What's wrong with prostitution?

[SonicKoala]

The issues with prostitution (from my point of view, anyway) is the extreme psychological and emotional damage it often causes to the women who partake in the profession (who are often doing it out of economic necessity, not because they WANT to), not to mention the physical danger they're putting themselves in. Although legalization may help the latter, there's little that can be done about the former.

 

[JaredXE]

Nothing really. As long as it is voluntary, regulated and affordable, I see nothing wrong with legalized prostitution.

With knowledge that I will be attacked for this, I simply see no difference between laying down a couple hundred on a romantic evening with my sweetie and possibly getting laid at the end, and paying someone a couple hundred and pretty much gauranteeing that I get laid. "Romance" and prostitution are the same things, prostitution is just more honest about it.

EDIT: Morbid humor makes me think how the reason there are more women prostitutes than male is because when push comes to shove, you can talk a male prostitute down to nothing for sex, we're that easy. Same with the so-called psychological trauma of sex with multiple partners....maybe it affects women, but what man is going to say no to a different woman a night, as long as it's a willing arraingment?

 

[MimsySnark]

Isn't it already Legal in certain places? Like in Nevada? Since state law requires that registered brothel prostitutes be checked weekly for several sexually transmitted diseases and monthly for HIV; furthermore, condoms are mandatory for all oral sex and sexual intercourse. (Source Wiki)

So I guess it's working there.

Ah, you beat me to it! I was about to say that--Nevada provides the perfect example for how much of an improvement legalized prostitution would be over the current situation. Aside from particular religious views, all the arguments people bring up against it, like worry for women's safety, pimps, std's, etc. would be eliminated (or nearly so) if legalized.
As it is, we women usually demand men spend money on us before they get in our pants, anyway, right?

 

[Danz D Man]

EDIT: OT: Your Taking Full Diploma for IB? Or is ToK in other systems I'm unsure about...?

Yeah, I'm in my 3rd year of IB.

 

[JaredXE]

Also instead of setting up brothels, the goverment should do everything to get prostitutes out of prostitution, there are much better jobs, i dont think many woman wanto sleep every day with diffrent men.

You haven't been to a university lately, have you?

Joke, I know that not all women are like that, just a great many of the younger generation. Same with bisexuality seeming to be a default setting with girls too.

 

[Kiefer13]

People should be allowed to make their own choices. The government can't stop two people from having sexual relations with each other provided it's consensual and both people are of legal age, so why is it suddenly different when money changes hands?

Its not consensual, if the prostitute dont do as the pimp or costumer says, she can get smacked or even killed. The prostitute is kinda forced into sex.

Besides it could been seen as morally wrong because maybe women do not like to sleep with men they dont know or love, not to mention they probably have to pretend their into it, and doing that can be mentally difficult. And since the woman are kinda forced into this.

Also instead of setting up brothels, the goverment should do everything to get prostitutes out of prostitution, there are much better jobs, i dont think many woman wanto sleep every day with diffrent men.

Well you see, if it were legalized and regulated, there wouldn't be that problem. If anyone was abusing them or forcing them into doing anything they didn't want to do, they could just go to the police about it since they would have been doing nothing illegal.

 

[tofulove]

prostitution, the problem, why people think its a problem, and how to solve the problem.

first of the all the problem with it is its illegal, if you made video games illegal most of us would be going to criminal origination to get them, or become criminals our selfs.

now a step by step, if it was legal it could be regulated, if it was regulated it would be taxed, meaning more money, 2 if it was regulated it would greatly reduce the violence the woman get, as well as the spread of stds, there has not bin a recorded case of a working girl in Nevada who works legally ever catching aids.

so its illegal cause bad things happen, bad things happen because its illegal. if you want to stop the violence and crime related to it, you need to decriminalize it.

 

[scrambledeggs]

Another of my journals. I don't really know why I'm posting them, but maybe they'll provoke good discussion.

