Are you interested in angels, demons, spirits, ghosts, monsters? Are you curious about the origin, talk, and influence upon history and on the present day? If so, sit back, relax, and welcome to Seven Demonology, the podcast that explores all of this and more. Hello all.
Hello, I'm Monica Reinagel, host of the Nutrition Diva podcast. Summer is here, and with it, the hot and sticky weather. A morning working in the garden or maybe on the golf course can leave you more depleted than you realize. And plain water isn't always the most efficient way to restore the balance. That's where liquid IV comes in. Its science-backed formula is clinically proven to hydrate faster than water alone. Whether you're exercising, playing outside, or simply surviving a summer heat wave, it's an easy way to stay hydrated. Shop now at liquidiv.com.
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Today we're going to do something a little bit different. I've been slammed by my day job and really haven't had the chance to pick up and work on some of the future episodes that I have planned that just happened to be very research intensive. So we're going to change the pace up a little bit and do something that uh I really haven't done before. And I'm going to share a story. Where I went to high school, which was Dixon County in Tennessee, high school started at 10th grade. And at the time there was only one high school that served the entire county.
And so there were three middle schools that all funneled up to it. Charlotte Junior High, which was the second largest, Dixon Junior High, which was the largest, and then White Bluff Junior High, which was the smallest. And when all three of these schools came together, then it formed a rather large student body. In fact, for all three grades, for all three of these junior highs, then suddenly you were taking into account around 1,500 kids. My graduating class had 423 just by itself, to give you any idea. And no, this is not the National Football League.
This is instead for the National Forensics League, the uh national club that sponsored acting, speaking, and debating competitions for high schoolers. And the moment I saw that poster, fireworks just went off in my head. Now I have mentioned this before, and you can most certainly hear it. But I have a speech impediment. And that is because when I was born, I had a fold of skin that enveloped my tongue, and I could not move it.
And once doctors finally realized what was going on, uh they were able to remove that extra piece of skin which freed my tongue, and suddenly at the age of four, I began to talk and would not shut up. But it did leave me with two types of impediments. Uh the first is a lisp, which stays with me still, and the second was the inability to pronounce the word R correctly.
Now I had actually almost forgotten this until uh one of our Discord uh members brought up the fact that they were in speech classes all throughout elementary school, and suddenly all of these flashbacks of being in the library and Van Lehrer Elementary uh every week uh and you know learning how to speak properly came flooding back into my head. And I'm like, oh my god, I did that too. I did it for seven years. Um, but yeah, uh, you know, they were not able to correct the Lisp, although they were able to minimize it some, but they were able to solve the R issue.
Now, mostly it's by rote instinct at this point. Um, however, there are times in which I have to catch myself to make sure that I am pronouncing the letter R correctly. Now, fortunately, uh, you know, some of this is swallowed up by my accent. And so people that are not from the South, they listen to me, they're like, wow, you've got a really strong accent. Uh, in fact, um uh this kind of came up in uh a very recent uh podcast guest interview that I did for the tech coder. Uh and uh the gentleman that runs it, he lives in Scotland.
And uh we were both saying that, yeah, if we're in the area that we're originally from and we speak, people think that we have lost our accent. But if you go outside of that area, then suddenly they accuse us of having the thickest accent in the world, which I thought was kind of interesting. Uh but anyway, I'm kind of digressing. And in fact, I'm afraid this entire episode is going to be a digression, so you have to forgive me for that one. Um, but anyway, I don't know why, but I had an innate drive to prove that I could do public speaking.
And when I saw that poster, I knew that I had to go at least check this club out. So I dragged a few friends with me and we listened, and although they did not choose to join, I was enraptured. You mean that if I join this club and practice, then I will be able to go to all of the other high schools in the area and compete in debate and speech. I sign my name up and I became a regular from that point on. At the time there were only two debate formats.
There was cross-examination debate, which relied upon evidence and speaking as fast as humanly possible to spread as many points out that your opponents would not be able to uh to combat against, or Lincoln Douglas, and it was valued, it was centered around philosophical values. So you would pick your value, a lot, you know, very popular ones for morality or utilitarianism or justice, and then you would pick a criterion. Um, so it could be you know Kant's categorical imperative or utilitarianism, which could be both a value and a criterion.
