we have to give up on the idea that debate (as in: “I can now … debate your conclusion”) is any more meaningful than a mugging

Couldn’t agree more, Frank. Debate in the USA is usually bad entertainment and a deliberate waste of time. The elite political class absurdities should be discussed in an absurd context. The “war on terror”, for example, means a lot to the self-important, and I can respect their feelings to a certain extent, but I have to insist that they perform in propria persona. Cribbing talking points from think tank “scholars” and fatuous op ed war-pundits is an act of self-degradation. Those who do it need our sympathy, some easily digested food and a nice place to rest, but it’s an insult to their intelligence and terrible disservice to humanity in general to take them seriously.

The advantage in debate goes to people who are trained in rhetoric, shameless and know how to work an audience. Those skills and that quality can achieve a victory, which is as meaningful as the adrenalin rush of getting away with a crime.

Second, we have to give up on the idea that debate (as in: “I can now … debate your conclusion”) is any more meaningful than a mugging. I’m happy to discuss my conclusions, happier still to redraft to find a more inclusive point of view, but regardless of our public school training, we have to let go of the win/lose debate adversarial model if we are going to make any progress toward an enriched democracy with control over powerful special interests.