So, I can't think of anything else, so I'll do a controversial one. Is prostitution ethical? (You asked for it). Taking ethics based solely on religion aside (the bible verse or whatever) then is there anything inherently wrong with it? All it essentially doing is providing a service. Is that inherently different than any other service? It's truly just the institution of marriage (or at least mostly) that is keeping this illegal. From a Utilitarian view, the buyer obviously gets pleasure (heh heh) and the provider gets paid. Now, I haven't looked into any long term psychological factors, so I won't bring that up. But I suppose the possibility exists for long term damage.
This act is only wrong from a deontological view if you see the act itself as wrong. Is it the sex that's wrong? Pre-marital sex is increasing in our society, and is hardly even frowned upon these days. Or is it that it is for money? I understand the argument that some people are "trapped" in this role, and I agree that that's a bad thing. But here's my solution: legalize prostitution. For one, it would actually aid the prostitutes. Legalization would give cause for the government to set up "brothels" or the like, which would have to promote safe practices or else face legal consequences. Therefore, STD's would not be as much of a factor. It would also stop the prostitutes from being trapped by a "pimp" (I don't know the inner working of a prostitution organization) and would be a steady source of income. This would also be a massive source of revenue for the government, which is a good thing for them. It seems like legalizing prostitution is only a bad thing for the people who simply think it's morally wrong (and everyone has a right to their opinion). However, it aides everyone involved except for the people they dislike most (the abusive pimps), so that argument is basically invalid. So, I believe that the legalization of prostitution would not be morally wrong (though I probably wouldn't partake in the activity).

**By the way, these are assigned journals that we needed to come up with for Theory of Knowledge (we were assigned four journals on "ethics"). That's why I said "you asked for it." Referring to my teacher. Not the Escapist population.

Do you partake in the IB program?
If you do,
I love you <3

 

['Aredor]

Here in Germany, prostitution is legalized, with the law trying to cut the cord between pimp and prostitute: the women who work in a brothel pay a fee to be able to work there, instead of having to pay their pimp a percentage of the money they make. The thought behind is that since the proprietor doesn't profit from the prostitute actually having sex, she can choose when to work and with which men. Furthermore, regular medical checkups and social security are mandatory.

But unfortunately, some of the problems are still present: there are still whores who are dependent on their pimp, mainly in street prostitution, they just operate outside the law: making prostitution legal doesn't prevent people from ignoring those laws. The biggest problem remains forced prostitution: through human trafficking, women mainly from Russia and Romania are brought into the country, indebted to pimps, made addicted to the drugs they provide and forced to "work" for them. So that part of prostitution is definitely wrong, yes.

I simply see no difference between laying down a couple hundred on a romantic evening with my sweetie and possibly getting laid at the end, and paying someone a couple hundred and pretty much gauranteeing that I get laid.

As it is, we women usually demand men spend money on us before they get in our pants, anyway, right?

First of all, that's a bit archaic: The reason that women expect you to pay if you spend the evening with them is that in times past, the man was the one with the job and had to provide a living for his wife-to-be. I know a couple of couples where he is still studying while she's already in a job, and of course, in that situation, the woman is the one to pay the bigger part of the bills.
But even if you think that the man has to pay, I'd certainly hope that that's not the sole reason for the woman to be with him: otherwise she is nothing but, well, a whore.

 

[rabidmidget]

Well here's one reason, how would you feel if your daughter decided to become a hooker?

 

[tofulove]

Well here's one reason, how would you feel if your daughter decided to become a hooker?

not a carrier path any parent would want, but i would rather her be a legal hooker were johns had to use condoms and could practice her chosen profession in a safe place were she dint have to worry about being arrested and put in jail, violent rape, being kidnapped or killed at any given moment.

 

[The Infinite]

EDIT: OT: Your Taking Full Diploma for IB? Or is ToK in other systems I'm unsure about...?

Yeah, I'm in my 3rd year of IB.

3rd Year? I only did two... And finished and got my Diploma.

 

[Squaseghost]

People should be allowed to make their own choices. The government can't stop two people from having sexual relations with each other provided it's consensual and both people are of legal age, so why is it suddenly different when money changes hands?

People shouldn't be allowed to make ALL of their own choices. Governments have been legislating morality forever, and any stable society needs a foundation for what is considered moral or immoral.

To all of you referring morality to religious, DON'T. Morality exists independently of religion.

 

[Thaius]

Besides the spread of STDs, it would be yet another step in destroying the institution of marriage. No doubt there will be people who will argue that marriage is not needed and that sex is just for entertainment and reproduction, but this is simply not the case. Marriage and the family unit are some of the most important aspects of any society: take a high-school level sociology class to figure that one out. We've already desecrated and destroyed marriage enough: legal prostitution would only serve to further destroy the family unit and destabilize a society that is already suffering.

 

[Kiefer13]

People should be allowed to make their own choices. The government can't stop two people from having sexual relations with each other provided it's consensual and both people are of legal age, so why is it suddenly different when money changes hands?

People shouldn't be allowed to make ALL of their own choices. Governments have been legislating morality forever, and any stable society needs a foundation for what is considered moral or immoral.

To all of you referring morality to religious, DON'T. Morality exists independently of religion.

I think the government telling people what to do when it isn't infringing on anyone else's rights is immoral.

