PROSTITUTION

[JOEBIALEK]

Referred to as the world's oldest "profession," prostitution is defined as the act or practice of selling oneself for sexual purposes. It is also defined as an unworthy use of a talent, quality, or the like, especially for personal gain. What's interesting is that the former is illegal in all states except Nevada while the latter has been morally and culturally accepted since the beginning of time. This begs the question: is there any difference between a street walker/escort and a person who uses their physical beauty to attain a lifestyle that others labor very hard to attain? Too often in our society we see evidence of the "trophy spouse"; a reward received by those who achieve success in business or entertainment. The marriage consists of a person who sees a beautiful spouse as something to obtain and a person who deliberately shops lifestyle by any sexual means necessary.

Some would argue that prostitution should be made legal so that (just as with drugs) it can be regulated by the state and become a source of revenue enhancement. Furthermore, sex between strangers would be safer since the government (as in Nevada) would require regular medical examinations to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. The problem facing this country is that we haven't reconciled these two definitions thus creating the existence of a double standard. We are quick to arrest and condemn the street walker/escort but would never think to shun a sexual opportunist. In many ways, prostitution already is legal in our society. People pay to watch two people have sex with each other but yet cannot pay each other for sex. I recall two people comparing their lifestyles while waiting in line at the airport. One person told the other "the difference between you and me is that you pay for your sex with cash and I pay for it with dinners, clothing and jewelry". The problem with this country today is not that we are a nation of laws but rather a nation that continually contradicts itself when it comes to morality.

[TheFog]

Hey check out this new shop. Their still growing and should have more loony liberal bumper stickers and apparel. You gotta see their "Heil Dean!" mousepad.

www.cafeshops.com/leftbash

[moleonparole]

Should Prostitution be Illegal?

There's a good one. I don't know...it's irrelevant, since prositution will go on anyway, isn't it? In Washington, D.C., the city where I live, streetwalkers are continually harrassed, and often picked up in general sweeps and put in a van. I was amused to read once in the early eighties that some yuppie chick just happened to be walking through a line of prostitutes when the big bust was going down, and in she went in the paddy wagon...she sued the District for a nice little purse, let me tell you. In my youth, I frequented prosititutes a bit...you know how it is, between fifteen and about twenty-five you believe you're the only one not getting any...I rather enjoyed myself with good hookers, and had a few bad experiences..but I never felt that I would be harassed at all, as I always went to incall services. This was much safer than wandering up and down the red-light district of D.C., talking to what might be a woman, shivering in a fur chubby and spike heels...I've had girls come to my house also, and that's been iffy.
It would seem that if prostitution was legalized, and regulated, people would be much safer, as they do in Europe, but like drug legalization, the old fogies will never accept that some things are inevitable.

[MO]

I don't know...it's irrelevant, since prositution will go on anyway, isn't it?

I want to withhold my opinion on this thread for awhile, and see where it goes. I just wanted to jump in and insert that this is the most absurd reason I can think of to argue in favor of the legalization of anything. Are there any laws that don't get broken?

[Ted]

The problem with prostitution is that the laws against it are another regulation that police tend to enforce irregularly or not at all--after all, it's not unlikely that they, the judges, and the mayor have paid a prostitute before. As to morality, I think it's fairly accepted that intercourse should occur between a married man and woman--that is, after all, the moral standard, or at least it has been for the last few thousand years.

[RusJewAth]

personally I think it should be legalized.
1st the govt should regulate it and make sure they have regular doc checkups and are disease free.
would be nice to have a USDA stamp on their ass to approve that they have been checked and are demed clean for public use every few weeks.

2nd. gray areas in societies like non-enforced drug laws against soft drugs and prostitution tend to grow corruption as well as crime both of these areas would be lessened by acknowledging their existance and dealing with them in a civil and open way treating them fairly and openly.

3 rd. would stop the undergroun slavetrade which does exist and reduce underhanded immigration of people for prostitution ergo cutting down on crime as well as disease and exploitation.

4th. I kinda want a country where you could buy pot in a coffehouse and go and do a hooker afterwards, like netherlands just much more rigorously checked for disease/potency

P.S. And yes I do consider myself conservative extremely so at that.

[siberice]

Guest-RusJewAth said:

personally I think it should be legalized.
1st the govt should regulate it and make sure they have regular doc checkups and are disease free.
would be nice to have a USDA stamp on their ass to approve that they have been checked and are demed clean for public use every few weeks.

4th. I kinda want a country where you could buy pot in a coffehouse and go and do a hooker afterwards, like netherlands just much more rigorously checked for disease/potency

P.S. And yes I do consider myself conservative extremely so at that.

You are wrong on all accounts, including the last one. Why should the non-pot-smoking, non-prostitute-chasing citizen pay for the checkups (or their enforcement), for the countless problems that drug users create, for the support of people ruined by drugs and desease. It's much better to outlaw the entire problem and deal with it as with common crime. Now for pot smoking I would only advocate large fines as penalty and little else. Hard drugs are a much harder case. On the last account, you can't consider yourself a conservative if you fear to propose and create a family. Only liberals panic at this perspective (and lay down under their dogs...)