So this week I happened to read an article (CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE LINK) on the Huffington Post about "Sugar Daddy" arrangements, aka: prostitution. It is a bit long, but definitely a worthwhile read. I know this is a bit off topic, but still pretty social justice related and I felt the urge. Also, I noticed that in the beautiful film we watched in class, Wasteland, the pickers regularly would say things like: "At least I'm doing honest work, at least I'm not a prostitute."
Here are some questions to consider:
1.) Is prostitution dishonest work? Is it dishonest work because it is illegal or because of some inherent quality?
2.) Why is prostitution illegal but pornography is not? In each circumstance, are people not being paid for sex?
3.) The Unites States stance of prostitution is that it is "inherently demeaning" Is it?
4.) Is it possible that sex work might ever be preferable to other forms of labor?
In my opinion, prostitution should be made legal. Prostitution occurs everywhere and has for who really knows how long. This issue has been on my mind a lot recently because we have discussed it pretty extensively in my feminist theory class this semester. In my view, one of the primary problems with the illegality of prostitution, is that it does not eliminate it, but rather drives it underground to a more dangerous place where problems such as violence, exploitation, and trafficking can occur. If prostitution is legalized, taxed and regulated, then the society at large will have a vested interest in ensuring that it is safe for all involved. In Nevada, where prostitution is legal in some localities there are brothels that closely monitor provider-client interactions and require frequent sexual health exams. Sounds smart!
I also think it's interesting to note that most sex workers do so as a result of the societal inequalities they face as oppressed persons. The Huff Post article noted the correlation between the economic recession in 2008, and a boost in college students positive responses when asked in surveys about their willingness to participate in sex work. If prostitution is going to be illegal, we better address the reasons why people get into this industry in the first place, and on top of that, what needs to be done to address these inequalities so that people have the opportunity to pursue so-called "legitimate" forms of employment.
Here is a video from Penn & Teller's "Bullshit" that talks about prostitution. It is a bit racy so please be warned. There is a lot of opinion in this video, but also a lot of really good information and thought provoking interviews with sex workers.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO LINK
Here is another link about a Texas naked-maid cleaning service. Interesting:
CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE LINK
What do you all think? I know I am kind of opening a can of worms, but I am very interested in all of your thoughts and opinions.
Great Post! I agree postitution should be legalized. It is a huge industry, that our country use to bring in revenue, instead of spending money to keep it from occuring.
ReplyDeleteHey Candace,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you brought this topic up, too. Unfortunately I don't have time to watch the Penn&Teller video because of massive amounts of homework, so I apologize if they made this point. (You kind of made it too.) But blatantly, what is the difference between prostitution and pornography besides a camera?
The other problem with criminalizing prostitution besides not having the ability to regulate it, is that it unequally punishes the person selling sex as opposed to the one purchasing it.
But with America's laws based on "moral fiber," I would be amazed if prostitution was legalized anywhere in the near future. (The feminization of poverty is basically a punishment to unwed mothers instead of helping them to change their lives. To expand, we have workfare, meaning that mothers have to work long hours at low-income jobs for government assistance thereby never giving them a chance to further pursue their education to ACTUALLY better their lives.)
I feel like this was a rambly comment... It must be because it's the end of the semester.
See you Sunday!
.... I started talking about the feminization of poverty as an example of laws based on morals. I don't think that was very clear. Okay, talk to you soon!
ReplyDeleteI am taking a class called Women for Sale in which we discuss prostitution. The average age of a girl entering prostitution is 14. That's the AVERAGE age. I'm all about women's rights and I am certainly a feminist- but the subject of prostitution is a very complex one. The people that benefit from prostitution are rarely ever the woman selling her body- it's almost always her pimp. Prostitution is violent, it's control ( usually not the woman's) and it isn't in it's current state anything about rights. Maybe legalization will change this- but in the Netherlands, where prostitution has been legalized, there are many many brothels that still sell underage girls but now with the cover of a legal brothel. I struggle with this issue, because I think that a woman should have the right to do what she wants with her body and I'm not against it for moral reasons- but from what I've learned prostitution is rarely ever about what a woman wants to do with her body.
ReplyDelete