# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=135 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 136 --- ## [Is it wrong to ignore the gender identities of people like Chelsea Manning?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-to-ignore-the-gender-identities-of-people-like-chelsea-manning/778080)
**Author:** [@AtomThought](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomThought)\ **Replies:** 139\ **Last updated:** [January 28, 2017, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-to-ignore-the-gender-identities-of-people-like-chelsea-manning/778080 "2017-01-28T01:13:00Z")
Recently, I was reading through this thread and I stumbled upon a tangential conversation from November of last year, between Shodan and several others, about the pronouns he was using to refer to Chelsea Manning. He was… --- ## [I thought we all agreed that we should deport criminals?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-thought-we-all-agreed-that-we-should-deport-criminals/778289)
**Author:** [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [January 27, 2017, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-thought-we-all-agreed-that-we-should-deport-criminals/778289 "2017-01-27T23:36:32Z")
There are many parts of the sancutary city policy that I get: tuition for undocumented immigrants, cooperation with law enforcement to reduce domestic violence and general crime in heavily immigrant neighborhoods. Basica… --- ## [How pliable will Trump be to the GOP's agenda?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-pliable-will-trump-be-to-the-gops-agenda/778220)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [January 27, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-pliable-will-trump-be-to-the-gops-agenda/778220 "2017-01-27T16:50:41Z")
Hypothetical as hell, I know. This has been discussed in a lot of threads but I’d kind of like to focus on it directly. Trump is a demagogue in the truest sense of the word. I think that the most genuine emotion he has … --- ## [What has Trump done so far that a "standard" Republican president wouldn't have?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-trump-done-so-far-that-a-standard-republican-president-wouldnt-have/778124)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [January 27, 2017, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-trump-done-so-far-that-a-standard-republican-president-wouldnt-have/778124 "2017-01-27T13:22:05Z")
… Given the same Congressional circumstances, of course. For example, I don’t think the “standard” President would’ve made the Chicago tweet. I do think there’s a not insignificant likelihood that the “standard” preside… --- ## [How to increase voter turnout?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-increase-voter-turnout/777829)
**Author:** [@HumbleThinker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HumbleThinker)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-increase-voter-turnout/777829 "2017-01-26T19:37:06Z")
So after becoming an Officer of Election and peeking behind the curtain, I’ve become very interested in increasing voter turnout, particularly in state and local elections. I want us to legitimately be able to say what t… --- ## [The future of dope not looking good under Trump](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-future-of-dope-not-looking-good-under-trump/777997)
**Author:** [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-future-of-dope-not-looking-good-under-trump/777997 "2017-01-26T16:30:42Z")
It looks like the will of the people isn’t going to be considered. --- ## [Trump, the environment and big business](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-the-environment-and-big-business/778142)
**Author:** [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2017, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-the-environment-and-big-business/778142 "2017-01-26T07:46:20Z")
It appears that the Donald intends to dial back environmental regulations in order to allow oil companies, coal companies and other heavy industries to prosper and create more jobs. Or something. In order to take advant… --- ## [Social Libertarians: Suicide's Okay, Right?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-libertarians-suicides-okay-right/264491)
**Author:** [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2017, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-libertarians-suicides-okay-right/264491 "2017-01-26T00:38:43Z")
The other day I was thinking, like ya do, about how suicide (particularly of the non-terminal-illness variety) is pretty much viewed with universally strong disapproval up and down the American political spectrum. And i… --- ## [What's it like living in Chicago?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-it-like-living-in-chicago/776158)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2017, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-it-like-living-in-chicago/776158 "2017-01-25T18:02:40Z")
762 murders in 12 months. Apparently that’s more than NYC and LA combined and the most lethal year in Chicago in 2 decades. So what’s it like living there, Chicago Dopers? Are you fearful to go out at night? Do you avoi… --- ## [The other Roosevelt tries his hand at the 1930s and 40s](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-other-roosevelt-tries-his-hand-at-the-1930s-and-40s/777916)
**Author:** [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2017, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-other-roosevelt-tries-his-hand-at-the-1930s-and-40s/777916 "2017-01-25T15:24:35Z")
Struggling to sleep at 3am gave me this weird idea dancing around my head. Imagine, if you will, that years of wrestling, nature collecting, and shouting ‘bully!’ gave old Teddy Roosevelt the secret to an unnaturally lo… --- ## [Childhood animal abuse - relatively "normal" behavior or hardened criminals in the making?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-animal-abuse-relatively-normal-behavior-or-hardened-criminals-in-the-making/777356)
