Having bad table manners makes you a less liked person.

Sorry for the delay Luke, I've had a very busy week. I'm going to try to run down the same basic flow as you. I. Okay, so as you phrased it yourself, you must show "...HOW these "bad manners" can actually make you a more liked person. If you read the topic of debate, that this is the only thing that I have to prove..." Although you mentioned "no effect" in your tag, you directly contradicted your argument by saying that beneficial effects is the only thing that you have to prove, and thus anyone judging this debate can vote for you if you prove that it can actually be beneficial, but not if you prove no effect. A. I have a few arguments on this. 1) I'm sorry, but I don't know who your friend is and I also don't know when he became an expert on the topic. Don't get me wrong, he sounds like a cool guy, but I doubt that his expertise is extremely credible for this debate. 2) No one is trying to enforce this manner, rather people just are noticing it, which is the reason that people are less liked. 3) If someone is slouching over the table with their elbows on the table, it's noticeable. However, this is only a minor instance of bad manners. 4) Finally, this does not prove how bad manners can make you a better liked person and thus should be discredited in this debate. B. The thing about silverware placement, no one knows today how it really goes. It isn't even considered manners anymore. Elbows on table, please and thank you, these are still used in society today. Fewer and fewer places use three forks and five spoons or whatever; the majority of places either use one fork, spoon and knife wrapped up in a napkin or even plastic utensils in a plastic wrapper. But make sure that when they bring you them to say "thank you." :-) C. I'm not sure if you've ever worked in the service industry, but I have. When someone comes up to me and asks for two packets of BBQ (I'm not sure if you know that I work at McDonalds), I always like the customers that say please and thank you versus the person that demands BBQ then walks off without so much as a thank you. It's completely inconsiderate and I'm sure that any of my coworkers would agree. We have hundreds of people come in and order but a simple please and thank you is noticeable and does affect a person's opinion of you. Furthermore, whenever anyone I know comes in and orders from me, why do you think they always say please and thank you? They say it because they know that it is polite and that they don't want to be thought less of by even a McDonalds employee. *Just a quick note, I did mention a few manners in my last speech that still have gone unrefuted by my opponent, but if you still wish to argue them, I said, "just a few examples [of manners] being burping, blowing bubbles in drinks, sloppy/childish demeanor, devouring food like a pig, talking with a mouth full of food..." I would, however, like to add one more to this debate, playing with food. It is completely rude and makes people dislike you a lot. I'm not using her as an expert rather a witness, but Grace Gill told me about a food fight that she was in during her freshman year. She said, "I know the guy who started it. It was Cory Cheever. That night, I had to spend five hours trying to get the dried macaroni out of my hair. I wasn't too happy with him after that! It all started with him, a glob of macaroni and a spoon when he was bored." Now I know that this is a large list to refute in your next speech, but I hope that you can address most of these as they will be crucial in my final speech and as a means for viewing the round. II. Only some of the table manners are a thing of the past, for example, utensil placement. However, not everything is in the past, you said it yourself when you mentioned that you still say please and thank you to the lunch lady. It really does make it better when you are polite. I'll give you that some manners carry less weight than others, for example elbows on the table. But when you are sitting down at a nice family dinner, even at a place like Applebees, do you want to hear someone burp before devouring their entire plate in a single bite? I don't think so. There are still such things as table manners in society today, the only reason you don't realize it is because most people still have the ability to act appropriately at the dinner table. Now moving on to my original speech. I'm glad that we see eye to eye on the clarifications, I don't like to start off abusing my opponent right off the bat, I save that for later... just kidding. I'm going to try and organize this part of the speech. I. I can assure you on this first argument that I am not contradicting myself Mr. Cumbee. Just because people are walking by doesn't mean they aren't considered non-diners. If they are in the same dining establishment, they are considered diners as well. Furthermore, you would be contradicting yourself by saying this as you believe that the lunch ladies deserve a please and thank you, as mentioned in your I.C. point. If they do not require a please and thank you in this debate, then you my friend are way off topic yourself. They are a part of your dining experience and thus must be considered as such. However, this too is still relevant as they are in the cafeteria, the same dining establishment as yourself. II. On this argument, I'm pretty sure it is a mood point on to whether or not your first impression is your last as we both have quotes in favor of our side. However, I want you to look once again to my example of a first date. If you go out with a girl who burps, pigs out on the food and talks with a mouth-full of food, would you go out with her again? Probably not, unless you are into that kinda thing. III. First of all, you sound like a real LDer when you bring up the COULD argument. Secondly, if you look back to my last argument, if you meet a person and they act completely impolite, it's doubtful that you will see them much more. The only reason that people even form relationships today is because the majority of people still have a pretty basic knowledge of manners. As you can see, manners, especially at the table, are relevant in today's society, whether they can carry more or less weight than others. However, without even a basic knowledge of manners, no relationships would ever be formed. First impressions are crucial because if you don't make a good impression, they won't like you in the first place and later meetings wouldn't exist. I know that I wouldn't want to meet a person again if they would burp constantly, talk with their mouth full of food and pigging out. As a matter of fact, I would probably lose my appetite. I await your response Mr. Cumbee and have a good weekend.