Uh, but normally you would pick one like um rural utilitarianism or act utilitarianism, and then uh for uh justice, it could be one of the many flavors of social contract theory. Um but yeah, and then you would uh every three months the NFL would pump out a resolution, and then that would be the focus of the debate. And you would have to write both an affirmative and a negative case, and then you would go to a competition, you would look at the round, you'd find out who you were paired up against, uh, and then if you were either an affirmative or the negative for it.
Then you go and you do your debate. And even though I wasn't all that great um at first, I still remember getting trounced. My very first debate tournament at Hume Fogg in Nashville. But uh I fell in love. Uh I I could not get enough of it. Even though I went on to do other types of um of competitions, mainly uh extemporaneous speaking was kind of my specialty. Uh, but debate uh would always be and still continues to be my first love. Uh in fact, I still teach courses on how to do Lincoln Douglas debate uh to uh to high school students. Regardless.
Um even though I didn't do phenomenally, I was probably one of the only I think I was one of maybe one or two kids that were actually interested in doing debate. And so my uh my uh my coach club, my club coach, excuse me, uh, she recommended me uh for a debate camp in Kentucky. And I got accepted, and they actually gave me a scholarship, which shocked me to no end. And so when that summer for between my sophomore and junior years came around, my mom and uncle trudged me up to Louisville, to the University of Kentucky, to attend a two-week debate session. And it was awesome.
I got to learn more fundamentals, I got to learn how to do the proper art of flowing, which is actually capturing at a sheet level, usually a legal pad sheet, uh, the entire every argument and debate and how you're going to counteract it and all this lovely stuff. Um made some great friends there. But one thing that I have taken with me from that debate club uh camp, and it has stayed with me all these years later, was a story. It didn't have a title, and so I have dubbed it the debate story. I know, extremely imaginative. And I have told it throughout the years to friends.
And some people love it. In fact, I've had a few friends that continue to disperse this story to their own friends, other friends abhor it. But I'm gonna let you decide for yourself because I am going to share this little piece of rhetoric that may or may not teach something fundamental about logic and argumentation. But more than that, it's not some dry piece of advice. It's a living, breathing story. And it's one of my favorites. So I hope you enjoy it. And if you don't, I understand, but just I gave you warning in the beginning, didn't I? So anyway, here's the debate story.
Once upon a time, there was a man named Eric. And Eric loved the circus. Every morning he'd wake up in his London flat, walk downstairs, measure out enough coffee to get him through the morning, sit down at his table, and read the newspaper. Now, Eric had a great job. He had good friends, but the one thing that he lacked and that he wanted oh god did he want us. Was to see the circus. And every morning, while reading the newspaper, he would quickly scan through it first to see if there was mention of that great event that could happen.
But every morning he would see nothing, so he would go back and read the news. On this one lustery December morning, he picked up that newspaper, and on page six, there it was. A small little ad that read circus coming to town. Oh man. He could not contain his excitement. That very day he went out and bought the best plaid suit money could buy. He got home, he hung it up in his closet with a small little notepad that read Going to Circus in it. A month before the circus came. He stood in line all night to get tickets.
Should I say that he was the only person in line when a bleary eyed teenager opened up the ticket window and asked, Yeah, what do you want? And Eric said, I want the best seat in the house that you have. A small smile replaced a sleepy look. And the ticket manager said, Oh sir, that would be seat B42. He said, Sold. He bought the ticket, we went home, and he put it in the place of honor on the mantle. And he impatiently waited for that day to come. Finally, it was the night before, and he was so excited he could barely sleep. He tossed and turned, tossed and turned.
Finally, he forced himself to get up at 6 a.m., made his coffee, waited until it was almost time to leave. He put on a suit, grabbed his ticket from the mantle of honor, and went to the circus. But he was an hour early. He just could not contain his excitement. And the people that were there, they took pity on him, and they let him in. And he saw the lions, he saw the elephants, and he was just mesmerized. But finally, they opened up the tent and he went in, and he sat down in seat B42. And other people began to filter in. And then finally the lights dimmed and the show began.
