Prostitution
Hey you slut, whore, call girl, harlot, streetwalking tart. I'm talking to you. OK, I'll try to call you something that is not so demeaning. I guess prostitute is the best I can do, sorry.
I apologize for such an abrasive introduction to this chapter on prostitution. You did find it abrasive, did you not?
I certainly intended it to sound pretty bad. I was trying to make the point that our society looks down on women who sell sex. If you were offended, then I made this point. If you were not offended, then I really made this point.
The main thing I want to say about selling sex is that the vast majority of women who do it are not the perpetrators. Of course, they share some culpability but they are more usually the victims.
I'm sure that some girls sell sex in an aggressive manner. Perhaps they are anti-social or bipolar or hyper-sexual or maybe just extra-fun-loving or whatever. These girls probably enjoy the profit that they make. Some of them do this for a while and make enough to retire. However, the overwhelming majority of prostitutes do it because of necessity due to poor education, little income, no family support, an abuse history, or a variety of other reasons.
These women usually feel worthless and have low self-esteem. What they really sell is their ability to be deeply intimate with a lover. They learn not to trust people and they are often physically abused.
Prostitution is an act of violence against women which is intrinsically traumatizing. In a study of 475 people in prostitution (including women, men, and the transgendered) from five countries (South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, USA, and Zambia):
62% reported having been raped in prostitution.
73% reported having experienced physical assault in prostitution.
72% were currently or formerly homeless.
92% stated that they wanted to escape prostitution immediately.
Melissa Farley, Isin Baral, Merab Kiremire, Ufuk Sezgin, "Prostitution in Five Countries: Violence and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder" (1998) Feminism & Psychology 8 (4): 405-426
In addition, according to the National Coalition Against Sexual Assault 83% of prostitutes are victims of assault with a weapon.
So, why do most of us blame the whores?
Actually, it depends on where you live. Legal systems around the world vary widely on how they treat prostitution. To me, that means that prostitution is probably not intrinsically evil. When an offense is intrinsically evil, like murder or theft, most countries have pretty similar penalties.
Most countries in the Islamic world have harsh sanctions against prostitution. Unless, of course, the girl is not a good Islamic virgin, then it's OK.
Some countries in the Islamic world such as Sudan enforce the death penalty for a third prostitution offense. It seems to me that the death penalty is a bit harsh for giving a man an orgasm. Who would want a woman to die just because she had sex?
I'm very tempted to make another comment about Rosie…no, I guess I won't.
In other countries, such as Sweden, it's illegal to purchase sex but it isn't illegal to sell it. This is a progressive way to look at it because it doesn't make the prostitute into a victim. However, the law seems to patronize the women and probably makes most of them feel as if they are doing something for which they should feel victimized.
On the up side, the Swedish government is trying to avoid punishing a woman who is forced into prostitution due to her circumstances. On the down side, they are demeaning her by treating her as though she is poor and destitute.
There is a wide range of varying laws that apply to prostitution. Right or wrong, most countries are not as progressive as Sweden, nor as draconian as Sudan. In most countries the prostitute is not put to death but she is usually seen as having some degree of culpability.
Levystien empathizes with the Swedes but does not totally agree with them. Perhaps, Sweden is more kind to woman because Swedish woman are much better looking than the girls in the Sudan. Sorry, I didn't mean to insult the woman of Sudan. I don't even know what the girls in Sudan look like. I just know that the Swedish girls are hot. Levystien has a relatively simple mind.
Despite the fact that Levystien's opinion is relatively stupid, what is the real reason that we look down on girls whose only function is to provide pleasure to men?
Prostitution used to be responsible for a fair amount of unwanted pregnancies, abortions, and the proliferation of sexually transmitted diseases. