8 March 2010
Today, the Debating Society welcomed twenty girls from Wycombe Abbey to a 'return match', following a highly enjoyable and competitive Dinner Debate in January. The boys had been eagerly looking forward to the event and we were delighted to be joined by David Lillycrop, Chairman of Governors at Abingdon. David was in the fortunate position of being able to claim allegiance to whichever side won, as he is also a governor at Wycombe Abbey.
The motion for the main debate was "This House believes that Public Figures should be Role Models", picking up on the recent scandals involving members of the England football team and also offering an opportunity to discuss MPs expenses. In the same format as our last meeting, there was also to be an impromptu debate on the motion "This House would refuse a ticket to the Oscars", with mixed teams.
After a very enjoyable meal, we took our places in the Charles Maude Room for the first debate. Matt Copson was in the chair, sporting his Debating Society bow tie and providing a comedic commentary as the debate progressed. Abingdon were to propose the motion and Wycombe Abbey to oppose.
Zander Cornish-Moore spoke first, a brave move indeed as he was one of only two fifth-year boys in the room, he maintained that public figures and celebrities are looked up to by young and old alike and hold an incredibly powerful position in society. He claimed that they are 'adulated and emulated' by the general public and that this was unavoidable, given the media interest the lives of celebrities. Referring to famous sports personnel, he argued that because of the money and influence they acquire with fame, they should respect the benefits that society has given them and aim to have a positive impact. He also higlighted a blurring of the line between how we view politicians and celebrities, referring to the recent appearances by Gordon Brown and David Cameron on television, giving highly personal interviews.
Cosima spoke first for Wycombe Abbey and put forward the view that it is impossible for all public figures to be positive role models. Indeed, she questioned the very definition of the term 'public figure'. She claimed that we cannot control talent and that it is unrealistic to expect talent always to be accompanied by virtue. In many cases, she argued, people that lead taboo lifestyles are more interesting and are therefore more likely to be highlighted in the media. To the disappointment of many in the audience, she rounded off her speech with the claim that "real life is not like High School Musical".
Second for the proposition was Chris Hyde, who argued that celebrities are the aristocrats of the modern age, with time and money at their disposal. As such, he claimed, they should be bastions of virtue. Chris outlined what he believed to be a recent decline in moral standards, because of celebrity culture. "Who needs virtue when you have MTV?", he asked. Politicians in particular came within the scope of Chris' moral outrage, on the basis that we elect them to office and expect them to take decisions about our way of life. Everyone needs someone to look up to, he stated, and if public figures are not role models, who else will be?
Alex from Wycombe Abbey was swift in her rebuttal of this last question, claiming that we should look to parents and teachers for moral guidance, rather than those who have become famous because of some particular skill. If all public figures were virtuous, she claimed, life would be very boring. She argued that part of the role of some well-known figures was to push the boundaries, comparing the speeches of Gordon Brown and Boris Johnson and the levels of public interest in each. Finally, Alex appealed to the floor's sense of 'proportion, mercy and fun', and asked them to reject the motion.
The floor debate contained a number of interesting points. Scarlett from Wycombe Abbey asked the proposition how they would stop someone from becoming famous. Will McDowell, in a somewhat narcissistic fashion, highlighted his own talent and asked if speaking to the floor made him a 'public figure'. Oliver Todd gave us all a history lesson on increase in lifestyle-related diseases in Bhutan since the introduction of television to that country in 1999. Geoff Penington rejected the notion of moral decline altogether and claimed this had been a perennial and unfounded claim for generations.
In a large swing away from the preliminary vote, Wycombe Abbey were deserving winners.
The floor debate was a light-hearted affair, with Mark Power Smith and Octavia on one team and Alec Burt and Allegra on the other. We were treated to a few puns, a list of good films that didn't win a single Oscar and the crowd-pleasing opinion from Alec Burt that the awards ceremony is simply "a device of bourgeois oppression".
The evening was a great success and we very much look forward to arranging more dinner debates with Wycombe Abbey in future.
SWB
