It is a tradition within debate club that the last debate of every term is a ‘fun’ debate. This is not to insinuate that our ordinary Friday morning debates are in any way banal – I think anyone who witnesses the energy and wit of arguments displayed in such debates would very much say otherwise – but rather an opportunity to celebrate the end of term with a topic that we might find more humorous or more light-hearted than unusual. After much internal debate, members of debate club could not decide whether we should discuss the success of our own leadership figures (the original suggestion) or instead settle for an alternative debate discussing the effect of American abortion laws on women’s rights. Since no consensus could be reached, our debate centred around which statement would be a better statement to debate out of the two suggestions. And so the question was posed: should we debate the success of our leadership or should we debate a more serious issue within current affairs?
Those who supported the original suggestion put forward a persuasive argument that steering away from current affairs was necessary for a light-hearted end to the term and that considering the successes of our former leaders could provide a humorous and helpful tool for self-reflection and improvement. Contrasting this, those who opposed the original suggestion put forward a passionate argument that debating the success of former leaders was unhelpful as it could turn needlessly negative about people we are grateful for and that a topical issue would be a far more interesting issue to consider. In the end, those who opposed the original suggestion were declared the victors.
The paradoxical nature of this week’s debate is not commonplace. On any usual week the idea we debate is far more straightforward and better-organised. However, on the final week of term it provided something quirky that would constitute a ‘fun’ debate and filled the void of lack of consensus. Debate club looks forward to reconvening in September and all boys are welcome.