mindedness and a desire to understand is the most effective thing you can do. Give it a try— the worst thing that happens is the other person being just as bad as you thought they were.

Next, it’s time to address SUCCESS. What would succeeding look like here? This is similar to MOTIVE, but now we’re looking at the potential completion of the debate. What is the outcome you’re striving for?

Finally, EDUCATION. Is this a fact-based topic you want to educate people about, or is it purely opinion-driven? Either is fine, but if it’s fact-based, you should brush up on the facts of the situation— you don’t want to be caught in a lie and potentially humiliated, I hope. Also, misinformation on the internet is a huge issue. But mostly the humiliation thing.

Section III: Tips and Tricks

My last acronym contains an assortment of tips and tricks for internet usage and communication: Consent, Anonymity, Privacy, Yapping, Blocking, Apps, Reason, and Ability (CAPYBARA).

One of the most important things in life and on the internet is CONSENT. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to ask permission to voice your opinions— just that you should take into consideration the actual, living person on the other side of the screen. (Unless you’re arguing with an AI, in which case I suppose it probably doesn’t care much one way or the other). Ask before you DM people unless they state that their DMs are open. If someone blocks you, DO NOT make another account to harass them (yes, even if they’re really terrible). Consent online may look different than it does in real life, but it still follows the same ground rule: when in doubt, ASK.

ANONYMITY is another important thing to consider when you’re surfing among the virtual tides. Remember that even if someone displays their real name and picture on a website, you still don’t know them. They could be someone entirely different from the persona they’ve put up on the internet, and that’s okay. We all act differently depending on the situations and settings we’re in, and that’s dialed waaaay up when social media allows us to literally customize ourselves into what we want other people to see. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat people as if they’re real, but it does mean that you should take everything with a grain of salt— especially if someone is being an absolute jerk.

Okay, PRIVACY is the one section in here that anyone under a certain age probably did learn in class— along with its annoying younger cousin, PIRACY (you wouldn’t steal a CAR, would you?) You probably know by now that you shouldn’t share personal data online, so I won’t go into this one too much in this post. There are a billion textbooks about it, and as important as it is, it’s not something I’m really qualified to cover. Just don’t do anything stupid and you should be fine.

YAPPING— everyone’s favorite thing to do on the internet! For the most part, this is a reminder that you should have fun. If you feel like you can’t yap about your interests in the space you’re in, maybe you should relocate— whether that’s to a different app, a different blog, or even just to a different comment section is up to you. You should feel free to voice your opinions and talk about the things you love (within reason—don’t get yourself on an FBI watchlist—but you get the idea).

BLOCKING is one of the most underrated features on many social media apps. There is absolutely nothing wrong with blocking someone and moving on. It doesn’t make you a coward; it makes you someone who values your own time and safety. You are never obligated to argue with someone just because they said so. And—this is one of my favorite internet secrets—you can block people you agree with. If someone’s posts are well-meaning and useful, but they upset you or make you uncomfortable? You can still block them, or mute/restrict them if the app you’re using allows it. You are not a bad person for not wanting to see things that upset you in your day-to-day life. You can support good causes without reading about tragedies every morning. Digging yourself into a depressive hole isn’t going to help anything. Please, please use the block button. It’s there for a reason.

APPS are another variable you should consider when catering your online experience. For instance, you can make a nuanced post on Tumblr and more realistically expect reasonable replies because you aren’t confined to a tiny amount of characters. Trying to express the same point on Twitter, however, likely risks people getting extremely angry at you due to the nature of the app not allowing nuanced conversations. That’s not to say Tumblr is necessarily superior— just that they’re different areas with different setups. The reason Twitter is so no-nuance a lot of the time isn’t just due to the people— the app is deliberately set up so that users can’t make multiple points in one post. This also attracts people who don’t want to have nuanced conversations, which feeds the cycle. This is an (extremely oversimplified) explanation of why most social media apps feel so separate from each other, even if you follow all the same people. You should know your audience—but you should also know your stage.

It’s important to have a certain amount of REASON and common sense when you’re talking to someone about the skrunkly little guys in your favorite movie. It’s not that you can’t be passionate—I once essentially made an entire powerpoint presentation about why I think my opinion about a fictional cat person is the correct one—but you need to remember that not everything is the same level of seriousness. Expressing an opinion about whether Team Rocket are actually villains is not the same thing as expressing an opinion about the upcoming US election. (Though I think Team Rocket could potentially do an okay job, to be honest. Meowth 2024?) You can 100% have intense, long discussions about fictional characters, but it’s never worth genuinely harming your own mental health or attacking someone else because of an opinion that ultimately doesn’t hurt anyone. It’s okay to agree to disagree.

