Source Library

This is an expanded edition of ​Vaush's​ ​Ultimate Research Document​, which outlines

academic and scientific literature opposed to any and all forms of reactionary rhetoric,
along with logical and empirically founded argumentation and a few helpful thinkpieces.

This document is pretty big so I recommend using the outline! (view -> show document
outline)

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Head Contributors

Apa
(Apa#4210, u/Apathetizer)

More Documents

➔ Trans Rights Factsheet​: My research file on transgender issues, condenssed for easy
access.

➔ U.S. Imperialism Factsheet​: Document created by RockyDerFailure#6781 that presents

sources and information regarding U.S. imperialism up to present day.

➔ Energy Factsheet:​ My research file on fossil fuels, nuclear power, and renewables,
condensed for easy access.
➔ Trump Factsheet (in progress)​: Policies that Trump has supported or enacted that have
had an overall negative effect and warrant heavy criticism. Orange man bad lmao

➔ SocDem Factsheet (in progress)​: Data on social democratic policies, their costs, and
their benefits.

➔ Ultimate Research Document​: Vaush’s original info on LGBT issues and worker
cooperatives.

➔ Stinky_Rightwinger_Factsheet​ by ​Socialism Done Left

 
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RELEASE ME FROM THIS FACTSHEET AT ONCE 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(mind_game)
 Trans Rights

Medical Consensus

A​n incomplete list of the reputable scientific & social organizations which affirm the validity of
transgender people (that transness is not an illness, that trans people are deseving of respect and
equal rights, etc). This also serves as a list of the institutions which recognize the difference between
sex and gender.

○ American Psychological Association

○ American Medical Association
○ American Psychoanalytic Association
○ Human Rights Campaign
○ American Academy of Pediatrics
○ American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians
○ Royal College of Psychiatrists
○ United Nations
○ United Kingdom’s National Health Service

The following organizations have also made public statements expressing support for transgender
people, the detials and citations of which are compiled by ​Transcend Legal

○ American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

○ American Academy of Family Physicians
○ American Academy of Nursing
○ American College of Nurse-Midwives
○ American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
○ American College of Physicians
○ American Counseling Association
○ American Osteopathic Association
○ American Psychiatric Association
○ American Public Health Association
○ Endocrine Society
○ National Association of Social Workers
○ National Commission on Correctional Health Care
○ World Medical Association

Medical Transition
Medical transition decreases dysphoria, suicide attempts, and improves depression and
anxiety

● Cornell University
○ ENORMOUS​ meta-analysis on transgender people and the effect gender transition has on their
mental health
○ Of 56 studies, 52 ​indicated transitioning has a​ positive effect​ on the mental health of
transgender people and ​4​ indicated it had​ mixed or no results​.
○ ZERO​ studies indicated gender transitioning has ​negative results
○ This pretty much ends the argument right here.
● Murad et al. 10
○ ANOTHER​ meta-analysis of ​28 s​ tudies on transition and hormones
○ Sex reassignment/hormonal improvements:
■ 80%​ of individuals reported significant improvement in ​dysphoria
■ 78%​ of individuals reported significant improvement in ​psychological symptoms
■ 72%​ of individuals reported significant improvement in ​sexual function
■ overall quality of life.
○ Lower quality evidence, see methodology. Still significant and helpful findings regardless.
● Vries et al. 14
○ Longitudinal study on the ​effectiveness of puberty suppression, hormones, and later sex
reassignment surgery​ on trans individuals in improving mental outcomes
○ Unambiguously positive results​ - results indicate puberty suppression, support of medical
professionals & SRS have markedly ​beneficial outcomes​ to trans individuals’ mental health
and productivity.
○ These indicators were “​similar to or better than same-age young adults from the general
population”
● The Endocrine Society 15
○ “​A new study has confirmed that​ transgender youth often have mental health problems​ and
that their depression and anxiety ​improve greatly with recognition​ a ​ nd treatment of gender
dysphoria”​
● Nobili 18
○ Longitudinal meta-analysis which indicates ​transgender people​ have a​ lower quality of life
than the general population.
○ However, that quality of life ​raises dramatically​ with ‘​Gender Affirming Treatment​’, the nature
of which is detailed extensively in-text.

Social Transition
Social transition improves depression, anxiety, and psychological function

● Journal of Adolescent Health: Connolly et al. 16​ ​(non-paywall)

○ Analyzes consensus on the effectiveness of ​social transition
○ “Gender-affirming medical therapy and supported social transition in childhood have been
shown to correlate with ​improved psychological functioning​ for gender-variant children and
adolescents.”
● American Academy of Pediatrics: Olson et al. 16
○ Socially transitioned transgender children who are supported in their gender identity have:
 ■ Normative ​levels of ​depression
■ Minimal ​elevations in ​anxiety
■ Lower rates​ of ​internalizing psychopathology​ (​a spectrum of conditions characterized
by negative emotion)​ ​then non-socially transitioned people
● Trujillo et al. 17
○ Helping trans individuals cope with harassment and rejection, particularly by drawing on social
support, may ​promote better mental health​, which could help ​reduce suicidality​ in this
population.
● Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Durwood et al. 17
○ Children who socially transition​ report levels of depression and anxiety which ​closely match
levels reported by ​cisgender children​, indicating social transition massively decreases the risk
factor of both.

Puberty Blockers
Puberty blockers are safe, well-studied, completely reversible, endorsed by credible medical
and endocrinological associations, and effective at reducing dysphoria, anxiety, and
depression.

● Public Broadcasting Service News: Korry 16

○ Everything you need to know about puberty blockers
○ Full-blown puberty is irreversible
○ Taking a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist, secretion of the sex hormones can
be stopped and the onset of puberty suppressed, so that the body does not develop secondary
sex characteristics
○ This has been ​done safely for decades​ to suppress sex hormones in children who develop too
early, a condition known as precocious puberty.​ Suppressors have also been used to treat
endometriosis, uterine fibroids and prostate cancer.
○ It was only in 2008 that the ​Endocrine Society approved ​puberty suppressors as a treatment
for transgender adolescents ​as young as 12 years old​. The Society, with members in more
than 100 countries, has since declared that the intervention appears to be ​safe and effective​.
In 2011 the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), also issued
Standards of Care for the treatment of patients with gender dysphoria, ​which include puberty
suppression.
● Vries et a. 14
○ Smaller Dutch study on puberty blockers
○ All 55 participants were ​on par with or better than others their age​ when it came to things like
anxiety, depression and body image, and none of them expressed regret as adults about their
transitions or the choice to delay puberty.
○ Since puberty suppression is a​ fully reversible medical intervention​, it provides adolescents
and their families with time to explore their gender dysphoric feelings, and [to] make a more
definite decision regarding the first steps of actual gender reassignment treatment at a later age
● Human Rights Campaign et al. 16
○ BIG​ report on trans youth and transition
○ Endorsed by the ​Human Rights Campaign​, ​American Academy of Pediatrics​ & the
American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians​ which affirms the validity of ​transgender
 youth​, encourages ​appropriate care and respect​ for their transness and provides resouces on
how to do so.
○ Outlines TYPES OF TRANSITION: hormone blockers are the ​ONLY​ treatment used on
adolescents and are ​COMPLETELY reversible​.

Bullying & Suicide

Suicidality is heavily influenced by bullying, discrimination, and poor treatment. Suicide
attempt rates are also far higher among individuals who experience substantial discrimination
or harrassment.

● National Transgender Discrimination Survey: Grant et al. 11

○ 41%​ of respondents reported ​attempting suicide c​ ompared to 1.6% of the general population
○ These rates rose for those who:
■ lost a job​ due to bias (55%)
■ were ​harassed/bullied​ in school (51%)
■ had low household income
■ were the victim of ​physical assault​ (61%)
■ were the victim or ​sexual assault​ (64%)
● Virupaksha 16
○ Broad meta-analysis of ​21 studies ​on the trans suicide rate (it’s quite high).
○ The suicide attempt rate ranges from ​32% to 50%​ across countries
○ The following were found to have an impact on the suicide attempt rate
 ■ Gender-based victimization
■ Discrimination
■ Bullying
■ Violence
■ being rejected by the family, friends, and community
■ harassment by intimate partner, family members, police and public
■ discrimination and ill treatment at health-care system
● Zeluf 18
○ Swedish study on trans sucide prevention
○ 37%​ of respondents reported that they have seriously considered suicide during the past 12
months and ​32%​ had ever attempted a suicide
○ Suicide ideation is assiated with:
■ Offensive treatment
■ lifetime exposure to trans-related violence
■ less satisfaction with contacts with friends and acquaintances and with one's own
psychological wellbeing
■ lack of practical support
● Williams Institute: Haas et al. 14
○ Massive demographic analysis​ which codifies the many ​social & institutional factors​ which
contribute to trans suicide rates
○ Prevalence of​ suicide attempts is elevated​ among those who:
■ disclose to everyone​ that they are transgender or gender-non-conforming (50%)
■ among those that report ​others can tell ​always (42%) or most of the time (45%) that
they are transgender or gender non-conforming
○ The suicide attempt rate was associated with mental health factors and experiences of:
■ Harassment
■ Discrimination
■ Violence
■ Rejection

Family Support
Familial support decreases suicide attempts and drug usage

● Klein and Golub 16​ ​(non-paywall)

○ Family rejection linked to ​suicide, drug use​, and overall deteriments to health
○ To cope with transgender-related discrimination:
○ 42.3% of the sample reported a suicide attempt
○ 26.3% reported misusing drugs or alcohol
○ “After controlling for age, race/ethnicity, sex assigned at birth, binary gender identity, income,
education, and employment status, f​ amily rejection was associated with increased odds ​of
both behaviors. Odds increased significantly with increasing levels of family rejection.”
● Cornell University
○ A ​META-ANALYSIS ​of ​42 peer-reviewed studies​ that analyzed the links between family
support and the health and well-being of LGBT youth
 ■ 25 studies ​found that accepting behavior by parents toward their children’s sexual
orientation or gender identity is linked to the health and well-being of LGBT youth.
■ The other ​17 studies​ found that family support in general (i.e. not necessarily in
response to children’s sexual orientation or gender identity) is linked to the health and
well-being of LGBT youth.
● Trans PULSE (subsidiary of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research)
○ From Ontario (not international scope) but academically credible and ​VERY​ widely cited
○ Analysis of the ways in which​ parental support ​affect elements of disadvantage experienced by
transgender youth.
○ Strong parental support​ ​decreases the likelihood​ of a ​suicide attempt​ within the past year
from 57% to​ just 4%​.

Chosen Name Usage

The use of trans people’s chosen name decreases suicide ideation, severe depression, and
suicide attempts

● Journal of Adolescent Health: Russell ST, et al. 18​ ​(cited)

○ Compared to those without chosen name usage, trans people with chosen name usage
experienced:
■ 71% drop in severe depression
■ 34% drop suicidal ideation
■ 65% drop in suicide attempts

Bathroom Bills
Evidence for the public safety argument in regards to bathroom bills is unsubstantiated in
data.

