The question of whether to use paper bags or plastic bags has its roots in environmental science but the underlying reasons are often overlooked. In "Bag Ban Bad for Freedom and Environment", author Adam B Summers puts forth a detailed argument for the use of plastic bags. In doing so, he employs a variety of rhetorical elements to persuade the reader, including appeal to identity, statistics and results from health research.

Adam Summers's deft use of appeal to identity begins with this discussion of a bill that would ban the use of plastic bags in California. Summers expresses his contempt for "some politicians and environmentalists are now focused on deciding for us what kind of container we can use to carry our groceries". Summers uses