Trapeze artists came out and did their death to flying stunts in the high wire. The animals came out and lions gave ferocious roars. But then the moment that Eric had really been waiting for the clowns. A small little car rolled out into the center of the stage and a entire host of clowns piled out of it, and they began sprouting each other with salts of water and throwing cream pies around. Eric was in heaven. He was holding on to his sides, trying not to laugh too loudly, because people were already giving him stares. But then something odd happened. The lights went out.
A spotlight shone down from the heavens, and a microphone descended from the stars. The head clown reached up, grabbed that microphone, brought it to his face, and with a smile more cruel than happy, said, Who is the man in seat B forty two? Well, let me tell you something. Eric's heart stopped and then began beating faster than the jackhammer. He stood up all excitedly, clad in his favorite brown plaid suit, waved, and said, Me, that's me. And a look of disgust came over the clown's face. And clutching that microphone, he said, Sit down, asshole. The entire tent erupted in laughter.
But no smile touched Eric's face. He sat down. The rest of the circus went on as expected. But he took no joy in it. He went home deeply depressed.
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Hello, I'm Monica Reinegel, host of the Nutrition Diva podcast. Summer is here, and with it, the hot and sticky weather. Morning, working in the garden, or maybe on the golf course, can leave you more depleted than you realize, and plain water isn't always the most efficient way to restore the balance. That's where liquid IV comes in. Its science-backed formula is clinically proven to hydrate faster than water alone. Whether you're exercising, playing outside, or simply surviving a summer heat wave, it's an easy way to stay hydrated. Shop now at liquidiv.com.
Liquid IV, hydration that goes wherever life takes you.
For the next six months, he could not follow his normal routine. He couldn't stand the taste or smell of coffee. He most assuredly could not read the newspaper that had betrayed him so badly. But finally, after months of his friend's encouragement and seeking a therapist, Eric was able to dig himself out of that hole. And for the first time in six months, one morning he woke up not feeling so bad. So he went downstairs and he made his cup of coffee and he opened the newspaper and he started to read. Only this time he did not search for an article that said anything about the circus.
But curiously, on page six, he did see another ad, but it wasn't for the dreaded circus. It said, Rob Brown's School of Debate. Come back to any cutdown. And after reading that, hope blossomed in Eric's chest. He could actually see light for the first time. And he knew what he had to do. He was going to get that clown back. And so he went to Rob Brown's School of Debate. He studied every technique that they had to provide. He became the top of his class. But did this satisfy him? No. For he was a man possessed. He became famous in his little hometown.
Pubs would beg him to come and engage in the art of rhetoric. He would get all the free drinks that he could want. But did this satisfy him? No. For he was a man possessed. The local talk show circuit got wind of Eric and begged him to come on. Oh and he did. And they challenged him so thoroughly, and yet he was able to come out on top in every single debate. He became fabulously wealthy and famous. But did any of this satisfy him? No. For he was a man possessed. And after the talk show circuit was over, he went back home to his little flat. And he waited patiently for that day.
And sure enough, a few months later, after he made his coffee and was quickly scanning through the newspaper, he saw it on page six. A small ad that read Circuit coming to town. That same day, he went to the dry cleaners, and he got his best brown plaid suit ironed, brought it home, hung it up in his closet, and put a note uh a sticky note on it that read Going to circus in it. A month before the fateful day was going to occur, he went to the ticket office, stood in line all night, the only one to stand in line.
And when he got and when that door opened up and he saw that teenager still sleepy, he slammed his hands down and he said I want seat B forty two and the sleepy look on the teenager's face abruptly disappeared, and a look of fear came upon it instead. And the boy said, Sir, are you sure? And he said, I am damn sure. And he paid his money. And he went home and he put that ticket in the place of honor on his mantle. And then he had a month to wait. He practiced in his head all of the scenarios that he could possibly face. And he knew that after all of this time he was ready.
The night before the circus and Eric slept peacefully. He didn't toss and turn like he did previously. He was not satisfied that he was a man possessed and he would let nothing come in between him and his moment of vengeance. That morning he woke up, he made his coffee, he read the newspaper, and he bided his time. But suddenly he couldn't wait any longer. So he put on a suit, he grabbed the ticket from the mantle of honor, and he showed up to the circus an hour early. The people there took pity on him. So they let him in. And he saw the lions and the elephants.