● Hasenbush et al. 19​ ​(non-paywall)

○ Analysis of crime & privacy violations​ as they relate to concerns raised by those who
advocate for ‘​trans bathroom bills​’
○ Analysis indicates there is ​no empirical evidence to support these concerns​; such crimes &
privacy violations are ​exceedingly rare​.
○ Calls for trans bathroom bills are ​fearmongering​, plain and simple.
● Bianco 15
○ Zero reported cases of transgender people harrassing cisgender people in the bathroom,
according to multiple organizations
○ Experts agree​ that bathroom bills are unsubstantiated and driven by fearmongering
○ Suggests that ​bathroom bills perpetuate violence against transgender people​ by placing them in
discriminatory situations

Depiction in Media
Trans people are generally depicted negatively.
 ● Colorado State University: Matthews 16
○ Interesting (and long) qualitative analysis on the ​depiction of transgender people in ​Sports
Illustrated​ over past decades.
○ Finds disproportionately ​negative depictions​ (of course).

Sterilization
Forced sterilization is an obstacle faced by trans people internationally

● TGEU 18
○ 16 countries in Europe & Central Asia still ​require sterilization​ before transgender peoples’
gender identity can be ​legally recognized

Trans Athletes
Trans athletes are at no significant advantage in athletics, especially since hormones reverse
any strength discrepancies, yet face substantial discrimination in athletics.

● Jones et al. 17
○ Meta-analysis covering prior research on ​trans individuals’ performance in sports​ and
preexisting ​sports policies​ concerning trans people
○ “There is no direct or consistent research suggesting transgender female individuals (or male
individuals) have an athletic advantage at any stage of their transition
■ (includes cross-sex hormones, gender-confirming surgery)
○ competitive sport policies that place restrictions on transgender people need to be considered
and potentially revised.
○ Additional findings show most sports policies are​ not evidence-based​ and trans individuals
experience ​substantial discrimination​ from sports institutions.
● National Collegiate Athletic Association: Griffin et al. 10
○ “Any athletic advantages a transgender girl or woman arguably may have as a result of her prior
testosterone levels ​dissipate after about one year​ of estrogen therapy”
○ “According to medical experts on this issue, the assumption that a transgender girl or woman
competing on a women’s team would have a competitive advantage outside the range of
performance and competitive advantage or disadvantage that already exists among female
athletes is ​not supported by evidence​.”
● University of Leicester: Hargie et al. 15
○ “It is primarily the l​ ack of public understanding​ regarding transgender people that remains the
greatest cause of their exclusion”​, not some preceived advantage among athletes.
○ The study found​ interconnecting themes ​among all its participants to substantiate the
prominence of public exclusion:
■ the impact of alienating​ sports experiences​ at school
■ the intimidating nature of the ​changing room ​environment
■ the fear of public space and how this drastically constrained their ​ability to engage in
sport​ and physical activity
 ■ the overall impact of their exclusion in terms of being denied the​ social, health and
well-being aspects​ of sport

Gendered Behavior
At a young age, children learn and copy perceived gendered behavior, which in many cases
leads to the limiting of children’s expression.

● Early Childhood Education Journal: Chick et al. 02​ ​(non-paywall)

○ Evaluation of a childcare facility suggests that gender role development is socially constructed
and learned from birth.
● Aina and Cameron 11
○ Gendered stereotypes were found to affect children’s perception of gender and appropriate
behavior and proliferate through certain influences:
■ Consumer products
■ The Media
■ Early childhood education
■ Relationships with parents
● Lee 08
○ A study of Korean immigrant girls and gender stereotypes
■ Korean immigrant girls admired princesses based on beauty or singing voice while boys
admired princes based on chivalry, courage, or actions. Combined with a tradition of
female subservience in Korean culture, these young girls appeared to accept their
disenfranchisement.
■ Korean immigrant girls perceived that a woman could not be President of the United
States because a classroom poster depicted all male presidents.
● Freedman 07​ ​(non-paywall)
○ Observed children between the ages of 3-5
○ Children predicted parents would consistently apply these stereotypes as reflected by their
approval or disapproval of children’s choices to play with gender stereotyped or cross-gender
toys.
○ As early as 3-5 years, children recognize stereotypes about gendered play and subconsciously
account for social disapproval
● Saltmarsh 09
○ One paper which details how children, from a young age, are subject to stereotyping and
perceived gender differences, and the poststructuralist outlook

They/Them Pronouns
Singular “they” is grammatically correct

● Grammarly - Mora 18
○ They/Them Pronouns are academically approved
 ○ As of 2019, most big style guides—including the Associated Press, the Chicago Manual of
Style, the MLA style manual, and the APA style manual—accept the usage of the singular they.
● Oxford English Dictionary
○ Traces singular they back to 1375, demonstrating a large historical precedent.
○ “They” is grammatically similar to “You,” which “was a plural pronoun that had become singular
as well.”

Sex is Not Binary

Modern science endorses a bimodal model in its understanding of sex

● Scientific American: Montañez 17​ (​IMAGE​)

○ G​raphic describing the many characteristics which factor into one's ​sexual identity​.
○ Helpful in indicating the ​ambiguous and bimodal ​nature of sex/responding to people who
believes it’s as simple as ​XX/XY
● New York Times: Fausto-Sterling 18
○ NY Times Op-Ed from a professor of biology & gender studies
○ Explains the ​biological complexity of sex​ and the ways in which the ​Trump Administration’s
attempts to legislate that complexity of of existence is both ​immoral and unscientific.
● Legato 18
○ Description of ​modern scientific attitudes​ towards ​human sex​.
○ “​The view that the world’s population can be separated into a clearly defined dyadic unit of male
and female is ​defunct​; not only ​clinical observations, but molecular biology​ has established
that ​sexual identity is on a continuum,​ with an ​enormous potential for variance”​

Neurology
Some trans individuals neurologically reflect cisgender people of their desired gender,
indicating a neurological coponent to their experiences.

● European Society of Endocrinology 18

○ BRAIN SCANS​ show that (many) transgender inviduals neurologically reflect their identity, not
their assigned gender at birth.
■ The study included both adolescent boys and girls with gender dysphoria and used
magnetic resonance imaging (​MRI​) scans to assess brain activation patterns in response
to a pheromone known to produce ​gender-specific activity​.
■ The pattern of brain activation in both transgender adolescent boys and girls more
closely resembled that of non-transgender​ boys and girls of their desired gender.
■ Note: this is for more of a transmed-focused argument. Better as an “even if” arg since
you shouldn’t need to prove a biological basis for transness since gender is a social
category

History of Gendered Terms

We didn’t always hold the same attitudes or use the same terminology for genders that we do
now.

● History Extra: BBC

○ Interesting origins of gendered terms and raising children
○ “Nor have boys always even been called boys. Until the late 15th century ​the word ‘girl’ simply
means a child of either sex.​ Boys, where they had to be differentiated, were referred to as
‘knave girls’ and girls in the female sense were called ‘gay girls’. Equally a boy could be a
‘knave child’ and a girl a ‘maiden child’. The term ‘boy’ was reserved for servants or ‘churls’, the
meaning ‘young man’ probably deriving from the latter as a pejorative term but not occurring
before 1440.”

Additional Resources

● ASAP Science: "The Science of Being Transgender"

○ A more concrete, scientific approach towards how we view the causes and meaning of gender
identity.
● American Psychological Association
○ American Psychological Association​ pamphlet on transgender issues
○ Affirms psychological consensus - that transgender people ​are valid​, have ​existed throughout
history​, are ​subject to discrimination​, and that transness is ​not a mental disorder​.
● American Psychological Association 08
○ Gender Identity Resolution ​which expands upon the premises listed in the annotation above
and supports total equality for transgender people - affirmation of the ​institutional legitimacy
of transness​ in psychology.
● American Psychological Association 14
○ Identical to the above​, essentially, except pertaining to t​ rans and gender-nonconforming
youth​.
● American Psychological Association Policy
○ Booklet on LGBTQ issues​ from the ​American Psychological Association​, outlining their
policy and attitudes​ towards aforementioned communities.
○ Expressly positive​.
● NHS
○ The UK’s ​National Health Service​ report on g ​ ender dysphoria​, which affirms the ​validity of
trans people​ and discusses ways in which​ gender dysphoria​ can be alleviated, the best of
which is said to often be ​social and physical transition​.
● American Psychoanalytic Association 12
○ The ​American Psychoanalytic Association’s​ statement on gender identity, in which
transness is validated​, social stigma against transgender people is cited as a serious cause of
harm and ‘​reparative therapy​’ - attempts to suppress one’s transness and force them to live as
the gender they were assigned at birth - ​is medically invalid​.
● Time: Haynes 19
○ The​ World Health Organization​ recently stopped classifying ​transness ​as a ​mental disorder​.
● Multilateral Source 17
 ○ Multilateral ​condemnation​ of ‘conversion therapy’ from ​essentially every medical institution
in the United Kingdom​, with reasons provided.
● United Nations
○ Transphobia is cringe, according to the UN
 GSM Issues

Conversion Therapy
Increases depression, anxiety, social isolation, and capacity for intimacy.

● Cornell University
○ A ​META-ANALYSIS​ of ​47 ​peer reviewed studies on conversion therapy for sexual orientation.
○ 12 ​concluded that it is ​ineffective and/or harmful
■ These studies found links to ​depression, suicidality, anxiety, social isolation and
decreased capacity for intimacy.
○ Only one study found positive results, with ​biased​ and ​unreliable​ self-identified religious
subjects.
○ The remaining 34 studies found null results.
■ Much of the info we have on conversion therapy is self-reported, so the data has certain
limitations.

GSM Parenting
GSM Parents are just as good as cishet ones
● Cornell University
○ A ​META-ANALYSIS​ of ​79 ​peer reviewed studies on gay and lesbian parents
○ 75 ​concluded that children of gay or lesbian parents fare no worse than other children.
○ The other four took their samples from children who endured family break-ups, a cohort known
to face added risks.Scholars consider them unreliable, and one even has a letter rebuking it
signed by 200 experts.

Family Support
Vital to the mental health and wellbeing of GSM youth

● This one was used in the trans section but it’s really important to put it here too
● Cornell University
○ A ​META-ANALYSIS​ of ​42 peer-reviewed studies​ that analyzed the links between family
support and the health and well-being of LGBT youth
■ 25 studies ​found that accepting behavior by parents toward their children’s sexual
orientation or gender identity is linked to the health and well-being of LGBT youth.
■ The other ​17 studies​ found that family support in general (i.e. not necessarily in
response to children’s sexual orientation or gender identity) is linked to the health and
well-being of LGBT youth.
 Marriage Equality
Associated with positive mental health outcomes

● John Hopkins: Raifman et al.17

○ State same-sex marriage policies were associated with a reduction in the proportion of high
school students reporting suicide attempts
○ Based on the avalible sample size, same-sex marriage policies would likely be associated with
more than​ 134,000 fewer adolescents attempting suicide

Legal Protection
Anti-bullying laws decrease suicidal ideation and increase safety

● Meyer 19​ ​(non-paywall)​ ​(cited)

○ Anti Bullying state laws that enumerate sexual orientation were associated with:
■ lower risk​ for ​suicide attempts​ and serious attempts requiring medical attention
■ feeling safe ​at school or on the way to or from school.
■ lower risk for forced sexual intercourse
■ Results did not differ by sexual orientation.

