Posted on 12/27/2010 2:39:52 PM PST by Michael van der Galien
Many people consider prostitution and pornography victimless crimes. This excuse deems both as sanctioned or permitted sex between two consenting adults. If this is true, why are many women and children trafficked and forced into sexual slavery? Why are many prostitutes victims of violent physical abuse and murder by those they work for? Further, if porn and prostitution are victimless crimes, why does the porn industry have an HIV/AIDS problem?
Those who view prostitution and porn as harmless sexual pleasure, say it’s no different than a man taking a woman out to dinner, spending the evening getting to know her as a potential girlfriend, and winding up in bed having sex. That is no different than paying a prostitute for the night? Every excuse is used to reach as far as possible in order to unearth more ways to declare porn and prostitution harmless and victimless.
Many consider prostitution and porn non-criminal, yet decry America’s history of slavery. What about sex slavery, which prostitution promotes? What about human trafficking, the selling of women and children’s bodies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Despite evidence, some call the industry empowering to women. Unless, of course, hookers and female porn stars receive less pay then men. In November, Salon quoted radical feminist Amanda Marcotte as saying:
The idea behind the ‘porn is empowering!’ argument is that women who work in porn gain power in a pragmatic way, playing by men’s rules, and feminists should support this for pragmatic reasons, because at the end of the day, women have more real power. And that would be a legitimate argument if the women involved had more power at the end of the day.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsrealblog.com ...
Never saw that movie. Is it any good at all?
How is it slavery then?
As long as any women and children are trafficked for prostitution and pornography then it is part and parcel of the slave trade and the end users are complicit in that slave trafficking.
I hope you don’t own any diamonds, because your argument can be used against those too.
Yellow makes me sad.
He was channeling Ermy ... let him role!
“And despite industry propaganda, prostitutes and porn performers are almost never involved in these trades as a matter of a free, uncoerced decision.”
Your assertion is nonsense. There is a sharp distinction between the coerced part of the sex business and the uncoerced part. I think that the uncoerced part is much larger than the coerced part. Many women choose the sex industry for a variety of reasons, many enticed by the opportunity for large incomes and easy work. There is plenty of evicence to support my assertion. Law enforcement resources should be focused on the coerced part of the industry. I support legalization with conditions on the uncoerced part of the industry. I am skeptical that legalization will work as intended because politicians are likely to see the industry as an easy tax target. Women in the industry would like work outside of the legal part if taxes and regulations become onerous.
It is slavery because you are unable to override the desire using common sense and wisdom.
That slavish need and desire will control your body to the extent that it leads to death, disease, and destruction of all healthy relationships that make life meaningful. In thrall to base desires is slavery of a sort. It is just the definition of master that is confusing.
Prostitution would be victimless and not even a crime if it were legalised.
There are plenty of women who would take up the profession of the own free will.
It is a crime with victims because it is illegal.
Legal prostitution with drug tests and tests for STD, permits and taxes on earnings, with legal protection against creeps instead of relying on pimps would o away with most problems of prostitution.
It is hard to believe that America will accept homosexual sex and marriage, and will fight against a woman and man in a consentual relationship because there is money involved.
If a govt wants to stretch the meaning of "harm" to include hurt feelings, broken hearts, or "contact sin" another form of govt, essentially a patriarchy needs to be in force. For my part, I'll take a govt that allows people to live freely as long as they do not DIRECTLY harm me.
10000% correct!!
There is an extremely dark and horrifying aspect of the "sex trade" which prostitutes young children. The average "hooker" is 12-14 years old, broken in by abusive parents or taken off the street and forced into it by gangs (after being gang raped and drugged up).
That constitutes slavery.
Well I disagree, unless it’s done without consent of the person involved. There *are* moral arguments against pornography and it does have a detrimental effect on someone’s life but that doesn’t mean the government should act as a “mommy”.
If you think about it, they can, but you're supposed to be too outraged to think.
Using the bodies of other people as a means to an end is pretty much the definition of slavery. And despite industry propaganda, prostitutes and porn performers are almost never involved in these trades as a matter of a free, uncoerced decision.
There are excellent points to make against prostitution and porn, but none are found in your post.
Then maybe the article should limit its claims to coerced child prostitution.
Sweet quote, bro. Now how does that invalidate my post?
I agree, one should be very careful in ascertaining the provenance of diamonds or not wear them.
Human trafficking is modern-day slavery through labor or commercial sexual exploitation in pornography and prostitution. Women and children are the most frequent victims.
Numerous studies paint the same picture. Demand is high and trafficking is very lucrative.
Relative degrees of “crappiness” were not part of my argument. You imported that notion. I’m sure that there are prostitutes who live lives of luxury and culture that no janitor could imagine - just as there were some antebellum slaves who lived in posh, urban accommodations that rural tenant farmers could not aspire to. It’s a matter of principle, not perks.
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