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“Real world” student activism at Berkeley
We often hear about how debaters may be viewed as student activists in academia, performing political activism during debates.
This study of student activism as a campus phenomenon analyzed over 200 major incidents of college student activism. Most of the incidents were associated with racial struggle, women’s concerns or gay liberation activities. These represent what have been called “cultural wars,”"campus wars,”"identity wars,” or “multicultural unrest.”
Perhaps activism really can occur inside a classroom, as evidenced by UC Berkeley students today:
Look at the students TWEETING live updates inside the building, reminiscent of the “Twitter Revolution.”
Read more here.
I’m one of those students over at UC Davis protesting the fees. I did policy debate for four years of high school and a year in college and critical debate has helped me enormously in my activist life. The kind of philosophical and political speculation not only helps you quickly put together the links when confronted with sometimes catastrophic and sudden events (such as a 32% fee increase) but also gives you the frame of mind to be able to strategize as part of the movement. Critical debate gets you past the level of slogans and to the level of how to actually be a part of a movement and make a difference within it.
A good 2NR must anticipate a 2AR. A good movement must anticipate its opponent’s next moves. The skills you learn on a 2NR on a K translate to giving a 2NR in real life.