Queer Oppression
LGBT People experience disproportionate homelessness, hostility of family (negative
statements. shaming), harassment at school, and physical and sexual abuse
Pew Research 13

● Human Rights Campaign 18

○ 2018 LGBTQ Youth Report
○ HUGE​ collection of data concerning difficulties LGBTQ people face
○ 67% of LGBTQ youth​ hear their parents make ​negative statements​ about LGBTQ people -
rises to 78% if child is in closet​.
○ 48% of LGBTQ youth​ say their family ​makes them feel bad for their identity
○ This pretty much ends the argument right here​. Bad stuff exists folks.
● Human Rights Campaign 17
○ LGBTQ youth​ are ​120% ​as likely to e ​ xperience homelessness​ as cisgender and heterosexual
youth.
○ Up to 40%​ of the homeless youth population is​ LGBTQ
○ Cited possibility for this discrepancy being LGBTQ youth getting kicked out of the home by
unwelcoming/openly hostile family​.
● Williams Institute: Dowd 18​ ​(cited)
○ HUGE​ collection of data points on ​harassment in schools
○ 85%​ of LGBT students have experienced verbal harassment
○ 58%​ of LGBT youth have felt unsafe at school due to their sexual orientation; ​43%​ have felt
unsafe because of their gender identity
○ 27%​ of LGBT students have been physically harassed at school because of their sexual
orientation; ​13%​ have been physically harassed because of their gender identity
● National Coalition Against Domestic Violence 18
 ○ Queer folks experience a​ disproportionate amount ​of ​domestic and sexual violence
■ Experience disproportionate amounts of ​rape, physical violence​, and/or ​stalking​ by an
intimate partner at some point in their lifetime
● 43.8% of lesbian women, 61.1% of bisexual women, 26% of gay men and 37.3%
of bisexual men
● 35% of heterosexual women / 29% of heterosexual men.
■ Only 26%​ of gay men called the police for assistance after experiencing near-lethal
violence.
■ Fewer than 5%​ of LGBTQ survivors of intimate partner violence sought orders of
protection.
■ Transgender victims are ​more likely​ to experience intimate partner ​violence in public
■ Bisexual victims are ​more likely to experience sexual violence​.
■ LGBTQ Black/African American victims are more likely to experience ​physical intimate
partner violence​.
■ LGBTQ white victims are more likely to experience ​sexual violence​.
○ Here’s how it breaks down:
■ 20%​ of victims have experienced some form of physical violence
■ 16%​ have been victims to threats and intimidation
■ 15%​ have been verbally harassed
■ 4%​ of survivors have experienced sexual violence
■ 11%​ of intimate violence cases reported in the NCADVP’s 2015 report involved a
weapon.
● Sears et al. 14
○ LGBT people face high levels of ​discrimination at work
○ Finds evidence of widespread discrimination (​workplace harassment, reduced employment
opportunities, etc.​) in ​scientific field studies, controlled experiments, academic journals, court
cases, state and local administrative complaints, etc.
○ “d ​ iscrimination has negative effects on LGBT people in terms of health, wages, job
opportunities, productivity in the workplace, and job satisfaction”

General Demographic Reference

● Pew Research 13​ (population stats are not the best because non-heterosexual trans folk are counted
once as ​either​ trans or non-heterosexual)
 Economy

Worker Co-ops
Co-ops are more productive, robust, resistant to price shocks, and increase worker pay and
engagement (as opposed to a firm organized by a traditional employer-employee framework).
Increased employee engagement in decision-making at all levels is consistently associated
with better performance.

Cooperatives:

● Doucouliagos 95
○ Meta-analysis​ of 43 studies comparing various forms of worker participation in business
○ Found that “profit sharing, ​worker ownership​, and ​worker participation​ in decision making are
all ​positively associated with productivity​”
■ These observed correlations are stronger in worker-managed firms than in traditional
capitalist firms
○ Bit outdated as it’s from 1995 and only shows correlation, but still useful
● Pérotin 15: UK Coop Report
○ HUGE analysis of a large quantity of data on worker cooperatives
○ Worker cooperatives are found to:
■ be larger​ than conventional businesses
■ survive as well or better than ​other businesses
■ have more ​stable employment
■ Be more ​productive​ than conventional businesses, with staff working “better and
smarter” and production organized more efficiently
■ have ​workers retain a larger share​ of their profits than other business models
● Pérotin 12
○ The study found​ increased productivity​ in the case of:
■ Increased ​profit sharing​ (note: this may also involve reverse causality, although data
below on ESOPs seems to thoroughly verify this anyway)
■ A higher proportion of ​employees becoming cooperative member​, thus increasing
participation in decision-making (in France and Italy)
■ A greater proportion of​ workers on the board​ (in the UK)
● Williams 07
○ After 1 year, 50-60% of corporations fail while ​only 10%​ of cooperatives do
○ After 5 years, ​90% of Co-Ops​ remain open while only 3-5% of standard corporations do
● Co-op Law
○ Co-ops have been shown multilaterally to be ​more resilient​ and ​less likely to fail​ than
traditionally-operated businesses
 ○ Coops also face ​unique barriers to entry​ which might be mitigated through the
transformation of existing enterprises​ into worker’s coops.
● Burdín & Dean 09
○ Economic analysis of capitalist firms vs worker cooperatives in Uruguay from 1996-2005
○ Coops have a greater correspondence between profit increase and ​wage increase
○ Employment in coops is ​more resistant to price shocks
○ Employment​ has a negative correlation with wages for capitalist firms and a ​positive
correlation with wages​ in worker coops
● Conte, M. A., & Svejnar, J. 88
○ Worker participation in management seems to ​increase technical efficiency​.
● Abell 14
○ Coops make $652 billion in revenue, hold around $3 trillion in assets, and employ nearly one
million people in the U.S., showing that ​coops are already successfully contributing to the
U.S. economy
○ Data shows that worker coops:
■ can ​increase worker incomes by 70-80%
■ have ​9-19% greater levels of productivity
■ have 45% lower turnover rates
■ are ​30% less likely to fail​ in the first few years of operation
● Craig & Pencavel 95
○ Study of worker coops in the timber industry of Washington state
○ “What differences we have found imply that ​coops are more efficient than the principal
conventional firms by between 6 and 14 percent​”
● Sabatini et al. 12
○ Study based on a 2011 questionnaire in Trento, Italy
○ Found that employment in cooperative enterprises ​increases trust between workers relative
to public and private enterprises
■ 47.5% increase relative to public enterprises
■ 36.9% increase relative to private enterprises
● Park 18
○ In conventional firms, there is a ​negative relationship between job demands and worker
commitment
○ This negative relationship was ​not found in worker co-ops
● Erdal 12
○ Study of three Italian towns of similar demographics, income, and geography
○ The town with the most worker cooperatives experienced the following:
■ Better mental and physical health​, as well as longer lives
■ Children were less likely to skip school and skipped school less
■ Less crime, including less domestic violence​ and greater feelings of safety.
■ Higher rates of ‘social participation’ (joining clubs and charities, giving blood, voting)
■ Perception of a more positive society, more supportive personal networks, and
more trust in the government
○ Note: this study ​fails to prove causation​, and only establishes a correlation between coop
prevalence and community wellbeing

ESOP and Employee Ownership:

● NCEO (National Center for Employee Ownership) 17

 ○ Analyzing the effects of employee ownership (typically ESOPs, where workers gain a stake in
their company and its stock)
○ Data shows:
■ 33% higher​ income from wages
● This holds true at all wage levels
■ 53% longer ​median job tenure
● 5.2 years compared to 3.4 years
○ Employee owners also have access to an array of benefits at work including:
■ flexible work schedules
■ retirement plans
■ parental leave
■ tuition reimbursement
■ Childcare benefits (23% of employee-owners compared to 5% of non-employee-owners)
● NCEO Economic Growth Report
○ More data on employee-owner firms
○ Compared to traditional firms, ESOP and companies with employee ownership:
■ Generate​ 2.5% more new jobs​ per year
■ Have a workforce that is ​⅓ to ¼ as likely to be laid off
● Kruse 02
○ Analysis of a variety of studies on employee ownership
○ Productivity​ improves by an extra 4-5% ​on average in the year an ESOP (employee stock
ownership) is adopted, and the higher productivity level is maintained in subsequent years.
■ This one-time jump is more than​ twice the average​ annual productivity growth of the
U.S. economy over the past 20 years.
○ Most studies find ​higher organizational commitment​ and identification under employee
ownership, while studies are mixed between favorable and neutral findings on job satisfaction,
motivation, and other behavioral measures.

Additional Resources:

● ISR: International Socialist Review

○ Coops are effective, but cannot in themselves facilitate a transition to socialism
○ Mondragon Cooperative Corporation, the world’s largest coop, has restructured to move its
practices more in line with those of a traditional privately-owned corporation of a similar size.
● Co-operatives UK (video)
○ Cute lil explanation of cooperatives
● IWDC
○ Different types of coops - ‘Worker Coop’ is our interest
● OBOS
○ Massive Norwegian cooperative building association - 435,000 members
● Richard D. Wolff
○ Excellent Richard Wolff write-up on worker coops.
● Truthout: Wolff 14
○ Another Richard Wolff article, discussing social, political and economic barriers to forming
workers’ coops.
● The Nation: Chen 19
○ Cute think piece on the value of worker coops
● RMEOC
○ Unorganized ESOP Factsheet

Wealth Inequality
Inequality is rising and concentrating wealth at the top of the wealthy class

● Oxfam 18
○ Eighty two percent​ of the wealth generated in 2017 ​went to the richest one percent​ of the
global population (Oxfam 2018)
○ The ​3.7 billion people​ who make up the poorest half of the world ​saw no increase​ in their
wealth in 2017.
● Inequality.org

Growth
The rich are getting richer far faster than the poor, while poverty is steady

● Inequality.org
 Stocks and Investment
Control over businesses and the stock market is also heavily concentrated among the richest
of the rich
● Inequality.org
○ Rich have far more lucrative options for income -- not only is growth higher, but it is rigged in
their favor
 Workplace Engagement
Despite record productivity, workers are unengaged and underpaid

● Gallup Poll: Crabtree 13

○ Only ​13% of employees​ worldwide are engaged at work
○ The bulk of employees worldwide (63%)​ lack motivation​ and are less likely to invest
discretionary effort in organizational goals or outcomes.
○ Just​ one in eight​ are fully involved in and enthusiastic about their jobs

● Inequality.org
○ Despite low engagement, workers are still producing a lot, but are not compensated
adequately
 ○

Wages
A majority of workers are in debt and struggling to get by; many work multiple jobs

● CareerBuilder Poll Data 17

○ 78% of U.S. workers live paycheck to paycheck​ ​to make ends meet
○ Nearly 10% of workers making $100,000+ live paycheck to paycheck
○ More than 25% of workers ​do not set aside any savings​ each month
○ Nearly ​75% of workers​ say they ​are in debt ​today
■ More than ​50%​ think they ​will always be
○ More than 50% of minimum wage workers say they ​have to work more than one job​ to make
ends meet
■ 70%​ of minimum wage workers​ are in debt
● Pew Research 17
 Executive Pay
CEOs make up the richest of the rich and earn hundreds of times more than their workers

● Economic Policy Institute: Mishel and Davis 15

○ Top CEOs make more than ​300 times​ that of the average worker
● Inequality.org
○ CEO Pay Gap ​increases drastically
○ Corporate executives head about two-thirds of America’s richest 1 percent of households.

Unions
Inequality is extreme while unions decline
● Inequality.org
○ CAUSATIVE Negative Relationship Between Union Membership and Skewed Growth
■ “A​ s the share of the workforce represented by a union has d ​ eclined to less than 11
percent​ since their peak in the 1940s and 1950s, those at the top of the income scale
have i​ ncreased their power​ to rig economic rules in their favor, further increasing
income inequality.”
 Generational Gap
Younger people face unique systemic disadvantages, such as unemployment, lack of
housing, and student debt, indicative of an inadequate economy

● Financial Times: Leatherby 17

○ Compared to previous generations at the same age, millennials and younger people:
■ Are more ​unemployed
■ Own ​fewer homes​ themselves
■ Are failing to out-earn their parents
■ Are burdened with record ​student debt
 Terror and Extremism

Murders and Attacks

Right-wing terror and the rise of white nationalism are the current biggest threats, constituting
a majority of domestic terrorist cases.

