Corollary: Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig enjoys it.

Definitely agree re: debate team veterans. Logic class veterans aren't much better, but at least they usually snap out of their acquired conversational dysfunction one to six months after the class ends; debate team veterans can be affected for years.

The problem is that high school debate takes impressionable minds and convinces them that an adversarial model is the only legitimate form of discourse. Every conversation becomes a battle or a competition or a game to win.

When you encounter a Master Debater, the best thing to do is to back away slowly, close the door, and let them play with themselves.