Debate Guide

Debate Guide is a growing list of arguments and counter arguments in favor of MAPs and youth choice within the sphere of physical relationships. It will also function as center for advice, links and external debate resources pertaining to these issues. Why not consider reading our introduction or getting involved in the wider wiki project?

Advice The task at hand... Contextualize your activism and choose your debate platform and approach: For old-fashioned long-form debates: Start a debate. For modern Social Media: Social Media/Trolling. Please also note: Don't be too rational. Responding to others... Logical fallacies and intergenerational sexuality - A list of important logical fallacies used in debates on minor-adult sexuality. Social constructionism - An important, underpinning theory. Misdefinitions and Rhetorical Manipulation. Arguments about pedophilia/other attractions Too many people hold conflicting beliefs about pedophilia and other sexuality... Against: MAPs are invalid - The idea of "valid/invalid" sexualities is questionable. Against: Pedophiles chose their condition - Like other orientations, pedophilia is not a choice. Against: Pedophilia is unnatural - How can an unchosen sexual orientation not be part of nature? Popular anti-pedophile sentiments and common human flaws go hand in hand... Self-loathing hatred - Violently anti-pedophile sentiments are an example of "reaction formation". Parenthood and pedophilia - Somewhat similarly, parenthood structures perceptions of the "pedophile". Pedophilia and human sexuality are mischaracterized and misunderstood... Against: Cognitive distortions - The justification for this slur against pedophiles is a fallacious, circular argument. Against: Porn is the theory, rape is its practise - Completely unfounded belief that Child Porn causes offending. Against: Sex and violence are as one in the psyche - Conflating pedophiles' sexual interest with "violence or psychopathy". The discursive nature of human sexuality - How humans' diverse affective feelings are sometimes categorized as "sexual". Arguments about children and minors People under the age of majority can be sexual... Against: Cognitive ability = consent - Some argue that true informed consent to voluntary sexual activity is a "special case". Against: Childhood innocence - Childhood innocence is not a state of asexuality that can be "stolen". Evolutionary logic - Why CSA makes no sense in evolutionary terms. Cyclical paternalism - Protecting children brings about the need to protect them more. Sexually repressing children and minors does not benefit them... Against: Online dangers - The internet is generally not a dangerous place for minors. Reverse sexualisation - Popular acknowledgement of sexuality in nude photography is revealing. Liberty-empowerment - Empowering young people will benefit them. Turn of events - How the reporting and prosecution of sex can change the perspective of a youth. Child advocacy is often illogical... Against: The kids do not want it - Legal minors must supposedly "embrace" or "consent to" law reforms. Against: Teen brain - Teen brain speculating (inferiority) is value laden, pseudoscientific propaganda. Against: Corresponding age attraction - Questions the assumption of a unique "childhood" sexual orientation. From the encyclopedia... Youth are sexually persecuted through the legal system So-called child pornography and it's effects on minors.

Arguments about adult-minor relationships People fail to appreciate the flaws of Age of Consent laws... Against: It's wrong because it's illegal - Homosexuality was once illegal. Against: Legal pragmatism - It is wrongly argued that there is a permanent pragmatic argument for keeping the AoC. Against: There is no law that prohibits minors - Nonsensical argument claiming children are already sexually emancipated. Problems with the Age of Consent - There are numerous flaws, listed on this page. Myths and bad meta-ethics plague discussions of expressed adult-minor sexuality... Against: All child molesters are pedophiles - This belief is demonstrably false. Against: "Stranger danger" or "It could be anyone" - Two conflicting "expert" opinions (both unfounded, abused to incite fear). Against: Sexual inexperience - Experience is not a necessity. We all start inexperienced. Against: If we could only save one child - Negative utilitarianism is discredited and nonsensical meta-ethics. Against: Child sexualisation and objectification - Sex/physical relationships needn't be all-consuming . Levels of harm are exaggerated and the sources are completely misunderstood... Against: Power disparity/Stockholm Syndrome - Differences in power are not automatically inductive to abuse. Against: Profound and lifelong scarring - These characteristics are atypical and not intrinsic. Against: Recidivism is highest among child sex offenders - Demonstrably false. Against: Doomed from the beginning - Will adult-minor relationships really die off as the youngster grows older? Other societies and species are points of interest... Nonhuman relatives - Other species' adult-juvenile sexuality. Historical nonadult-adult sex - Historical precedent for adult-minor sexual emacipation. And what do those who experienced it have to say? Our database of accounts - An anecdotal study. Other arguments Other arguments don't relate fundamentally to attractions, minors or relationships... Against: Your arguments must be self-serving - Emotional, accusative and fallacious argument. Against: "As a parent" or "as a survivor" - Some wrongly argue that only parents are qualified to make judgments. Child abuse industry - Child sexual abuse has an "industrial complex" all of its own. The professional victim - The sexual abuse discourse perpetuates itself via well-meaning victims. The hypocritical establishment - Why concerns about child abuse may be disingenuous. Sexual repression as a tool of the state - It is in the interest of authoritarian states to persecute sexuality. Abuse of language - Language is misused and redefined to suit nefarious purposes. Blame game - How societies and individuals look for easy scapegoats. Debate Guide is a work in progress, and some material is undeveloped... Short arguments - A large number of smaller arguments for use in debates. From the encyclopedia... Hysterical reactions have many adverse effects Self-fulfilling prophecy - Examples from within and outside of the MAP community. SOR problems - Registries for sexual offenders are unfair and counteractive. Child pornography is much misunderstood, and is most certainly not a multibillion dollar industry (research).

Thank you for reading You may also find some other resources of ours useful in debate situations. Check out research for a collection of scientific research and other demonstrative references on matters relevant to MAPs and related topics. Our encyclopedia contains an easy to use database of all the individuals and organizations of interest to those who follow our ethos. Our database of real-life stories lists personal testimonies intended to be used as evidence of positive relationships. Debate Guide was written by a range of authors during the years 2006-22. If you are not pleased with the quality of Debate Guide, consider getting involved. From the simplest of corrections to the most complex of new arguments, we want to hear from you, so consider signing up for our Forum once it reopens.