● ADL 18
○ The number of white supremacist murders in the United States ​more than doubled​ in 2017
compared to the previous year
○ This ​far surpasses​ murders committed by domestic Islamic extremists and making 2017 the
fifth deadliest year​ on record for ​extremist violence​ since 1970.

● ADL 2019
○ Heat map documenting extremist attacks from 2002-2019.
○ Surprise! A ​vast m ​ ajority of attacks are motivated by some sort of “​right-wing​”​ cause​.
○ In 2019, there has been 1 “left-wing” attack. In 2018, there were reportedly ​zero​. ​Business
Insider​ even did a piece on this.
● Government Accountability Office (GAO) 17
○ A different analysis based on statistics from the United States Extremist Crime Database which
includes foreign and domestic terrorism.
○ “There were ​no attacks s​ ince 1990 by persons associated with extreme leftist ideologies that
resulted in fatalities to non-perpetrators.”
● The Investigative Fund: Neiwert et al. 17
○ Independent researches conclude the same thing: domestic terrorism is primarily motivated by
right-wing causes.

○ More Info​: map with methodology of Irecorded instances of terrorism:

● Sivak 17
○ A fact check of the ADL statistics (hint: they’re accurate)
 ■ The Daily Caller News Foundation (a right-wing news organization founded by Tucker
Carlson) conducted an independent analysis of domestic extremism for the same
10-year time frame as the ADL.
■ “Our findings s ​ upport the ADL statistic​. Using their definition of right-wing extremists,
we found that 9 ​ 2 percent of ideologically motivated homicide​ incidents were
committed with a right-wing extremist or white supremacist motive.”
○ Data is based on START homicide statistics
○ Here’s a basic summary:

Hate Crime
The prevalence of hate crime is growing at increasing rates, especially those crimes with a
racial bias, and especially coincide with violent or reactionary rhetoric.

● PolitiFact: Xu 19
 ○ The aftermath of the 2016 election (2016-17) saw an increase in ​religious and ethnicity-based
hate crime
○ The spike also corresponded with the election month of November

● Washington Post: Feinberg et al. 19​ ​(non-paywall)​ ​(also cited here)

○ Counties that had hosted a 2016 Trump campaign rally saw a ​226 percent increase ​in reported
hate crimes​ over comparable counties that did not host such a rally.
○ “A considerable number of these reported hate crimes reference Trump,” which suggests a
connection between rhetoric and the incitation of violence
● Here’s a further breakdown of hate crimes:
○ Center for Strategic and International Studies: Cordesman 17
 `
● ADL 18
○ White supremacist groups continued to escalate their propaganda campaign targeting U.S.
college campuses, with incidents ​increasing by 77% ​ during the 2017-2018 academic year
○ “White supremacists’ propaganda campaign continues to accelerate, both on and off campus,
online and on the ground”
 Democracy

Indicators
The U.S. is a flawed democracy

● EIU Index 18
○ America’s position among other nations -- it doesn’t even make the top ten
● Germanos 19
○ Some reasons for this:
■ “Most of the major policy actions in 2018—including the escalation of the trade war with
China; diplomatic engagement with North Korea; and extensive deregulation of the
energy, mining, and automotive industries—have not required congressional approval.
Moreover, [President Donald] Trump has repeatedly called into question the
independence and competence of the U.S. judicial system with regard to the ongoing
federal investigation, led by Robert Mueller, into potential ties between Mr. Trump's
presidential campaign and Russia, and various courts' efforts to block some of his policy
orders, particularly regarding immigration. Although we expect the U.S. system of checks
and balances to remain intact, this internal conflict risks further undermining public
confidence in institutions. As a result, the score for political culture declined in the 2018
index.”

Authoritarianism
Despite common belief, authoritarian and autocratic states fare poorly on economic indicators

● Rizio et al. 19​ ​(cited)​ ​(non-paywall)

○ Analyzed the governments of 133 countries between 1858 to 2010
○ Found that autocrats were either damaging or inconsequential for the economy of their
countries.

Elitism
Economic elites and special interest groups have a disproportionate amount of influence over
U.S. policy

● Gilens and Page 14

○ “The preferences of economic elites (as measured by our proxy, the preferences of ‘affluent’
citizens) have​ far more independent impact ​upon​ policy change​ than the preferences of
average citizens do.”
○ “This does not mean that ordinary citizens always lose out; they fairly often get the policies they
favor, but only because those policies happen also to be ​preferred by the economically-elite
citizens​ who wield the ​actual influence​.”
○ Little policy change occurs when large amounts of average voters favor it. In comparison, when
economic elites favor policy change, that change is more frequent.
 Police

Casualties

● BMJ Journals Injury Prevention: Miller et al. 17

○ Analyzed 12.3 million police interventions
○ 1,000 deaths​ (2016)
○ 1 in 291 stops/arrests​ resulted in hospital-treated injury or death of a suspect or bystander
○ 55,400 people were injured or killed​ by cops during legal stop and search incidents in one
year
● Criminal Legal News: Zoukis 18
○ Cops Killed ​100 Times​ More Americans Than Terrorists Did in 2017 (1,000 people)
● FTP puts some stats in perspective:
○ FTP​: you are ​47 times as likely​ to be killed by a cop than by an Islamic extremist
○ FTP​:In three years (2015-2017), cops have killed ​450% more citizens​ than ​four decades ​of
mass shootings
● Criminal Legal News: Chappell 18
○ The DOJ estimates that around ​25 to 30​ dogs are killed by cops​ every day​, with some numbers
as high as 10,000 per year.
○ The totals ​could be higher​ -- most police agencies do not formally track officer-involved
shootings involving animals.
(See “Race” for racial bias in policing)

Policing Efficacy

● Goldstein et al. 18
○ Police departments that collect ​more in fees a ​ nd fines are ​less effective​ at solving crimes
○ “Specifically, we find that a​ 1 percent increase​ in the share of own-source revenues from f​ees,
fines, and forfeitures​ collected by a municipality is associated with a ​decrease ​in the​ violent
crime clearance​ rate of ​3.7 percentage points​”
■ This relationship is proven through a variety of empirical strategies, the details of which
are outlined extensively on the methodology
 Drug Decriminalization

The Drug War

Wastes billions while coinciding with higher drug usage, production, and creation of new
criminals while failing to stop substance abuse in any capacity

● The Hill: Clark 18

○ $100 billion a year​ ​is spent waging the war on drugs globally
○ $40 billion ​of that is spent in the United States alone
○ Despite this, drug use ​rose by 31%​ between 2011 and 2016.
○ Illegal drug markets have expanded relentlessly to meet this growing demand, with opium and
[cocaine] production rising respectively by ​130% and 34% ​between 2009 and 2018.
● Skywood Recovery: O’Leary 18
○ Prison doesn’t address the underlying issues
○ Approximately ​95% ​of incarcerated addicts will ​return to substance abuse​ after their release
from prison.
○ 60% to 80%​ of them will ​commit new crimes.
○ Others will become addicted while in prison due to access to ​smuggled drugs.
○ Approximately 65% of prison inmates in the US meet the diagnostic criteria for addiction [but]
only 11% ​receive any form of treatment.
○ There have been a number of reports of individuals ​dying from severe withdrawal ​while in
prison.

Decriminalization
The decriminalization of marijuana and other drugs has been demonstrated to massively
reduce gang violence and decimate illegal markets.

● The Economic Journal: Gavrilova et al. 17

○ Analyses the effects of medical marijuana laws, which institute lax criminal penalties, on
homicides and drug prices at the southern border.
○ The study concludes that, when such policies are implemented:
■ violent crimes​ such as homicides and robberies ​decrease ​in states that border Mexico
■ homicides decrease​, (due to drug-law and juvenile-gang related homicides being
reduced)
■ the amount of cocaine seized at the border decreases, while the ​price of cocaine is
increased​ (this makes it harder to obtain due to the strainput on the illegal market)
● Drug Policy Alliance 15
○ An empirical analysis of drug decriminalization in Portugal
○ As a result of decriminalizing all drugs, Portugal experienced:
 ■ No major increase in ​overall drug use
■ Reduced problematic and ​adolescent drug use
■ Reduced ​drug-induced death
■ More people receiving ​drug treatment
● Over​ 70 percent​ of those who seek treatment receive opioid-substitution therapy
● This is while treatment is ​still voluntary
■ Reduction in HIV ​cases among people who use drugs declining from 1,575 to 78
■ 18% reduction ​in the s ​ ocial costs​ of drug misuse (legal and health related)
○ The European Union also confirmed in 2013 that countries like Portugal that have
decriminalized drug possession, have not experienced increases in monthly rates of use – and
in fact tend to have lower rates than countries with punitive policies
○ Separate informational piece - ​Drug Policy Alliance​: notes also that overdose deaths ​decreased
by over 80%

Treatment Centers
Function far more successfully at reducing drug addiction and abuse

● Chandler et al. 09
○ A ​META-ANALYSIS ​of ​78​ comparison-group community-based drug treatment studies
○ Treatment is up to 1.8 times ​[180%] better​ in reducing drug use than the usual alternatives.
○ “Research has consistently shown that community-based drug abuse treatment can ​reduce
drug use ​and ​drug-related criminal behavior.” 
 Prisons and Crime

Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation instead of imprisonment is shown to curb crime, lower cost, and increase
employment.

● RAND: Davis et al. 13

○ Includes a ​META-ANALYSIS ​of ​58 studies​ of recidivism, or the rate at which criminals return to
jail, after rehabilitation programs.
○ Analysts found that inmates who participated in​ correctional education programs​ had a ​43%
odds of recidivating​ than inmates who did not, thus indicating that correctional education is an
effective strategy for reducing recidivism
■ Note: even the lower quality evidence analyzed by the study finds a 13% reduction in
recidivism
○ Cost- effective: ​“Our cost analysis showed that correctional education is h ​ ighly cost-effective
for incarcerated adults: For e ​ very dollar spent​ on correctional education, f​ ive dollars are
saved ​on three year reincarceration costs.”
○ The odds of ​obtaining employment​ postrelease among inmates who participate in correctional
education was ​13% higher​ than for those who did not
● United States Department of Justice
○ Recommends various methods by which recidivism can be reduced
○ Nearly all recommendations made are prisoner-oriented, rehabilitative practices​. This
includes but is not limited to:
■ Building a “school district” within the prison system
■ Prioritizing mental health of prisoners
■ Equipping prisoners with appropriate information and resources as they return to the
community
○ Not once are “harsher prison sentences” or other punitive methods recommended as a
means by which to reduce recidivism
 Abortion

Anti-Abortion Legislation
Fails to reduce abortion while creating high maternal mortality, escalating pregnancy deaths,
and crippling protection for women and infants

● Amnesty International 19
○ Anti-abortion ​laws ​do not stop​ or reduce abortions​, but they do make them dangerous.
○ When carried out with the assistance of a trained health-care provider in sanitary conditions,
abortions are one of the safest medical procedures available. But when abortions are restricted
or criminalized, people are forced to seek unsafe ways to end pregnancies.
○ Worldwide,​ ​an estimated ​five million​ women are hospitalized​ each year for treatment of
abortion-related complications and about ​47,000 women die​.
○ The​ US has the ​highest ​maternal mortality rate​ of any developed nation, and states ​with more
restrictive abortion laws already have higher rates of both infant and maternal mortality. That’s
why these new laws are a recipe for disaster for women’s health.
○ People with ​low incomes​ - teenagers, people of colour, migrants and refugees - are ​hardest
hit by abortion restrictions ​because it is more difficult for them to pay, travel or take time off
work.
○ African-American women ​are three or four times​ more likely to die in pregnancy or
childbirth ​than white women in the US, and this shameful inequality will likely be entrenched by
new laws making pregnancy more dangerous.
● World Health Organization
○ Each year between ​4.7% – 13.2%​ of maternal deaths can be attributed to unsafe abortion
○ “Safe abortion must be provided or supported by a trained person using WHO recommended
methods appropriate for the pregnancy duration.”
● The Guardian: Filipovic 18
○ Banning abortion ​does nothing to stop it
○ “The region with the h ​ ighest abortion rate i​ s Latin America and the Caribbean, despite the fact
that this same region has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world.”
● Center for Reproductive Rights and Ibis Reproductive Health 17
○ Hostility to reproductive rights tended to go hand-in-hand with a ​lack of state-level policies
supporting women’s and infant health​.
○ The states with the harshest restrictions on abortions also have the​ worst infant mortality
rates.
■ Note to debaters: This also requires you to explain link causation and should not be the
forefront of an argument. The longer the link, the weaker the link chain.

