"Controversy Club"
Recently, I assisted in a student-led debate. The discussion focused on two words, deemed by many people to be among the most offensive in the English language. What spurred the debate was students' desire to understand just how and why these words have their considerable powers. The debate was attended by around thirty students (aged between 16 and 18), who thought it worth giving up the better part of an hour to take part. The discussion was, to mind, ethical, responsible, and conducted throughout in good faith. There were moments of consensus; equally, of vehement disagreement. The mere fact that such a significant proportion of our sixth-form student body thought the discussion an interesting and important one, was heartening, to say the least.
Following the debate, one student wrote a penetrating, dispassionate, and sensitive article. He documents the course of the discussion, and also offers some critical insights of his own. Initially, the article was posted on our newly launched, student-run online newspaper, The Pulse. But, for understandable - yet, to my mind, still regrettable - reasons, we were unable to keep the article on this site. Because of the merits of the article, and because of the earnestness with which the students conducted themselves during the debate, I have posted the essay below. It appears here with absolute independence of the school at which the debate was held.
Following the debate, one student wrote a penetrating, dispassionate, and sensitive article. He documents the course of the discussion, and also offers some critical insights of his own. Initially, the article was posted on our newly launched, student-run online newspaper, The Pulse. But, for understandable - yet, to my mind, still regrettable - reasons, we were unable to keep the article on this site. Because of the merits of the article, and because of the earnestness with which the students conducted themselves during the debate, I have posted the essay below. It appears here with absolute independence of the school at which the debate was held.
controversy_club.docx | |
File Size: | 17 kb |
File Type: | docx |