I had a lightbulb realization for the first time during a debate in class that the use of debates in today's society has changed into an action that is similar to walking on thin ice. The true purpose of informal debates has been forced to change with the growing divide between strict political parties and political correctness. At a previous time, before politics began tearing people apart, debates were used to understand a topic and other perspectives deeper. It was used in schools, the workplace, families, and between friends. We used them to grow our knowledge. There is a value in considering the other side even if you don't agree.
Debates are now used to push peoples agenda.
People can back and forth and forth about a topic they are passionate about because they believe they are right and others need to believe they are right as well. This is pushing your agenda. Debates are supposed to be a healthy environment for people to share their beliefs with support to back up why that is their opinion. Instead of using a debate to share our beliefs or facts, people are pushing what they believe needs to change or happen in a debate. Everyone has their own sets of beliefs and values and you cannot expect that by pushing yours on someone else they will listen to you more. We have misplaced the definition or opinion/perspective to be something that has to change in people if you don't agree.
There are no longer rules to follow when having a debate.
Informal debates typically are supposed to be structured in so as to not have a whole group of people offended by one another for attempting to push their agendas or negate someone's opinions. There is a difference between not agreeing with someone and putting them down for their perspective. People are taking on the defense role or the attack role and that is not what debates were designed to be. People take their feeling of passion to use in a fight or flight mode when they are desperate to get people to see their side. There need to be explicit rules to follow and the group needs to understand why they are having a debate to begin with.
Participants of debates now won't stop until a side wins.
A debate is defined as a formal discussion on a particular topic in a meeting or assembly, in which arguments are put forward to discuss. In no way does it state that their either party is right or wrong or is meant to come to down to how is right or wrong. It is the sharing of different opinions in order to educate one another more. By pushing one's agenda it causes people to think there is only a single way of thinking and that is not what democracy was designed to be. Informal debates are used in the sharing of differing views to expand our knowledge. There is no winner to a war on opinions.