Lastly, remember that a lot of this is not intuitive. Your ABILITY to make smart decisions online is a skill that takes time to develop (as is evidenced by 99% of past me’s Twitter posts) and it’s important to give yourself grace. As much as the internet hates to admit it, we all make mistakes. Just own up to those mistakes and move on. It’s okay to delete a post you made because you don’t agree with it anymore. It’s okay to come back to an argument and apologize for going too far. It’s okay to not be perfect. Accept the consequences of your own actions and move forward.

[curiositysavesthecat]

*This poll was submitted to us and we simply posted it so people could vote and discuss their opinions on the matter. If you’d like for us to ask the internet a question for you, feel free to drop the poll of your choice in our inbox and we’ll post them anonymously (for more info, please check our pinned post).

[will-continue-livinglikeimtrying]

Alright! I posted the first ever chapter of my Nimona AU fic:

Obsidian Gold

[sillylittledudewithattitude]

I win debates by reaching up my asshole and pulling out a fat log and if they wince, they've already lost

[bluestrawberrybunny]

Y’all real life is kicking my ass.

One family member dying, another (who was a huge inspiration to me that I was also really close to) died yesterday morning so we’re making funeral arrangements for Saturday, and I need to take a few government licensure tests so I can start paying thousands of dollars to work a full time job (that will 100% require me to be in earlier and later than contracted hours) plus homework all for no pay back whatsoever so I’m gonna literally be without any source of income until NEXT YEAR and I wish I was exaggerating

Fml…

[housewifebuck]

Do you have any unpopular and/or strong opinions about car care? Products people get or don’t when they should?

I’m in the freaking out about getting a cat soon stage lol

🩵💜🩵💜

hiiii<3 congratulations you have pressed my special interest button! I have extremely strong opinions on proper cat care from the perspective of a rescuer since every day I am faced with cleaning up the messes of people who do NOT take care of their cats properly. I am putting everything under the cut since this will include mentions of animal abuse/neglect etc. And also it’s going to be very long I fear.

First and foremost as I’m sure you will soon be able to tell animal welfare is something I am very very passionate about. Rescue work is my entire life. These are all things I have had to repeat over and over to people who just don’t care/don’t get it and so if some of it sounds aggressive that is NOT directed at you (Michal) 😭 I’m talking to the royal you here since this is advice for everybody.

the most important thing in the world is to make sure your cat is FIXED. if she is coming from a rescue she likely already is, but if shes not, make sure you have an appointment set up to get it + rabies and FVRCP vaccines done asap (I also recommend getting the feline leukemia vaccine, which is not usually done in house by rescues). I would even make the appointment now if you know when you are bringing her home. on top of preventing countless health issues down the road, it will also keep her from reproducing if she ever accidentally gets outside. not only is that awful for the mom cat but we already have enough homeless kittens out there tyvm. PS this is just as important for male cats.

speaking of which, do not let your pet cat free roam outside*. Ever. here is a handy article outlining just a few of the many many reason why it is a terrible and irresponsible thing to do. I dont care if you think you live in a low risk area, or if your cat seems to want to get outside, or if you've had outdoor cats before with no issue. I have had to scrape countless dead cats out of the roadway after being hit by cars because their owners let them outside. Rat poison (very commonly found around peoples houses and in trash cans), if ingested, will literally cause an animal to exsanguinate and die in agony. Other stray cats in the area could be carrying FIV/FeLV or worse. If any of your neighbors grow lilies and your cat brushes against one and licks the pollen from their fur, they will die. There’s just so many reasons to keep your cats indoors I could go on about this forever. if you absolutely must take your cat outside either leash train them (properly, dont just take them out on a leash for the first time and expect them to be okay with it) or get a kitty stroller. But there are PLENTY of ways to keep your cat enriched and entertained indoors. Cat trees, shelves, bird feeders outside, interactive toys, treat dispensers, just to name a few. Go on chewy.com and just browse. They have an excellent selection and great customer service. Another alternative is building a catio! Just make sure your cat receives regular flea/tick treatment year round.

