Now, hypothetically speaking, if my Debate Team had written the perfect case and defended it with confidence and integrity leaving our opponents astonished and ashamed by our superiority, would we win without question? Well, of course, right? Wrong!! What if we were dressed in cut-up jeans, and oh, I don't know, Weird Al Yankovic t-shirts, while the other team had neatly ironed black and white outfits with "suck-up" written across their foreheads. Would we still win? Maybe, but there might be some hesitation. Why? Because judges judge on things they're not supposed to judge, like, clothes!
Oh, sure, I could get up there in a skirt and a pretty blouse that make me look smart and sophisticated, to an extent, and with a mediocre case, but what would that accomplish? I'll tell you what that would accomplish! I would have a better chance of winning, because a kid in jeans and a t-shirt obviously can't have any fair amount of intellect in that untamed mind of theirs, especially when next to a preppy-looking, brown-nosed, dimwit! These assumptions anger me, because I like wearing what I want to wear to wherever I want to where it. Is this too much to ask? Apparently, because, even though adults teach you not to judge people on what they're wearing, you still have to dress up so they'll think you're smart.
The problem with this scenario is that I want to win, gosh darn it! I bought a stupid skirt and I'm going to look really dumb this Saturday. Plus, I get to live with the painful realization that I've conformed to America's high standards and egotistical ways just so I might possibly win a debate. I admit it: my selfish, competitive ways are more powerful than my pride, okay? Sorry about that. Good day.

By Melanie Morin

Just when you thought I was done complaining about the world, I surprise you once more with another critical view of our nation! This time, I'm talking about clothes and how they are held above and beyond intellectual boundaries. It all started at a Debate Team meeting…
There I sat at a desk in Mrs. Macri's room as she discussed the Debate tournament that is coming up the following Saturday at some other Maine school. Everything was going fine until those fateful words popped out of the teacher's mouth:
"Oh, and don't forget to dress up."
"We have to dress up?" I asked in horror.
"Yes."
"In what?"
"Well, most girls wear skirts,"
<Noo!>
"but you can wear pants if you want to." 
<Phew!>
But, wait a second, scratch that last one--no "Phew!" This shouldn't happen! Why must people, me in particular, be forced to dress to impress? Why!? This constant overshadowing of intelligence by physical appearance during competitions is a major flaw in the world, especially when what you're competing for should be based solely on the quality of your work!

3