Grammar, spelling and punctuation should be taken into consideration when voting upon a debate.

<< 1)Lets assume that you are right that "If a debater wants to be taken seriously [or respected]…they should use good grammar, etc." So, debaters with poor grammar, etc. don't want to be taken seriously. How does that impact the judges voting?>> It impacts the judges' voting just as the individual judge sees fit. < > Irrelevant. I posted, "If a debater wants to be taken seriously on this site, they should have respect for the voters and use good grammar, proper spelling and punctuation." I didn't not post anything about debaters not wanting to be taken seriously, so that point is moot to this debate. <> This is clearly not a parallel case, as the physicality of your boxing analogy has nothing to do with the academics of debating on Debate.org. <<2)How is grammar, etc. the criteria for presenting arguments in a respectable manner?>> It is the way that society's respected express their thoughts and opinions; it has been this way for centuries. < > Society decided that on their own authority. < > Lack of capitalization, when it is due, screams idiocy. How many people can really respect an idiot? There are not that many. <<3)Your mention of members with English as a second language is noted but irrelevant.>> You are totally and completely wrong. It is very relevant that the debaters that learn proper English as a second language are mentioned. They don't learn it haphazardly. Linguistic structural constants are observed and they are what allow these individuals to effectively communicate with not only people that speak English as a first language, but also people that speak English as a second language as well, as they do not all speak the same first language. Good grammar is essential to arguing in online debates because it is too easy to misunderstand someone even when it is used. To abandon it only promotes confusion. < > Do you give respect to people that don't give you the same respect? I don't. The point is, if someone isn't going to give you respect, then do the same. If a debate seems to be a draw and one of the debaters couldn't be bothered to use capital letters, then vote against that argument. It's just that simple. < > My apologies. I forget that sometimes when I explain things that seem as easy as "2 + 2 = 4", that others require it to be as easy as "1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 4". I hope you've made the necessary connections to move forward now, as this is the final round. << 4)i. The purpose of grammar, punctuation, and spelling is clarity. Ultimately these are all near-arbitrary norms set by society. They are only important insofar as they are useful. They are only useful insofar as the preserve clarity. If grammar, etc. has no impact on the clarity of an expression, then it is irrelevant.>> Again, you are wrong. If that were true then books would be partially punctuated from start to end. << ii. CLARITY should be taken into account when a judge votes. Clarity is relevant to the debate because it is a part of how well the debater expresses and defends his position. Clarity is an indicator of style and skill. Grammar, etc. are only relevant with relation to clarity.>> I agree and clarity does rely on good grammar, proper spelling and punctuation. << 5) The only considerations a judge should have is the quality and skill of the points being made. The point of debate is to beat an opponent in argument. The only thing the judge needs to do is see which debater better defended his position.>> Again, I agree that quality and skill are vital to winning a debate. My point is that more things should factor into determining a winner. Thanks for the debate!