Impact on Women
The near totality of women feel benefitted by their decision
 ● UCSF Advancing New Standard in Reproductive Health
○ 95% of women ​report that having the abortion was the right decision for them over five years
after the procedure.
● Rocca et al. 15
○ Over 99%​ of women felt that termination of pregnancy was the right decision for them over
three years.

https://bixbycenter.ucsf.edu/sites/bixbycenter.ucsf.edu/files/Abortion%20restrictions%20risk%20women%27s%
20health.pdf
https://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/2735869/self-reported-physical-health-women-who-did-did-terminate-pre
gnancy

Some basic arguments, outlined [better

​ citation needed since I stole this from someone]​
:

1. The six week cutoff is entirely nonsensical, and not based in science
a. The “heartbeat” detected at six weeks is not actually a heart
b. “It’s not a fully formed heart… we can see it on the ultrasound, but it’s not a heart, a fully
developed organ, by any means” - Dr. Rebecca Cohen, a professor at the University of
Colorado
c. In fact, at six weeks, it’s still an embryo - not even an actual fetus
2. The legislation in Alabama in particular is specifically and blatantly about controlling women
a. Repbulican Clyde Chambliss, in response to the argument that fertilization clinics
actually dispose of more fertilized eggs than abortion clinics, said that “The egg in the lab
doesn’t apply. It’s not in a woman. She’s not pregnant.”
3. Many anti-abortion lawmakers have demonstrated how little they understand the topic.
a. MO Rep. Todd Atkin believes that women cannot be impregnated through rape
b. TX Rep. Michael Burgess once argued that abortion should be banned at 15 wekks,
because that’s when fetuses are capable of masturbation
c. President Trump himself claimed that doctors often execute babies shortly after birth
4. It’s now highly possible that if a woman seeks option after being raped, she will be jailed for a
longer time than her rapist
a. In Alabama, abortion is a Class A felony, punishable by a minumum of ten years in
prison.
b. Rape and incest are Class C felonies, punishable by a maximum of ten years in prison
5. There are proven ways to reduce abortion - a ban is not one of them
a. A report from the Guttmacher Institute found that countries with “robust women’s rights
protections, liberal abortion laws, and easily accessible birth control… have some of the
lowest abortion rates in the world. Meanwhile, regions with the toughest restrictions see
not only more abortions, but more deaths from them.
6. Well over 130 health and human rights organizations, led by the ACLU, have written to
Congress to defend Planned Parenthood
a. The American College of Obstericians and Gynecologists, the largest group of
reproductive health doctors in the U.S, is strongly pro-choice in its official statements.
 Guns

Media & Video Games

Violent video games do not cause mass shootings: there is no relationship between
aggressive behaviour and time spent on violent video games.

● Oxford Internet Institute: Przybylski & Weinstein 19​ ​(cited)

○ Researchers have found ​no relationship​ between aggressive behaviour in teenagers (n=1004)
and the amount of time spent playing violent video games.
○ “The study is one of the ​most definitive to date​, using a combination of subjective and
objective data to measure teen aggression and violence in games. Unlike previous research on
the topic, which relied heavily on ​self-reported data ​from teenagers, the study used information
from parents and carers to judge the level of aggressive behaviour in their children.
● The Quarterly Journal of Economics: Dahl & Dellavigna 09
○ Causal evidence on the ​effect of exposure​ to media violence on ​violent crime​, using data
from violent films
○ Exposure to violent movies has three main effects on violent crime:
■ It significantly​ reduces violent crime​ in the evening on the day of exposure
■ by an even larger percent, it reduces violent crime during the night hours following
exposure
■ It has no significant impact in the days and weeks following the exposure.
 Sex

Sex Work Legalization

Decreases violence and displacement while supporting risk reduction and peer support
networks among sex workers

● PLOS Medicine - Platt et al. 18​ ​(cited here)

○ HUGE ​META-ANALYSIS ​of ​130 studies ​on ​33 countries ​on the legalization and policing of
sex work and workers.
■ Studies were published in scientific journals between 1990 to 2018.
○ It showed that in contexts of criminalisation, the threat and enactment of police harassment,
repressive policing, and arrest of sex workers or their clients:
■ increased risk of sexual/physical violence​ from clients or other parties
■ displaced sex workers​ into isolated work locations
■ Disrupted peer support networks​ and service access
■ limited risk reduction​ opportunities.
■ discouraged ​sex workers from obtaining and carrying methods of safe sex
■ exacerbated existing inequalities​ experienced by transgender, migrant, and
drug-using sex workers.
○ In cites: ​“Those of us who work on the street are running from the police, pushed into more
isolated areas because clients are ​fearful of arrest”​ ~ Niki Adams of English Collective of
Prostitutes

Casual Sex
Casual sex is generally associated with normal levels of well-being. However, in certain
instances, it may be harmful. Certain attitudes towards sexuality tend to moderate the
negative psychological effects that may occur in younger individuals.

● Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health: ​Eisenber​g et al. ​09

○ 20% of reported recent sexual encounters were casual in nature
○ Casual partnerships were more common among men than among women (29% vs. 14%)
○ The study found ​no significant differences​ in the​ psychological wellbeing ​of those who
engaged in casual sex versus those who engaged in sex with a more serious partner,
regardless of gender
○ “Young adults who engage in casual sexual encounters do not appear to be at greater risk for
harmful psychological outcomes than sexually active young adults in more committed
relationships.”
● Journal of Sex Research: Bersamin et al. 2014​ ​(non-paywall)
 ○ NEGATIVE EFFECTS on COLLEGE STUDENTS
○ This study focuses on a younger demographic: only ​college students 18 to 25
○ A greater proportion of men (18.6%) than women (7.4%) reported having casual sex in the past
month
○ For emerging-adult college students, engaging in casual sex may elevate risk for ​negative
psychological outcomes
● Social Psychological and Personality Science: Vrangalova and Ong 14​ ​(non-paywall)
○ MODERATING NEGATIVE EFFECTS - a response to the perceived harms endured by younger
demographics
○ Defferenciates between ​attitudes ​towards casual sex
○ The study found that ​sociosexuality​, “a stable personality orientation toward casual sex,”
moderated the effect ​of casual sex on well-being
○ The study found that after having casual sex, ​sociosexually unrestricted ​students (those who
were generally interested in and eager to have casual sex) typically reported ​improvements in
psychological wellbeing​ afterward, while the psychological wellbeing of sociosexually
restricted students was ​generally unaffected​.
● Archives of Sexual Behavior: Vrangalova 15
○ A study examining the​ differences in motivations​ for casual sex
○ Differentiates between ​autonomous and non-autonomous​ motivations
■ Autonomous reasons:
● the subject was highly attracted to the other person
● The subject wanted to experiment and explore their sexuality
● The subject felt this would be a valuable learning experience
■ Non-autonomous reasons:
● the subject was drunk
● the subject was hoping it would be more than just a casual encounter
● the subject was seeking revenge on an ex
○ People having casual sex for ​autonomous reasons​ were for the most part ​unaffected ​by this
activity
○ In contrast, those who engaged in casual sex for ​non-autonomous reasons​ typically
experienced a ​decrease​ in psychological wellbeing
 Race

Genetics
Race is an arbitrary social category: there is more differentiation among members of a race
than between races. This is backed up by a consensus among anthropology researchers and
experts.

● Genetics.org: Yu et al. 02
○ There are Larger Genetic Differences Within Africans Than Between Africans and
Eurasians
○ In other words, race does not indicate significant genetic differences and is only phenotypic in
nature.
● Witherspoon et al. 07
○ Further explores ​human genetic similarities​ between and within races.
○ Research comes to the ​same conclusion:​ ​“Most human genetic variation is found within
populations, not between them”
● Harvard: Chou 17
○ A further look at what studies say about genetic variation
○ Stanford 02
■ Only 7.4%​ of over 4000 alleles were specific to one geographical region
■ Even when region-specific alleles did appear, they ​only occurred in about 1% of the
people​ from that region—hardly enough to be any kind of trademark
○ Stanford
■ Over ​92% of alleles were found in two or more regions​, and almost half of the alleles
studied were present in all seven major geographical regions.
■ The observation that the vast majority of the alleles were shared over multiple regions, or
even throughout the entire world, points to the ​fundamental similarity of all people
around the world—an idea that has been supported by many other studies
● Wagner et al. 12
○ Assessment of anthropological experts on race
○ The study finds a ​broad consensus​ in the field of anthropology that ​race is a social category​,
not a biologically significant one.
● Rosenberg et al. 18
○ ...a difference in polygenic score—though possibly a genuine reflection of underlying genetic
propensities—might be incorrectly inferred to represent an unchangeable genetic difference among
populations rather than one that can be altered by an environmental change (Fig. 1D). Instead, the
potential for significant modification of the environmental contribution renders polygenic
score differences between populations largely unconnected to population differences in
phenotype distributions.
○ ...Genotypic effects estimated only in one population might not apply to other populations for a
number of reasons.​ ​Effect estimates might rely on sites that were ascertained for variability in
one set of populations and whose systematic differences in allele frequencies between
populations contribute to systematic biases in polygenic score estimates in other
 populations [31].​ ​These estimates might also fail to consider many sites variable only in those other
populations.
○ *...*​analogous measures of population differences in quantitative phenotypic traits and
genetic loci—termed QST and FST, respectively—are approximately equal in neutral
evolutionary models that include genetic drift but not natural selection.​ ​Because many loci
contribute to a quantitative trait, and each locus experiences the same random process of genetic
drift independent of the size and direction of its trait contribution, phenotypic differences among
populations are predicted under neutrality to be similar in magnitude to typical genetic differences
among populations.
○ *...*​The genetic apportionment computation shows that genetic differences among
populations, as measured by FST, are small in comparison with variation within populations
[45–47]. Although the among-population variation suffices to infer ancestral populations from
individual genomes, analysis of models for the genetic basis of phenotypes finds that under
neutrality, the magnitude of phenotypic differences connects to the apportionment computation
rather than the ancestry computation [42, 44].
○ ...only with strong directional selection on a trait in one population, or strong directional selection in
opposite directions in a population pair, is a phenotypic difference between populations attributable
largely to natural selection. In other words, because of environmental effects, the difference in
phenotype distributions in Fig. 1A–C need not reflect a parallel difference in genetic propensities as
in Fig. 1A, but rather no difference as in Fig. 1B or a difference opposite in direction as in Fig. 1C;
even a parallel difference as in Fig. 1A might reflect a neutral expectation rather than natural
selection, possibly amplified by environmental effects.
○ ...Recent studies of height have suggested that polygenic adaptation tests are sensitive to the choice
of GWAS data that provide the effect sizes: even if two sets of effect sizes produce correlated
polygenic scores,​ ​effect sizes estimated from one study can generate erroneously exaggerated
signatures of polygenic adaptation when assessing polygenic adaptation in a second dataset
[34, 35]. This result, which arises from subtle population differences between study samples, calls
into question claims about polygenic adaptation even of traits for which it has been most extensively
investigated.
○ ...In a study of African Americans and European Americans (treated as socially rather than
genetically defined populations), among 36 physiologically diverse causes of death, adjusting for
other factors, African Americans lost more years of life than European Americans in 28 of the 36
[49]. In the simplest null model in which many genes contribute to a trait chosen at random, with no
directional selection, each of a pair of groups has probability 0.5 of having the larger mean value for
the trait. In this model, systematic health disparities are unlikely: assuming that no genetic
correlation exists between phenotypic outcomes, the binomial probability that the trait value is larger
in one of a pair of populations for at least 28 of 36 independent phenotypes is 0.0012 [42].
○ ...a related computation of the overall influence of natural selection in human history, relying on
measures of selection against deleterious variants rather than directional selection of favorable
variants, does not suggest strong systematic differences in the magnitude of selection among
different continental population groups [50–52]; indeed,​ ​some researchers have argued for a
greater level of deleterious variation in non-Africans rather than in Africans [50, 52], a pattern
opposite to what might be expected given the direction of health disparities.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1893020/

