By: Taylor Millis [Yearbook Editor]

Opinions. We all have them, we all share them, and some of us stand by our opinions to the death. Well, maybe not that far, but close enough.

It’s human nature to have an opinion on things. It is also human nature to want to debate others on an opinion, convince them that one side of the debate is the right side. Now, there is no problem with any of that. Where the problem exists is when people try having a debate but all they do is stand there yelling their side of the argument over and over. Saying the same things whether they make sense or not. That is no longer called a debate, it’s a pointless screaming match. See, if someone has an opinion they would like to share and want to discuss with others, they better be prepared to defend their opinion with intelligent rebuttals, not the same fact over and over. When someone has an opinion they want to debate, they have to know how to actually debate correctly. This means maintaining their composure even if frustration overcomes them. They must hold it together and use their calm voice to continue expressing their opinion. That’s the other thing that is essential when having a debate. They must have more than one supporting fact. If someone comes into a debate with little knowledge about what they are debating about, they walk out with nothing accomplished, and one must asked themselves, what was the point?

At the end of the day debates are a part of life. But everyone must remember what the point of the debate is and what they want to accomplish while debating. Debates are to express opinions and persuade to get people to understand the opposing side. If nothing else is accomplished, the debaters should walk away knowing they at least taught the other debaters something. Remember when debating: be prepared to rebuttal with truthful facts (notice facts is plural), and stay calm and collected. After all, arguing something with passion is human nature, not to mention fun!