But did they bring the same joy? No. For he was a man possessed. Finally, they opened the tent. He went in, took his place at seat B forty two. The people filtered in, and the show began. Trapeze artists came out and did their death-defying stunts on the high wire. The animals came out. He got to see lions and tigers do all of their spectacular stunts. But none of these things made him smile. That is until Eric's former favorite came out. The clowns.
Small car teetered on the into the middle of the stage and a whole host of clowns piled out of it and they began to throw uh pies at each other and spray each other with salts or water. But then the moment Eric had been waiting for came. The lights went out. A spotlight shone down from the heavens and a microphone descended from the stars. The head clown reached up, grabbed that mic. Looking into the clout into the crowd, he said Who's the man in seat B forty two? Oh Eric thought what a fool I was to be so enthusiastic the last time I was here.
But rather than jump up and wave his hands and say that's me, that's me he calmly stood up, adjusted his suit, and said that would be me. The clown was slightly taken back, but still pressed forward and looking for the approval of the crowd said Sit down, asshole. Oh if only that clown knew who he was facing that day. Eric, the man who was engulfed in darkness, but clawed himself up, became a celebrity, became the pinnacle of what a debater could be, was standing right there. This time before the crowd could laugh at a broken man.
Eric thrust out his finger and he said the most epic comeback that could ever be thought of. Eric said Fuck you, clown! Fuck you. And that, my friends, was the debate story. You may be looking as we all looked after hearing that. Eric, the man who actually told the story to us that day, he bust out laughing after telling us this. And he said, You all look like a pack of lemmings. There's no more to the story. That's it. I have just taught you the pinnacle of debate.
There are quite a few curses that day, but for some reason that story it buried its way into my heart, and I have loved it ever since. So I hope that your sense of humor is flexible enough to at least delight in what I took delight in, which is a very corny story, and yes, there were several of them in this vein, but to me this will always be my favorite debate story of all time. Thank you for joining us once again. I thoroughly appreciate it. If you would like to become a member of our Discord group, which is completely free, of course, um, please go to our website, southerndemonology.
com, and click on the link, uh, and you can be a part of a wonderful community uh which has you know very strict rules set in place, but we've never needed it because everyone behaves themselves. Uh but we have a group of mods in case someone had stepped out of line, but we again haven't needed that up to this point. Uh but uh we have uh weekly uh discussions in which the community votes for the topics in which we want. Uh we share memes together, we talk about questions that we have. It's a wonderful slice of the internet.
Uh, whereas so many places are dark, and I do hope that you take the time to join us there. Um, would you like to support the channel? I would thoroughly appreciate that. Uh this makes zero money. Uh, this is a labor of love. And if you would like to support us, please join us at Patreon, which is patreon.com slash southern demonology. Uh there you can get episodes a full day earlier than anyone else. Uh, I will be happy to read off your name at the end of a podcast and on our YouTube channel, uh, in addition to flashing that up on the screen.
Um, and plus, if you want, you can get full access to uh animes and anything else that we have up there. Uh so please feel free to join that as well. Uh, and if nothing else, go to our website, southerndemonology.com and check out our blog posts and uh the other pieces of information that we have up. So uh thank you again for joining and I hope you have a great day. Thank you for listening to Southern Demonology. Find us online at Southern Demonology.com where you can find all of our social and podcasting links.
Also, if you have a moment, please feel free to rate this podcast and leave any encouraging feedback that you may have. As always, I am JJ, and it has been a pleasure getting to talk to you today.
Hello, I'm Monica Rheinagel, host of the Nutrition Diva podcast. Summer is here, and with it, the hot and sticky weather. A morning working in the garden or maybe on the golf course can leave you more depleted than you realize. And plain water isn't always the most efficient way to restore the balance. That's where liquid IV comes in. Its science-backed formula is clinically proven to hydrate faster than water alone. Whether you're exercising, playing outside, or simply surviving a summer heat wave, it's an easy way to stay hydrated. Stop now at liquidiv.com.
Liquid IV, hydration that goes wherever life takes you. Saturday, September 26th, two of combat sports most dangerous trick is alive. Fair luck.