Criminal Justice Discrimination

Black people are imprisoned longer and subject to minimum sentencing laws far more than
white people: data indicates judge biases and institutional causes.

● U.S. Sentencing Commission 17

○ Black men who commit ​the same crimes ​as white men receive federal prison sentences that
are, on average, ​nearly 20 percent longer
○ The black/white sentencing disparities are being driven in large part by “non-government
sponsored departures and variances”
■ This means that sentencing choices are ​made by judges at their own discretion​.
● University of Michigan Law School - Starr and Rehavi 14
○ All other factors being equal, black offenders were ​75 percent more likely​ to face a charge
carrying a ​mandatory minimum sentence​ than a white offender who committed the ​same
crime​.

Bias in Policing
Low income and minority neighborhoods experience disproportionate police violence, which
has adverse effects on those communities as a whole.

● Menifield et al. 18
○ Bias in policing isn’t just a “few bad apples,” nor is it a problem among white police officers
specifically; policing practices inherently operate in a discriminatory manner.
○ The disproportionate killing of African Americans by police officers “is likely driven by a
combination of macro-level​ public policies t​ hat ​target minority populations ​and meso-level
policies and​ practices of police forces​.”
○ “Much research in organizational theory suggests that the problem of disproportionate killing
may be​ fundamentally institutional​.”
 ○ Also outlines past studies on policing that recognize the disproportionate impacts of institutional
policies on minorities
● Edwards et al. 19
○ Black, Indian, and Native people are significantly ​more likely to get killed​ by the police than
white people
○ “For young men of color, police use of force is ​among the leading causes of death​.”
● The Guardian 15​ ​(Cited)
○ POC are killed at a disproportionate rate, even more so when unarmed.

● Feldman et al. 18
○ Police disproportionately target low-income and POC neighborhoods
○ “Overall, police-related d​ eath rates were highest ​in neighborhoods with the greatest
concentrations of ​low-income​ residents and​ residents of color​”
● Lancet Journal: Bor 18
○ Instances of ​police brutality harm mental health
○ “Police killings of unarmed black Americans have adverse effects on mental health among black
American adults in the general population.”
 Imperialism

U.S. Interventionism
Interventionism has a detrimental impact: it starts civil wars, kills hundreds of thousands,
generates migrant crises, fuels poverty and gang violence, and supports dictators.

● Vice: Kazdin 18​ ​(various sources included)

○ Central American devastation and refugee crisis was created or at least helped by the​ US’s
interference in those countries​ going back decades
○ 1954 Guatemala CIA Coup (Elizabeth Oglesby, professor of Latin American studies, University
of Arizona)
■ Overthrew democratic government
■ continued to train the Guatemalan military well into the 70s
■ an estimated ​200,000 were killed
■ Sparked a ​36-year-long civil war
■ hundreds of thousands of people were displaced
○ Late 70s US Opposition in Nicaragua
■ A Nicaraguan resistance group overthrew the country’s dictatorship that had been in
power for over 40 years
■ the US opposed the revolution, ​backed the dictatorship​, and supported the Contra
rebels
○ El Salvador, Cold War Era (Xochitl Sanchez of the Central American Resource Center, Los
Angeles)
■ The US amplified its presence in the region in order to defeat the guerrillas of the FMLN
■ Created the rampant and ​bloody gang violence​, ​dire poverty​, ​displacement​ and
migration from El Salvador.

This is just a brief overview of some of the U.S.’ most famous Latin American interventions.
RockyDerFailure#6781 has a MASSIVE list of a variety of worldwide interventions ​here​.

Anti-American Terrorism
Anti-American terrorism is primarily fueled by foreign policy and a legacy of
interventionalism, rather than a distrust in democracy or “western values.”

● Pew Research: Kohut 05

○ An analysis of Middle Eastern perceptions and their relations to terrorism
○ Found that the U.S. is less popular in the Middle East than in any other part of the world and
that ​“anti-Americanism around the world is ​driven​ first and foremost by ​opposition to U.S.
foreign policy.​ ”
○ High pluralities in all Middle Eastern countries surveyed cited opposition to the U.S. based on:
 ■ The war in Iraq
■ The war on terror
■ the perception that America acts unilaterally on the world stage
■ U.S. policy in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
○ Also found that Middle Easterners do not hate so-called “Western values” nor cite that as a point
of opposition against the U.S.
■ “overwhelming majorities of Jordanians, Lebanese, and Moroccans say d ​ emocracy​ is
not just a Western way of governance, and that​ it can work in their countries”​
● Pew Research 05
○ Support for democracy is high in Middle Eastern countries; the public generally does not have a
hatred for perceived “Western values”
○ The following proportions of the public say that democracy can work well and is not just for the
West:
■ Morocco (83%)
■ Lebanon (83%)
■ Jordan (80%)
■ Indonesia (77%)
■ Turkey (48%)
■ Pakistan (43%)

Arms Deals
Arms deals and similar forms of military aid create, prolong, and intensify conflict.

● CATO: Thrall and Dorminey 18

○ Arms sales ​make conflict more likely​.
○ Recipients of new weapons feel more confident about launching attacks or because changes in
the local balance of power can fuel tensions and promote preventive strikes by others.
○ Arms sales can also ​prolong and intensify ongoing conflicts ​and ​erode regional stability
○ Studies:
■ Sub-Saharan Africa study: “arms transfers are significant and positive predictors of
increased probability of war.’”
■ Africa study: “Weapons imports are essential additives in this recipe for armed conflict
and carnage.”
 Immigration

Crime
Immigrants commit less crime than native citizens

● FEE: Nowrasteh 15
○ Census Data
■ In​ 2010​, ​10.7​ percent of native-born men aged 18-39 without a high school degree were
incarcerated ​compared to 2.8 percent​ of Mexican immigrants ​and 1.7 percent​ of
Guatemalan and Salvadoran immigrants.
■ “The disparity in incarceration rates has e ​ xisted for decades…​ ​incarceration rates of
the native-born were anywhere from t​ wo to five times higher​ than that of immigrants.​”
○ Macro-Analysis
■ 159 cities ​at three dates between 1980 and 2000: crime rates and levels of immigration
are ​not correlated (​Ousey and Kubrin)
■ 111 US cities ​with populations of at least 5,000 Hispanics and found no statistically
significant findings. (Martinez 2008)
■ 150 Metropolitan Statistical Areas​ (MSAs) and found that levels of recent immigration
had a statistically significant downward effect on homicide rates but no effect on property
crime rates. (Reid et al. 2005)
● American Immigration Council: Ewing et al. 15
○ The violent crime rate ​declined by 48%​ and the property crime rate by ​41%​ during the period of
1990 to 2013, while the undocumented population​ more than tripled​ from 3.5 million to 11.2
million.

See Hate Crime and Extremism for how anti-immigration rhetoric can have real-life consequences

Diversity Doesn’t Hurt Social Cohesion

Diversity and immigration don’t hurt social cohesion ​(​from Mouthy Infidel​)

● Meer & Tolsma 14

○ Enormous meta-analysis of 90 cross-sectional studies analyzing relationship between
diversity & social cohesion.
○ Vast majority of studies on the subject ​fail to prove the relationship​ between two variables.
○ In fact, study finds ​positive relationships​ between ​inter-ethnic contact & trust​ in ethnically
heterogeneous communities.
○ Only contrary data ​shows ​small-scale (intra-neighborhood) trust suffers​ with ethnic
heterogeneity in ​some circumstances,​ and even then ​only in America​.
○ Plurality of data ​does not support - and largely contradicts -​ assertion that diversity hurts
social cohesion.
● Glaeser et al. 2k
 ○ Study which tested around ​200 students in a trust based experiment​ and compared results
from ​diverse groups and homogenous​ groups .
○ Finds ​no statistically significant negative relationship​ between​ diversity and social
cohesion.
● Nai et al. 18
○ Study examining a ​range of experiments​ meant to gauge ​relationship between diversity and
social cohesion.
○ Study finds ​all of the experiments​ found a ​positive relationship between diversity and
social cohesion.
○ Proposed mechanism​ is that d ​ iversity ​causes people to ​identify more broadly with
humanity, increasing sociability.
● Williamson 08
○ Longitudinal study comparing the ​change in social cohesion over time​ in an area which
experienced a large increase in diversity​ with a ​comparative control which didn’t.
○ The two areas ​did not differ significantly​ in how their levels of ​social cohesion changed
over time​, suggesting the increased level of diversity had ​no statistically significant impact
on social cohesion.
● Ziller 14
○ Another longitudinal study analyzing ​changes in trust in 22 European countries ​between the
years ​2002 and 2010​.
○ Study suggests ​immigration often leads to decrease in social trust​, but results were​ heavily
affected by ethnic polarization & economic stability​.
○ With low polarization and a good economy, immigration was shown to actually ​increase social
trust​.
○ Results suggest ​it isn’t the diversity of immigrants​ which lessens trust, but rather the
economic and political context in which they arrive.