And I'm fairly sure it's not aimed at me, but believe me, I don't equate morality with religion. I'm an Atheist.

 

[Kollega]

What indeed. I mean, politicans and celebreties whore themselves out all the time, right?

***

Now, if prostitution was like alcohol or cigarettes - legal, but controlled strictly - it would be much better than dangerous version we have today. If someone is in that need to make some money quick, they could use it, and it would be a perfect occupation for... well... people who just can't get enough of sex. I can suppose it's a win-win situation.

The fundamental problem - when we abstract from "religious sets" of morals which just say it's utterly wrong because God(s) say so - is that being able to pay for sex trivializes it. Why form a meaningful relationship if you can just get some sex for money and call it a day?

 

[snow]

People should be allowed to make their own choices. The government can't stop two people from having sexual relations with each other provided it's consensual and both people are of legal age, so why is it suddenly different when money changes hands?

This statement here really blows my mind... Although I agree with it, I tried to find a good argument against it, but nothing comes to mind that would seem logical in any way.. I'm sure some one will say something involving religion or whatever, but I find religion very illogical...

Then again, people have always used religion as an answer to explain things or force people to do things that they themselves can't logically explain without.. So I think that may be the only reason why prostitution amongst many other things is considered illegal.

Though I don't believe I would ever hire a prostitute... I don't understand why it's illegal to do so.

 

[tofulove]

To all of you referring morality to religious, DON'T. Morality exists independently of religion.

just to get a little off topic, organized religion imo has never bin very moral, in more recent years, you got many Islamic groups wagging a 'holy war', Catholic based charity groups in Africa both preaching against condoms and actively trying to get them away from the people., evangelicals preaching holy war. and ofcorse you got the religious classics, like, crusades, genocide from the hands of both Christianity and Islam, the class system from hindus although India did out law it, it still practice in some areas regardless of the law and people are still judge by it. and my personal favorite the popes in ww2, first one supporting Mussolini with passion and tolerating Hitler after he died the second one loving them both.

 

[Spacelord]

I see absolutely no problems with prostitution. Then again, I'm Dutch.

Besides the spread of STDs, it would be yet another step in destroying the institution of marriage. No doubt there will be people who will argue that marriage is not needed and that sex is just for entertainment and reproduction, but this is simply not the case. Marriage and the family unit are some of the most important aspects of any society: take a high-school level sociology class to figure that one out. We've already desecrated and destroyed marriage enough: legal prostitution would only serve to further destroy the family unit and destabilize a society that is already suffering.

Holy shit! are you implying that legalising prostitution will actually destroy life as we know it? That's like the most retardedly bold claim I've ever heard.

I got another one: there is a correlation between number of gay people per year and nuclear meltdowns in power plants! Look it up, it's true! We're all fucked!

 

[tkioz]

(Most) Prostitution is RAPE

I just can't get around the fact a lot of the people claim prostitution is a "victimless crime" when they need to understand prostitution is basically rape in a lot, and I'd personally the majority, of cases (not that I can back up the majority part, I don't have numbers).

Okay here's a question, man attacks, holds down, and has sex with a woman against her will, clear cut rape right? (If you said no you're a dirty scumbag that I hope meets his end shortly)

Now, take the same man, same women, only now the man has a gun, unless the woman has sex with him he'll shoot her, is it rape? Yes!

The same thing is done a lot in prostitution, the woman (or man, it does happen to men, but I'll just keep using the female pronoun rather then he/she) in question has a choice between a) having sex with a stranger or b) getting the crap kicked out of her by her pimp or c) going hungry or having her family go hungry.

It's still a form of coercion, just not as overt as the gun metaphor. And that's not even taking into account the women sold into mother-fucking slavery in some countries out there.

Having sex with a prostitute is more then likely (I'd say something like 99 times out of 100) rape in today's world.

Oh don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are prostitutes out there that are willing and not forced into it, by either a 3rd party or economic problems, and more power too them, their body do with it what they will. But those men and women are the vast vast vast minority.

Contrary to what you might think after what you've read above, I'm actually in favour of legalising prostitution, after all criminalising it hasn't been effective at shutting it down, there is a demand so a black market has risen to fill the demand, however in order for legalisation to be an effective solution you need to regulate the hell out of it, placing protection for the prostitutes as the highest priority and cracking down unmercifully on pimps (one of the lowest forms of scum around, just above paedophiles on my personal ladder of people who need to die a horrible death).

Incidentally the same approach would work well on illicit narcotics. Let's face it, there is a reason they call prostitution the "World's oldest profession", it's been around forever and not going anywhere, the only way to make things better is to regulate it.

Think it over people.