Opinion > Columnists > Randy Scholfield

Posted on Fri, Aug. 22, 2008

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No ifs, ands, butts about civil debate

Back when I was a college student, debate seemed a pretty formal, buttoned-down and sedate affair.

Did I miss something? When did it become the World Wrestling Federation?

I refer, in case you haven't seen it, to the YouTube video clip of two college debate coaches screaming at each other at a tournament and nearly coming to blows.

The incident happened at the national quarterfinals of the Cross Examination Debate Association in March, right here in Wichita. The video clip was posted a few weeks ago, and it has more than 100,000 hits so far.

The video really is amazing.

Debate coach William Shanahan, an assistant professor at Fort Hays State University, is seen confronting Shanara Reid-Brinkley, a debate coach at the University of Pittsburgh (Pa.). The "F-word" and many other words not fit for a family newspaper are flying fast and thick between them.

"You're an (bleep)," screams Reid-Brinkley. "Get the (bleep) out of my face!"

"I am an (bleep)," screams Shanahan. "I embrace my being an (bleep)!"

Then Shanahan goes nuclear.

He pulls down his khaki shorts, bends over and moons his opponent, showing his underwear to the crowd.

At one point, another coach tries to separate the two, and Shanahan pushes her arm away.

A student can be heard sobbing.

Whew. Who knew debate had this much drama?

As far as I can gather, the shouting match was partly about Shanahan asking to remove Reid-Brinkley as a judge -- the latter says, because she gave Fort Hays lousy marks. Reid-Brinkley, who's African-American, apparently also injected race into the combustible mix.

From there, it pretty much degenerated into a Jerry Springer show.

"I'm not ashamed of my behavior," Shanahan yells on the video. "I don't think I'm acting immaturely. I thinking I'm showing how much I care about everybody in this room."

If that's the case, could he please care a bit less?

I hear Shanahan is a well-regarded debate coach who took Fort Hays State to a national championship in 1999. A Fort Hays official described the pony-tailed, bearded Shanahan -- who routinely goes barefoot -- as a "nonconformist" and provocative teacher.

I'm all for colorful, eccentric teachers who push students to think outside the box. And I'm all for passion in discourse and debate.

But what's seen on this video -- from both coaches -- is simply pathetic. And unprofessional. It reinforces the public's worst stereotypes about the excesses of academia.

What were the students supposed to learn from this? How long before college debaters start flinging chairs across the stage to make a point?

I'd like to think this is just one of those situations that got out of hand. But the incident seems to reflect a creeping incivility and crudeness in our public discourse.

Vice President Dick Cheney drops the F-bomb on a Senate colleague and then brags about it.

Bloggers resort to mean-spirited and vulgar personal attacks and name-calling.

Bill O'Reilly and other cable talking heads routinely engage in red-faced shoutfests on TV and talk over people with opposing views.

For many Americans, this sound and fury is what passes for debate. It's all about scoring points and landing cheap shots, not persuading others.

Any wonder, then, that we don't get thoughtful, respectful and issue-oriented political campaigns?

It's sad but instructive that when a real argument broke out -- not just an academic exercise -- these experienced debate coaches abandoned civil discourse and engaged in a free-for-all, like angry parents at a Little League brawl.

At least one adult rose to the occasion at this circus. A debate coach from Vanderbilt University stood on a chair and urged people to build bridges with their speech. She said that before people get caught up in emotional debate and insults, they need to "stop and think about the consequences that they're having on real people."

The audience applauded.

Words do have real consequences.

Fort Hays State officials plan to make an announcement today about Shanahan's future at the college. He could lose his job.

Maybe this is a teachable moment about the virtues of civility and self-restraint. We need to learn to keep our pants up, and maybe even count to 10 in the heat of an argument.

Because we're in danger of becoming a nation of foul-mouthed (bleeps).

Randy Scholfield is an Eagle editorial writer. His column appears on Fridays. Reach him at 316-268-6545 or rscholfield@wichitaeagle.com.