Economic Growth
Immigrants greatly benefit the economy, growth, and innovation

● Oxford: Goldin et al. 18

○ Even from a ​neoliberal​ perspective, immigration benefits capitalist economies
○ Strong positive effect ​on GDP per capita as ​75% ​of migrants are working age
○ Migration increases the rates of ​innovation ​within a capitalistic economy
■ over ​40%​ of global patent applications are filed by immigrants
○ Also increases total worker output by adding workers
● https://d279m997dpfwgl.cloudfront.net/wp/2016/09/0922_immigrant-economics-full-report.pdf
(unformatted)

Jobs
Immigrants are a necessary component of the job market and entrepreneurship

● Brookings: Hoban 17
○ Immigrants are highly skilled and necessary to the job market
 ○ College graduates are more prevalent among recent immigrant adults than among all adults in
90 of the 100 ​largest metropolitan areas.
● National Bureau of Economic Research: Kerr 16​ ​(cited)
○ Immigrants contribute to entrepreneurship and innovation greatly
○ Immigrants constitute​ 15%​ of the general U.S. workforce, but they account for around a quarter
of U.S. entrepreneurs
○ This immigrant share of entrepreneurship has been ​increasing dramatically​ since the
mid-1990s
● New American Economy Factsheet​: Key Takeaways
○ 93.3% of the over 1,250,000 DACA eligible population is employed
○ 90% of the undocumented population is working age and 86.6% of males are working
■ Compared to 80% of the foreign born population and 62.2% of the native-born
population

Taxes and Social Security

(Undocumented) Immigrants are a fundamental component of paying into the system

● Institute on Taxation and National Economic Policy (ITEP) 13

○ Undocumented Immigrants paid an estimated ​$10.6 billion​ to state and local taxes in 2010
○ Allowing undocumented immigrants to work in the United States legally would increase their
state and local tax contributions by an estimated ​$2 billion​ a year
● Social Security Administration (SSA) 13
○ Undocumented Immigrants paying an estimated ​$12 billion a year into Social Security​ with no
intention of ever collecting benefits
■ “we estimate that earnings by unauthorized immigrants result in a net positive effect on
Social Security financial status generally, and that this effect contributed roughly $12
billion to the cash flow of the program for 2010. We estimate that future years will
experience a c ​ ontinuation of this positive impact o​ n the trust funds.”
● New American Economy Factsheet​: Key Takeaways
○ $100 billion SSA surplus ​was generated by undocumented immigrants in the last ecade
○ $35.1 billion Medicare surplus​ was generated by undocumented immigrants from 2000-2011

Public Benefits
Immigrants use less public benefits than native citizens

● CATO: Ku and Bruen 13

○ Poor Immigrants Use Public Benefits at a Lower Rate than Poor Native-Born Citizens
○ MEDICARE/MEDICAID
■ More than​ one quarter​ of ​native citizens​ and naturalized citizens in poverty receive
Medicaid, but only about ​one in five non-citizens​ do so.
■ Immigrants who receive Medicaid or CHIP tend to have ​lower per beneficiary medical
expenditures​ than native-born people
○ SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION
■ 33 percent​ of native citizens, ​25 percent​ of naturalized citizens, and ​29 percent​ of
non-citizens received SNAP benefits in 2011’
○ SSI / INCOME
 ■ SSI receipt was ​higher for native​ and naturalized citizens than non-citizen immigrants.

Deportation
From a purely economic perspective, mass deportation of illegal immigrants would severely
undermine stability and economic well-being

● New American Economy Factsheet

○ Mass deportation of illegal immigrants would result in a:
■ 6.4% ​shrink in the labor force
■ 5.7%​ shrink in the economy
■ $1.6​ trillion reduction in GDP
■ $409​ billion direct cost to the federal government
 Fossil Fuels

Land and Air Damage

Fossil fuels cause an extraordinary amount of land and air damage

● EESI - Coleman and Dietz 19

○ AIR AND LAND DESTRUCTION FROM FOSSIL FUELS
○ Burning fossil fuels creates ​air pollutants​ such as:
■ particulate matter
■ carbon monoxide
■ sulfur dioxide
■ ozone
■ Mercury
● (note: Coal-fired power plants are also the largest source of airborne mercury
emissions in the United States. Mercury can move through the food chain and
accumulate in the flesh of fish, posing the greatest risk to pregnant women)
○ These pollutants lead to​ health impacts​ including:
■ Asthma
■ lung disease
■ Bronchitis
■ and other chronic respiratory diseases that may lead to premature death
○ Air pollutants from fossil fuels also contribute to:
■ the development of ​lung cancers​ as well as other cancers (30 percent of cancer-related
deaths each year)
■ 200,000 p​remature deaths​ each year.
○ Fine particulate matter from U.S. coal plants (in 2010) resulted in:
■ 13,200 deaths
■ 9,700 hospitalizations
■ 20,000 ​heart attacks
Extraction and refining of fossil fuel may result in a host of negative outcomes including:
■ landscape degradation
■ risk for spills
○ Coal extraction and burning involves
■ Strip mining​ (65% of production
● (note: Involves clearing vegetation, soil, and rock above coal deposits, leading to
permanent damage of landscapes and the creation of massive amounts of mine
wastes)
■ pollution across the supply chain
■ coal ash deposits
● a combustion byproduct containing toxic heavy metals like arsenic, mercury, and
chromium
● one of the largest sources of industrial waste in the United States
 ● 95 percent of coal ash storage sites have ​contaminated groundwater​ at levels
deemed unsafe by the EPA
● In the flooding that followed Hurricane Florence, several coal ash storage sites in
North Carolina overflowed or were damaged, spilling contaminated water into
surrounding area
○ Some major​ oil spills​:
■ The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill polluted 1,300 miles of shore and cost about $2 billion to
clean up
■ The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the largest ever, released 3.19 million barrels of
crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico and cost BP (the company responsible) $61.6 billion.
■ The 2010 Enbridge spill in southwest Michigan released more than 20,100 barrels of tar
sands oil into the Kalamazoo River, creating one of the largest inland oil spills in U.S.
history.
■ The Taylor oil spill is on track to become the largest in American history, having released
tens of thousands of gallons every day into the Gulf of Mexico for more than 14 years.

Subsidies
Subsidies uphold and enable the fossil fuel industry to carry out large-scale pollution

● Roosevelt Institute 19​ (additional sources referenced)

● The US government spends approximately ​$20.5 billion​ subsidizing the fossil fuel industry [1]
​
○ $14.7 billion federal subsidies
○ $5.8 billion state subsidies
● Subsidies:
○ prop up​ the existing fossil fuel sector
○ drive up fossil fuel ​extraction and use
○ develop ​domestic fossil fuel assets
○ represent an ​obstacle to renewable energy​ investment by artificially increasing the relative
cost of renewable energy [2] ​
● If we got rid of fossil fuel subsidies, ​almost half of all new US oil production would be unprofitable
and thus left undeveloped [3] ​
○ Additional sources:
■ [1]: ​Redman 17
■ [2]: Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition 17
■ [3]: ​Erickson et al. 17
 Renewables

Effectiveness
Renewable sources of energy are becoming cheaper, more reliable, and more viable

● Stanford: Jacobson et al. 2015​ (​cited​)

○ 100 percent wind and solar power​ could provide electricity to the continental U.S. more
reliably than the current system by 2050, and at lower projected costs.
■ This is in conjunction with energy efficiency, energy storage and other advances to
complement renewables
● Brown et al. 18​ (​cited​)
○ Analysis of a number of studies from around the world on the feasibility of 100% renewables.
○ In brief, the study includes explanations that:
■ There’s more than enough solar, wind and hydro potential – ​30 times more ​than
business-as-usual forecasts for energy demand in 2050.
■ Technology already exists to​ account for the variability​ of wind and solar generation,
so that the lights will stay on even when the weather doesn’t cooperate.
■ We do not need to alter the design of the electric grid radically to accommodate 100
percent renewables: The shift is well underway and accelerating.
■ Costs won’t be overwhelming​. A grid based on 100 percent renewables can compete
in cost with fossil fuel systems, even before factoring in the tremendous costs of
pollution, global warming and water usage.
■ A number of nations and regions are at or close to 100 percent renewables already,
including Denmark, Norway and parts of Germany. Canada is at 62 percent renewables
and Brazil at 76 percent.
 Nuclear Energy

Benefits
Nuclear energy, already deployed widely with a variety of purposes, is safe, saves lives, and
reduces pollution

● Kharecha and Hansen 13

○ Global nuclear power has prevented:
■ 1.84 million deaths​ related to​ ​air pollution
■ 64 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions​ that would have resulted from fossil fuel burning
○ On the basis of global projection data that take into account the effects of the Fukushima
accident, nuclear power could, by midcentury, additionally prevent:
■ an average of ​4.2 hundred thousand to 7.04 million deaths
■ 80 to 240 gigatonnes CO2 emissions ​due to fossil fuels
● World Nuclear Association 19
○ Nuclear energy now provides about ​10% of the world's electricity​ from about ​450 power
reactors​.
○ Over ​50 countries ​utilise nuclear energy in about 225 research reactors.
○ These reactors are used for the production of medical and industrial isotopes, as well as for
training.
● Center for Nuclear Science and Technology Information​ of the American Nuclear Society
○ Pollution prevented from being released into the atmosphere:
■ 5.1 million tons of sulfur dioxide
■ 2.4 million tons of nitrogen oxide
■ 164 million metric tons of carbon
○ Material Cost — one kg of Uranium is the approximate equivalent of:
■ 42 gallons of oil
■ 1 ton of coal
■ 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas
○ Monetary Cost:
■ Nuclear plants: 2.40 cents per kilowatt-hour
■ Coal-fired plants: 3.27 cents
■ Oil: 22.48 cents
■ Gas: 3.40 cents
○ Efficiency
■ Nuclear power plant capacity factors: over 85%.
■ Fossil fired plants: 50-60%
■ Solar and wind: 30% or lower
 Climate & Pollution

Rising Temperatures
Puts thousands of species and their ecosystems at risk

● World Wildlife Fund 17

○ Greatest cause​ of species extinctions this century
○ 1.5°C​ average rise may put ​20-30% of species at risk​ of extinction (IPCC)
○ If the planet warms by more than ​2°C​, most ecosystems will struggle. (IPCC)
● NASA
○ Rising Temperatures show a continuous trend

Rising CO2 Emissions

● World Resource Institute 18

 Ice Loss
Occurs rapidly on both poles

● European Environmental Agency 16

○ Greenland Ice Loss​ from 1992 to 2015 was ​3,600 Gigatonnes​ (3,500,000,000,000,000
Kilograms)
○ Contributed to global ​sea level rise​ by approximately 1
​ 0 mm​;
○ Antarctica loss​ is ​1,500 Gigatonnes​ (1,500,000,000,000,000 Kilograms)
○ Corresponds to approximately a ​5 mm ​global sea level rise since 1992.
○ Model projections suggest ​further declines​ of the polar ice sheets in the future, but the
uncertainties are large.
○ The melting of the polar ice sheets is estimated to contribute up to ​50 cm​ of global sea level rise
during the 21st century.
 Sea Level and Flooding
Climate change causes floods, natural disasters, and puts homes underwater