avoid the hell out of those backpack carriers with the clear plastic windows. those are terrifying for cats to be in they feel completely exposed and the ventilation is shit. get a proper hard sided (plastic) carrier. I recommend one with two doors (one on the front and one on top, otherwise known as a top loading carrier). When you travel outside or in the car be sure to cover the carrier with a towel or blanket. This calms them down a lot. The reasons I recommend against soft/mesh carriers are: they are impossible to clean or sanitize if your cat has an accident (very common in the car) or contracts an infectious disease, they provide no protection in the event of being dropped or if you are in a car accident or if you run into a cat-aggressive dog in the vet waiting room, and especially anxious cats can and will fight their way out of them and having a terrified cat loose in your car on your way to the vet is extremely dangerous for both of you.

Expect your new cat to be scared and shy for a few days-to-weeks, minimum. This isn’t always the case, but it is more often than not. I have had so many cats returned for not being friendly enough right away because adopters were too impatient to wait. It takes cats time to decompress in a new environment. I recommend keeping your new cat in a separate room like a bathroom or small bedroom for the first few days so a) it is less overwhelming and b) once you allow them access to the rest of the house, that room will be their “safe space” to retreat to. Also normal when a cat has experienced an environmental shift are: mild vomiting and/or diarrhea (I recommend keeping the cat on whatever diet they have been fed previously and doing a slow transition to your food of choice, + add in probiotics. Proviable and Fortiflora are two brands I like, both available on chewy), hiding in one place for the first 24ish hours, and occasionally stress induced urinary issues such as UTIs. To best avoid the latter make sure their litter box is somewhere they can get to easily without encountering any human or animal traffic. But don’t put it next to their food/water obviously.

And speaking of food/water! Cats tend not to like their food to be right next to their water. I recommend placing the dishes a few feet away at least if not in separate areas of the room. Also, cats by nature do not drink enough water usually so some amount of wet food in their diet is pretty important, and water fountains/bubblers also help get them to drink more. Chronic dehydration can cause urinary issues and more. Dry food is better for their teeth but higher in carbs and a dry-only diet often leads to an overweight cat, and wet food can cause plaque buildup faster but has a much higher moisture content. A balance of both is ideal. Avoid raw diets as well as these food brands: Hartz**, kit & caboodle, meow mix, friskies.

If you keep houseplants, be very very careful. Cats are curious and love to chew on anything that smells like nature and will go out of their way to do so, but a LOT of common houseplants are toxic to cats (for example, every part of the Lily flower, if ingested and not treated immediately, will kill your cat within a day). The ASPCA has a database online to search for plants and see if they are toxic or not.

The rule of thumb with litter boxes is 1 per cat +1. So if you have one cat, you need a minimum of 2 litter boxes, preferably in separate rooms of the house. Corners and secluded areas with little foot traffic are ideal. Make sure the box is the length of your cat standing up + about 6 inches for ideal comfort. Avoid “lightweight” litter; it’s super dusty and very fine and can irritate both your lungs and your cat’s lungs.

Stay on top of your annual vet exams. Even if your cat seems perfectly healthy it’s better safe than sorry, and having a good rapport with your veterinarian makes it much easier to deal with them in the event of an emergency. And on that topic, make sure you know where your local ER vets are + their hours and phone numbers. Cats are tough and resilient but they are also fragile and stupid.

*obviously different rules may apply if your cat is feral or semi feral and cannot live happily indoors. It is not typically a good idea to try and force a feral/working cat to be strictly indoors before they’re ready. But a regular domestic pet cat does not ever “need” to be outside, nor is it cruel to keep them in. This doesn’t always stop them from being interested though, so be careful around doors until you know how your cat will behave around them.

**while the other brands are just low in nutrients, high in filler byproducts, and just overall not super healthy, Hartz brand products (especially their flea and tick medication and shampoos) have been known to straight up kill peoples pets. Like, a LOT. I have seen this happen countless times. Everyone I know who’s ever used a Hartz product has a horror story about it. Do not ask me how they’re still in fucking business.

Honestly that’s all I can think of off the top of my head but I’m sure I’m forgetting some stuff. If you have any specific questions you can hit me up, I don’t mind! Part of my job as a rescuer is educating the public so this is information I am very happy to share. Congrats on your new kitty and good luck!!!!