**Author:** [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2017, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-animal-abuse-relatively-normal-behavior-or-hardened-criminals-in-the-making/777356 "2017-01-25T15:11:32Z")
According to studies I’ve read, something like 5-24% of girls and 10-42% of boys abuse animals at some point in their young life. Do you think animal abuse in childhood means we’re dealing with bad seeds that will grow … --- ## [Racism in the New York Times](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-in-the-new-york-times/778017)
**Author:** [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2017, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-in-the-new-york-times/778017 "2017-01-25T13:06:20Z")
The New York Times doesn’t get it. Today’s NY Times website has a yuuuuge headline that screams: “Trump’s Cabinet: The Whitest and Most Male” since Reagan. This is illustrated by a huuuuge graphic that takes up half t… --- ## [Trump's vulnerability to legal problems as President: How Severe?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-vulnerability-to-legal-problems-as-president-how-severe/777872)
**Author:** [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Replies:** 76\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2017, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-vulnerability-to-legal-problems-as-president-how-severe/777872 "2017-01-25T04:24:04Z")
While flipping around between the Sunday morning news shows, I saw several times a commercial urging viewers to contact their Senators and ask them to confirm Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. As I do switch channels fr… --- ## [Marching vs. Voting](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marching-vs-voting/777932)
**Author:** [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2017, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marching-vs-voting/777932 "2017-01-25T03:15:08Z")
I found Saturday’s marches to be incredibly moving, and encouraging. But I’m troubled by this thought: Millions of women (and men, of course) got up and took the streets on Saturday. But 30 million women voted for Tru… --- ## [Clinton: Amnesty for FALN Terrorists?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-amnesty-for-faln-terrorists/16695)
**Author:** [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2017, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-amnesty-for-faln-terrorists/16695 "2017-01-25T01:01:21Z")
The following story was printed in today’s (August 13, 1999) Chicago Sun-Times. BEGIN QUOTE Daley lambastes Clinton’s FALN offer Mayor Daley accused President Clinton on Thursday of endangering Chicagoans by offering … --- ## [Is technology the reason many crimes are declining in prevalance?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-technology-the-reason-many-crimes-are-declining-in-prevalance/777724)
**Author:** [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2017, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-technology-the-reason-many-crimes-are-declining-in-prevalance/777724 "2017-01-24T23:34:29Z")
To explain the thread title; It’s accepted by everyone who isn’t either a) old and grumpy or b) just alarmist and sccared that in most Western countries, crime is down. Violent crime rates - murder, assault, robbery an… --- ## [What's crazy in the (USA) Republican Party?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-crazy-in-the-usa-republican-party/777774)
**Author:** [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2017, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-crazy-in-the-usa-republican-party/777774 "2017-01-24T22:55:18Z")
I suppose it’s good to have a companion to the thread What’s crazy in the (USA) Democratic Party coalition? So here it is. If both parties have made “crazy” choices for the sake of power, or some other reason, I want to… --- ## [Legality of UW Shooting](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-uw-shooting/777934)
**Author:** [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Replies:** 75\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2017, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-uw-shooting/777934 "2017-01-24T15:43:43Z")
Last week there was a shooting at the University of Washington. The circumstances were there was a demonstration going on. During the demonstration an assault was taking place. A demonstrator who was carrying a concealed… --- ## [What's crazy in the (USA) Democratic Party coalition?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-crazy-in-the-usa-democratic-party-coalition/777773)
**Author:** [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2017, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-crazy-in-the-usa-democratic-party-coalition/777773 "2017-01-24T07:25:16Z")
OK, I want to focus on this last part: What’s crazy in the \[USA\] Democratic Party’s coalition? What’s crazy in modern progressivism? What’s good about the Democratic Party? What’s good about progressivism? I’m not… --- ## [So ACA gets repealed. What next for Democrats?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-aca-gets-repealed-what-next-for-democrats/776438)
**Author:** [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Replies:** 116\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2017, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-aca-gets-repealed-what-next-for-democrats/776438 "2017-01-24T06:15:57Z")
I am assuming for the sake of argument that the GOP does this the stupid way instead of the smart way and Democrats win everything in 2020. So if that comes about, how should Democrats approach health care? Campaign on … --- ## [Assume a nation walled its economy off from the globe and rejected automation. What would happen](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assume-a-nation-walled-its-economy-off-from-the-globe-and-rejected-automation-what-would-happen/777908)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2017, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assume-a-nation-walled-its-economy-off-from-the-globe-and-rejected-automation-what-would-happen/777908 "2017-01-24T02:54:20Z")