● National Ocean Service

○ Why Climate change effects sea levels
■ oceans warm due to an increasing global temperature, causing seawater to expand and
take up more space in the ocean basin and causing a rise in water level.
■ melting of ice over land, which adds water to the ocean.
● National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Lindsey 18
○ “The rising water level is mostly due to a combination of m ​ eltwater from glaciers and ice
sheets​ and t​ hermal expansion ​of seawater as it warms.”
○ Scope:​ In the United States, almost ​40 percent of the population ​lives in relatively high
population-density​ coastal areas​, where sea level plays a role in flooding, shoreline erosion,
and hazards from storms.
■ Globally, ​8 of the world’s 10 largest cities ​are ​near a coast, ​according to the U.N.
Atlas of the Oceans.
○ Sea levels have been ​continuously rising​ and put these areas under threat:
● Climate Central Executive Report: Strauss et al. 12
○ Climate change sea level impact
■ raised sea level about ​eight inches​ since 1880
■ the rate of rise is accelerating
■ Scientists expect ​20 to 80 more inches​ this century, a lot depending upon how much
more heat-trapping pollution humanity puts into the sky
■ this study makes mid-range projections of​ 1 to 8 inches ​by 2030, and​ 4 to 19 inches​ by
2050, depending upon location across the contiguous 48 states.
○ Climate change flooding impact
■ Rising seas ​dramatically increase the odds of damaging floods​ from storm surges.
■ For more than two-thirds of the locations analyzed (and for 85% of sites outside the Gulf
of Mexico), past and future global warming more than ​doubles t​he estimated odds of
“century” or worse floods occurring within the next ​18 years
○ Impact on homes
■ At three quarters of the 55 sites analyzed, century levels are higher than 4 feet above
the high tide line.
■ Across the country nearly 5 million people live in 2.6 million homes at less than 4 feet
above high tide.
■ In 285 cities and towns, more than half the population lives on land below this line,
potential victims of increasingly likely climate-induced coastal flooding.
■ 3.7 million live less than 1 meter above the tide.
■ About half of this exposed population, and eight of the top 10 cities, are in the state of
Florida. About $30 billion in taxable property is vulnerable below the three-foot line in just
three counties in southeast Florida,

Anthropogenic Consensus
The near totality of available scientific knowledge verifies the link between rising CO2 and
observations of climate change

● Maibach et al. 14
○ The Greenhouse Effect:​ CO2 absorbs infrared radiation and then re-radiates it back toward the
surface of the planet.
○ Scientific consensus ​verifies human-caused climate change
○ More than ​97%​ of climate experts (usually specified as those who publish primarily on climate
change in the peer-reviewed scientific literature) are convinced that human-caused climate
change is happening
● Here are some additional studies that ​verify the scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate
change:
○ Anderegg 10​: ​97-98%
■ “we use an extensive dataset of 1,372 climate researchers and their publication and
citation data to show that (i) 97–98% of the climate researchers most actively publishing
in the field surveyed here support the tenets of ACC outlined by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, and (ii) the relative climate expertise and scientific
prominence of the researchers unconvinced of ACC are substantially below that of the
convinced researchers.”​ — this means more experience = greater endorsement of
consensus
○ Cook et al. 13​: ​97%
■ “Among abstracts expressing a position on AGW, 97.1% endorsed the consensus
position that humans are causing global warming... Among self-rated papers expressing
a position on AGW, 97.2% endorsed the consensus.”
○ Powell 19​: ​100%
■ reviewed 11,602 peer-reviewed articles on “climate change” and “global warming”
published in 2019

○ Graphic by skepticalscience

Air Pollution
Air pollution, primarily caused by the same energy emission that harms the climate, has
detrimental effects on public health, including premature death, lung disease, and cancer.
● World Health Organization​ - Air Pollution Impacts
○ Air pollution kills​ an estimated ​7 million people worldwide ​every year (Millions in Asia and
hundreds of thousands in Europe & the Americas)
○ 9 out of 10 people​ breathe air containing high levels of pollutants.
○ 97% of cities​ in low- and middle- income countries with more than 100,000 inhabitants do not
meet WHO air quality guidelines.
○ 43% of all lung disease and lung cancer deaths​ are attributable to ​air pollution​. Air pollution
causes 1.8 million deaths due to lung disease and cancer every year.
○ As air quality declines, the risk of ​stroke, heart disease, lung cancer​, and chronic and acute
respiratory diseases​, including asthma, increases.
● World Health Organization​ - Air Pollution Causes
○ Major outdoor ​pollution sources​ include vehicles, power generation, building heating systems,
agriculture/waste incineration and industry.
○ More than ​3 billion peopl​e worldwide rely on ​polluting technologies​ and fuels
○ Air quality is ​closely linked ​to earth’s climate and ecosystems globally. Many of the drivers of
air pollution (i.e. combustion of fossil fuels) are also sources of ​high CO2 emissions.
○ Some air pollutants such as ozone and black carbon are short-lived ​climate pollutants ​that
greatly contribute to climate change and affect agricultural productivity.

Climate Denialism

● Petersen et al. 19
○ Study that extensively examines the permeation of climate contrarian influence throughout
media
○ “Contrarians are featured in ​49% more media​ articles than scientists.”
○ “When comparing visibility in mainstream media sources only, we observe just a 1% excess
visibility, which ​objectively demonstrates​ the ​crowding out ​of professional sources by the
proliferation of new media sources, many of which contribute to the production and consumption
of ​climate change disinformation ​at scale.”
● The Guardian: Goldenberg 12
○ Libertarian think tank keeps prominent sceptics on its payroll and relies on millions in funding
from carbon industry
○ Scheme includes ​$100,000​ for spreading the message in K-12 schools that "the topic of climate
change is controversial and uncertain”’
○ Not the most reliable information to tackle the issue of climate change misinformation: ​“​It was
not possible to immediately verify the authenticity of the documents"
● Benestad et al. 16
○ Examines a selection of ​38 papers which dispute anthropogenic climate change
○ Found that ​these papers oftentimes had mistakes​ in methodology, analysis, assumptions,
etc.
■ “In many cases, shortcomings are due to insufficient model evaluation, leading to results
that are not universally valid but rather are an artifact of a particular experimental setup.
Other typical weaknesses include false dichotomies, inappropriate statistical methods, or
basing conclusions on misconceived or incomplete physics.”

Additional Resources
● Main Wikipedia article about global warming
○ Has been ​thoroughly developed and reviewed​, having been given ​featured article​ status
(meaning that ​Wikipedians have found it to be one of the best articles​ the website has to
offer)
○ Has loads and loads of highly reliable sources, see the “​Sources​” section of the article
 Social Media

Censorship
Conservative pages and accounts have an enormous presence with huge engagement, and
are not being “shut down”or “hidden” en masse by tech companies like they would have you
believe

● Media Matters: Martinez 18

○ Right-leaning pages in total have a ​bigger presence o
​ n Facebook
○ Right-leaning pages had​ 23% ​more ​total interactions ​than nonaligned pages and ​51% ​more
total interactions than left-leaning pages.

Misinformation
Media outlets often spread misinformation and bias without refuting it

● ScienceMag: Guess et al. 19

○ Study examining the prevalence of fake news shared over facebook.
○ “Conservatives were more likely to share articles from ​fake news domains,​” which are
examined thoroughly in the methodology.
○ These domains, in 2016, were “largely pro-Trump in orientation”
○ “On average, users ​over 65​ shared nearly​ seven times ​as many articles from fake news
domains as the youngest age group.”
● Media Matters: Gertz and Savillo 19
○ Outlets amplified misinformation derived from Donald Trump’s Twitter more than​ 400 times​ over
the three-week period of the study -- a rate of 19 per day.
○ 30% of the tweets​ by major media outlets’ Twitter accounts about Trump remarks referenced a
false or misleading statement.
○ Nearly two-thirds of the time, the outlets ​did not dispute ​that misinformation.
● Media Bias Chart
○ With a ​very​ thorough methodological analysis ​(adfontes)
 Population

Growth Rates
The global population rate is slowing and will soon reach below replacement levels

● United Nations​ ​(cited by Pew Research)

○ Overpopulation is a lie
○ “The global fertility rate is expected to be ​1.9 births​ per woman by 2100, down from 2.5 today
(replacement levels are 2.1)”
○ The UN cites the following reasons for slowing population growth:
■ human development
■ reductions in child mortality
■ increased levels of ​education​ (in particular for women and girls)
■ increased ​urbanization
■ expanded access to reproductive​ health-care​ services (including for family planning)
■ women’s empowerment and growing labour force participation
 Miscellaneous

● Pressman et al. 10
○ Leisure activities are an important contribution to wellbeing.
○ These positive effects include:
■ lower blood pressure
■ lower total cortisol
■ shorter waist circumference
■ lower body mass index
■ better perceptions of better physical function
○ “Enjoyable leisure activities, taken in the aggregate, are associated with ​psychosocial and
physical measures​ relevant for h​ ealth and well-being​.”
● Pew Research 19
○ Contrary to common belief, Generation Z is more left-leaning than any prior generation of
Americans.
○ Generation Z people are most likely to:
■ know a person who uses they/them pronouns
■ recognize the systematic mistreatment of black people
■ believe the government should play a role in addressing social issues
■ acknowledge humans’ role in climate change
■ champion racial/ethnic diversity
■ support same-sex/interracial marriage.
● Kight 19
○ Generation Z views social democratic policies more positively than other generations

○
● Econ Journal Watch
 ○ The overall ratio of registered Democrats to registered Republicans to Independents among
professors is 11.5:1
○ The most “Democratic” field is History (33.5:1) and the most “mixed” is Economics (4.5:1)
○ Medium: Boedy 18​ - this is a good think piece/debunking article
● Scientific American: Bryner 12
○ “Homophobes Might Be Hidden Homosexuals” (we all love irony, don’t we)
● Psychology Today: Barber 09
○ Conservatives and conservative states consume more porn. Causal interpretation of
researchers: suppression of certain attitudes leads to an increased desire due to their total
absence.
● Wierckx 14
○ Sexual desire in trans people after HRT/SRS
○ “The majority of trans women reported a decrease in sexual desire after SRT, whereas the
opposite was observed in trans men. Our results show a significant sexual impact of surgical
interventions and both hormonal and surgical treatment satisfaction on the sexual desire in trans
persons.”
○ more topical info
● InterPress Service: Lobe 19
○ One example of incredibly skewed media focus
○ The royal wedding received over ​triple the media coverage​ of Yemen in 2018
○ Yemen has been called the “​worst humanitarian disaster​” by the United Nations
○ Yemen received a grand combined total of ​20 minutes ​of coverage on the ABC, NBC, and CBS
weekday evening news programs in 2018.
○ This is compared to:
■ a total of ​71 minutes​ that the three major networks devoted to the ​British royal
wedding
■ a total of ​100 minutes​ dedicated to the rescue of a dozen young cave explorers from
flooding in Thailand
 Studies to Watch Out For

● Dhejne C et al. 11
○ Commonly cited by transphobes​ to indicate sexual reassignment surgery ​HARMS trans
people​, increases risk of suicide.
○ BAD DATA​. Control group for post-transition trans individuals was CISGENDER people -
post-SRS trans participants weren’t compared to pre-SRS trans participants, they were
compared to cis paticipants.​ Methodology ​DOES NOT PROVE​ the intended point.
● Littman 18
○ Commonly cited by transphobes​ to indicate transness spreads socially, that exposure to trans
material might encourage youth to be trans. ​“Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria”​ (ROGD).
○ BAD DATA​. This study polled ​PARENTS, not the actual children​, and those polls were taken
online, ​and​ those sites were ​biased by nature​ - ‘​4thwavenow, transgendertrend,
youthtranscriticalprofessionals​’.
○ Horrendously, pathetically inept data collection.​ Anyone who cites this ​should be laughed
at.
● Rind et al. Controversy
○ Paper on the harms of child sexual abuse
○ Universally condemned methodology. Their definition of “harm” excludes short-term effects.
○ “The Rind paper has been quoted by people and organizations advocating age of consent
reform, pedophile or pederasty groups in support of their efforts to change attitudes towards
pedophilia and to decriminalize sexual activity between adults and minors (children or
adolescents), and by defense attorneys who have used the study to minimize harm in child
sexual abuse cases.”