Prepped for a battle of wits
15 Sep 2020
At the annual College vs St Margaret鈥檚 College showcase debate, the College team and seasoned debaters 鈥� Year 13 students John-Paul Lay, Jamie Yee and Angad Vraich 鈥� took to the floor to affirm the motion 鈥淭his house would bring back duels to the death鈥�.
The (perhaps) ironically named Christ鈥檚 College Alpha Males were sure that with their rapier wit and rapid fire delivery of some compelling arguments, the SMC team wouldn鈥檛 stand a chance.
鈥淲e鈥檝e learned a lot from our MANifesto sessions and took this into the debate,鈥� says Jamie. 鈥淥ur plan was to fight toxic masculinity one duel at a time, as well as solve the problems of climate change and global conflict.鈥�
They had even come up with some rules and regulations that could be used to frame the context of a modern duel, including anyone intending to fight a duel should first seek permission from the Minister for Sport and Recreation; duellers should pay for the privilege and anyone who couldn鈥檛 afford it could apply for a government subsidy to cover the costs involved; the venue (whether indoor or outdoor) should meet strict safety requirements; and there should always be an impartial referee and ambulance on hand to assist.
Despite all this 鈥� and Head Prefect Dominic Edmond resplendent in a top hat singing the national anthem and 鈥淗appy Birthday鈥� to John-Paul at half-time 鈥� they couldn鈥檛 take the win. In the end, it was the SMC team that convinced the adjudicators that bringing back duels to the death is not a good idea 鈥� and the boys had to pack their duelling pistols and admit defeat.
The highly entertaining debate was hosted by SMC at lunchtime on Monday 14 September.
