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Standing debate

Posted April. 21, 2017 07:19,   

Updated April. 21, 2017 07:22

한국어

I was confused when I first went to a standing concert with no chair. But I still recall a sense of freedom when I felt I became one with the stage, grooving to the music. I also had an awkward moment when I was the only Asian at a standing party in a foreign country where you talk with people walking around with a glass of alcohol. The standing culture -- drinking a coffee, eating food and drinking alcohol standing -- is no longer new to us. Some say that it contains a cultural key word, meaning a shift from the agricultural culture represented by settlement to the nomad culture that stresses speed and movement.

Companies that introduced stand-up meetings say that people concentrate more on meetings and feel casual because there is no authority and seniority coming from seats. An increased demand for standing television debate reflects what voters want – freedom and free of authority. Some opinion that the debates should be more dynamic as presidential candidate debates in 2012 completely failed to screen the qualification of former President Park Geun-hye also gained traction.

People were divided over the outcome of the first standing debate on TV on Wednesday – while some say it is a physical test, others said it is good. As the format, more suitable to dual candidacy, had its limits. However, I would like to give more credit to “no script” than the “standing format.” For voters who were familiar with reading a transcript, candidates’ expression‎, voices, and unexpected actions in response to offenses. More various attempts are worth trying.

In the U.S., the second out of three television debates for presidential candidates is a "town hall meeting" where they invite undecided voters and allow them to ask questions. There is no limit in topics and the moderator is the only one who knows questions and the order. Young unemployed people’s difficulty and working moms’ concerns are aired as they are. Around 65.6 million Americans watched the 2012 town hall meeting where Democratic candidate Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney competed. Candidates are free to choose a seat or to stand. It was the first Korean standing debate that made voters realize that what is important is “content.”