Carlmont’s Argument Club creates a comfortable and welcoming environment where students are encouraged to develop and argue their perspectives.
Students from different grades and social groups all gather at E6 during lunch each Monday for Argument Club to freely express their opinions. Although there are many debate clubs at Carlmont High School, Argument Club’s informal style sets it apart from the others.
“Other debate clubs are a lot more structured, but Argument Club focuses more on how you would actually argue in everyday life,” said sophomore Claire Bing.
Argument Club was founded at the beginning of the last school year by seniors Gabe Mitnick and Ryan Stearns. According to Mitnick, he and Stearns originally founded this club because they wanted to argue their opinions in a freer and more expressive manner. They also wanted the process to be more enjoyable and inclusive of others.
Each meeting, club members choose a specific topic and everyone argues with their personal opinion on the subject. Doing so allows for a diverse range of thoughts coming from passionate debaters.
“When people talk about politics, they mostly talk about it with people who already agree with them. They’re online, in echo chambers where everyone agrees. They’re strengthening their beliefs without having good reasons,” Mitnick said.
At every meeting, Argument Club members are greeted with loud and expressive discourse each time they step inside the classroom. The lack of restrictions on the club and their members adds to the overall mixture of diverse thoughts and opinions, which is what Argument Club is all about.
Another reason why Mitnick and Stearns decided to found the Argument Club is because they found the lack of opinions between Carlmont students to be frightening. However, Mitnick feels like the growth of this club has expanded the thinking of all its participants.
“I think my opinions have evolved a lot. I like listening to the arguments a lot more than I do participating in them. I think listening to people argue is really interesting, and it has definitely improved my knowledge,” said senior Reign Miller.
