Interview: Joe Iesue, SDS

INTERVIEW : 

Joe Iesue, 

SolBridge Debate Society

In Asian BP few weeks ago, a number of teams and judges advanced to the main break. Among them was Joe Iesue, SolBridge Debate Society, who was recognized as a "reserved" adjudicator. What is his take on Korean debate and what can we learn from Southeast Asian Debate scene? Joe, the floor is yours :)

Would you briefly introduce yourself? (Your school, major, grade, and your success at ABP. You can elaborate more on WHO you are, rather than WHAT you are)

            

My name is Joe Iesue and I have the honor of serving as a lecturer of business and assistant coach for SolBridge International School of Business in Daejeon. Part of my responsibility is to assist the team as an adjudicator, but I decided to participate in this year’s ABP more out of a desire to stay by the team and have fun with them.  We already had the judges we needed to attend, so my going was not about a meeting a requirement, but instead was about enjoying and assisting the team.  They for me are like RedBull…pure energy to be around…going was about team spirit rather than work for me.  It made the experience I think that much more meaningful to me, especially to a country of which I have never been but always wanted to visit (why can’t we debate on the beach…we missed a great ‘learning’ opportunity!).    

Joe and his Red Bull 

Tell us about ABP! The good and the bad of ABP!

             

Whereas ABP was a great way to see other nationalities, and of course enjoy debate, it made for some ‘interesting’ times from my view.  The style of judging is vastly different from that of what is considered standard in Korea and some random stories within the rounds or afterwards during adjudication discussion for sure, but overall it was an eye opening experience as to the different ways tournaments are judged.  

Good?  Organization.  I felt that through all the problems they said they had, it was a smooth (if not drawn out) event.  Bad? I am used to short and sweet tournaments where you run so quickly between rounds there is no time to be bored…this was not one of those.

What was the best and the worst motion at ABP?

Some of the motions I think were stacked either in favor of Opposition or Government, and these one sided motions I think led to some difficulty for the teams, but my personal favorite was ‘THBT the state should not grant autonomy to regions based on religious lines’ (even though most of the teams list it as their least favorite…. I still enjoyed it).  Worst I think might have been ‘Assuming sex selection technology is perfected, TWH financially incentivize families that choose to have female children in a patriarchal society.’

During ABP, What was your unforgettable funny episode? 

I think as a lecturer the funniest part for me was how they graded the adjudication written exams.  I had marks on the first page, no marks on the second page, but someone had the same results as me with no marks…so I went to ask about it and I was told the following: “For yours, if there are marks on the first page, then it is right.  No marks on the second page then it is right.  ¾ does not mean a 3 out of 4 but means two scores were given, one was a three and one was a four, so therefore you got a 3.5.”  When returning to my team, I politely informed them I would be grading my midterms in the same way just to screw with people.  Haha (Maybe only funny to people who must grade? Not sure). 

Joe and SDS at ABP

Who did you find the hottest at ABP?

Myself of course :P totally and completely kidding haha.

Which round was unforgettable to you as a judge?

Honestly a rather negative event has left an impact on me, in which during a round a debater personally and rather randomly was disrespectful to another debater.  I have sadly become used to debaters after rounds showing attitude based on results, and I realize it is a high stress situation, but this was so far over the line of professionalism especially to another debater, of which I will remember.  She kept referring to the other debater as Harry Potter (based on his appearance) but her mocking attitude with which she said it was most telling.  It left me with a question of, ‘is winning worth losing your dignity?’ 

Afterwards we learned it was based on the previous round, but my advice to her at the time, and advice to all debaters, is to realize debate is supposed to be fun, and supposed to increase the communication between peoples and races and cultures.  It is not a platform of hate.  I have been involved with debate for many years, and sadly the amount of great motions, or great speeches is always replaced in my memory with the damaging things I have seen.  I hope and I know that Korean debaters especially can bring up the level and quality of debate to the realm of sophistication with which it was meant, and truly remember the spirit of what debate should be about so that these situations will not occur.

Joe and SDS, ready to roll

How is debate in Southeast different from that in Korea? What should we learn from them?

I think there are many things to learn from both debaters and judges within Southeast Asia.  A judge told me, “your school of judging is very different because you judge on what is said, we judge on what is implied.”  I think this is telltale of judging and the standards for judging within Southeast Asia.  Be prepared for aggressive and often well-read individuals who know their status quo and understand the nuance of public policy, law and economics.  It is more about substance with a flash of style than about context with poise and stoicism. If you look at what was successful soaring rhetoric and clear concepts won the day with very dramatic presentations which were both fun to watch and equally engaging to listen.  

Also I think they are a lot better at using their prep-time and coming out with clear arguments so if you are lower house, I think spending more time preparing for ways to make an extension (using arguments in a different viewpoint) would be much more beneficial.  Assume the teams in ABP will have the arguments you are preparing and be prepared to adjust for those circumstances.  Otherwise you will be forced to make extensions after the round starts from scratch.

Do you have recommendations or suggestions for Korean debaters, especially in regards to their future participation at international tournaments?

I enjoyed the attitude of Korean debaters during this tournament.  Light hearted, friendly, professional.  I saw teams handle both losses and victories with maturity, which I think is necessary for debate. Even through all the differences and struggles I saw such class and dignity from all of the Korean teams.  I would have of course liked to see more teams but overall I felt the amount of respect shown by Korean debaters provided a standard I hope for the future.

Anything else?

I am not sure how long I will remain in Korea or assisting with debate societies (I hope for a little while longer at least), yet I can honestly say I have enjoyed seeing the progress of KIDA and the teams within it.  It has been an honor and a pleasure to assist many debaters even outside of my school, and I will always remember these opportunities.  I want to congratulate both CUDS and KU for great debating throughout the tournament, and I look forward to working with everyone in the future.  To me students and debaters are the future of our international society and being able to see the progress of individuals in their debate and life skills, and maybe in some way assist in that maturity is a humbling and awe inspiring occurrence, one that I take with utmost sincerity. 

I thank my own SolBridge Debate Society especially JuSeung Yi (who in the beginning convinced me –kicking and screaming– to dedicate my only day off to assist debaters) for the opportunity to partake (so they either get the blame or the credit for my involvement…lol I will let you decide that).  I will forever look upon this time with fondness.  Good luck everyone in the year ahead.  I am always awake and usually always working on some project so if you need anything feel free to ask.  

SDS, and the Korean Debate scene is proud and lucky to have you as a coach and a friend. Stay as long as you can, as it will be worth your time as well. Thank you Joe for your time and efforts!