So lets say a nation goes the luddite route and rejects all the upcoming AI and robotics advances that will increase productivity and reduce the need for labor. They would do this because they want to make sure people ar… --- ## [When America was Great.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-america-was-great/777293)
**Author:** [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2017, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-america-was-great/777293 "2017-01-24T02:53:50Z")
I believe this rested on four pillars: Get good grades in school and you would accepted to college. (and there was some mechanism to pay for it). You had access ti Healthcare for life. If you worked hard and saved; yo… --- ## [What are our Rights?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-our-rights/776465)
**Author:** [@HumbleThinker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HumbleThinker)\ **Replies:** 103\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2017, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-our-rights/776465 "2017-01-23T21:08:35Z")
We hear about all the rights this or that group has or this or that person has, so what rights do you all think exist? Of course this will also dovetail into what everyone thinks the definition of “rights” is. The obvio… --- ## [Hard Work vs. Privilege](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-work-vs-privilege/777322)
**Author:** [@HumbleThinker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HumbleThinker)\ **Replies:** 244\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2017, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-work-vs-privilege/777322 "2017-01-23T20:59:03Z")
So I’m trying to be more socially and politically aware in the past year or two (more or less around the time I became an Officer of Elections), so I’m trying to better understand the concept of privilege. Filtering thro… --- ## [Building (large) spaceships on the moon vs Low Earth orbit.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/building-large-spaceships-on-the-moon-vs-low-earth-orbit/777621)
**Author:** [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/building-large-spaceships-on-the-moon-vs-low-earth-orbit/777621 "2017-01-23T16:58:34Z")
If we are going to build something really big, perhaps a interplanetary space station for people to live on for years on their way to Pluto (OK not technically interplanetary - well not any more), perhaps a interstellar … --- ## [Business creation status during recent years, general economic health.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-creation-status-during-recent-years-general-economic-health/777886)
**Author:** [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2017, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-creation-status-during-recent-years-general-economic-health/777886 "2017-01-23T13:36:47Z")
I was having a debate with a more-conservative (but not Trump-supporting) acquaintance. He claimed that the USA was in quite bad shape after Obama. I asked him what he meant. He said (among other things) that it’s gotten… --- ## [The US should leave the UN](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-should-leave-the-un/776514)
**Author:** [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Replies:** 81\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2017, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-should-leave-the-un/776514 "2017-01-23T12:04:56Z")
The recent kerfuffle about the resolution on Israeli settlements has the United Nations back in the news. Unfortunately, no one important seems interested in taking the discussion to the next level and asking whether th… --- ## [Will you give Donald Trump a chance?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529)
**Author:** [@ultimate11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultimate11)\ **Replies:** 147\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2017, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529 "2017-01-23T11:11:41Z")
As we near the presidential inauguration, I ask you dopers, will you give Trump a chance? (And yes, I was intending a poll for this topic, but I messed up and didn’t add one. Opinions are welcome.) --- ## [Do political parties do more harm than good?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-political-parties-do-more-harm-than-good/777775)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-political-parties-do-more-harm-than-good/777775 "2017-01-23T00:49:33Z")
Both major parties are hotbeds of corruption, and that seems like an unavoidable piece of partisan politics. We used to have politicians who even when they didn’t always agree with each other, wanted what was best for t… --- ## [The Democrats will win their election](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-democrats-will-win-their-election/768652)
**Author:** [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Replies:** 153\ **Last updated:** [January 22, 2017, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-democrats-will-win-their-election/768652 "2017-01-22T23:28:06Z")
I don’t like it, but I’ve just received a word from the Lord (please don’t make fun of the Lord) that the Democrats will win the next election. The exact word of knowledge was simply this: “The democrats will win their … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=134) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=136)