A current college student revealed that he was reportedly denied a victory in a debate competition because his opponents resurfaced a tweet he had written, according to The Free Press.
Matthew Adelstein described how his National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) championship hopes were dashed in a Monday article in The Free Press. Adelstein claims that during an April 2022 debate competition at the Tournament of Champions, the opposing team attacked his character by revealing a tweet reply he had made earlier that month. (RELATED: Court Rules High School Can Expel Student For Racist Social Media Posts About Classmates)
Psychology professor Geoffrey Miller tweeted, “[n]ame one thing that you, personally, feel is morally disgusting, but that you think, rationally, should be legal and accepted by society.”
“Calling people racial or homophobic slurs,” Adelstein had written in response, the outlet reported.
Here’s my tweet and his reply.
He agreed that he considered racial or homophobic slurs morally disgusting. But I guess his failure to advocate for legal censorship of them disqualifies him from winning high school debate competitions?? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/vpuBVLWVmW— Geoffrey Miller (@primalpoly) June 26, 2023
The topic of the debate — federal government influence of water resources — was allegedly sidelined. Instead, Adelstein’s opponents allegedly went on a 25-page rant about issues that had no relation to the assigned debate topic, according to documents obtained by The Free Press.
The debate judge awarded Adelstein’s opponents the victory, saying, “[a] debate space where racist or violent people are not allowed is preferable to one where they are,” the outlet noted. He argued that “the ballot has a transformative power to challenge white debate norms where it is okay to just let racist or violent activity slide.”
Certain coaches allegedly punish students for engaging in “anti-blackness” and “transphobia,” the outlet reported. An earlier piece alleged that NSDA judges have openly threatened to punish students for making arguments in support of Israel or capitalism.
Quest Sandel, the parliamentarian at the 2019 NSDA Nationals, instructed students to not use gendered language, according to footage obtained by the outlet.
“I don’t want to hear Mr. or Miss from anyone. That would be greatly appreciated, as we try to respect the differences of every single person here,” he said, The Free Press reported.
Briana Whatley, a 15-year-old debater told the outlet the competition was not reflective of what debate should be.
“At NSDA tournaments I am not guaranteed a win based on my reasoning, facts, or delivery, rather if I can reinforce my judges’ ideology throughout the debate,” Whatley said. “It’s antithetical to what true open debate is.”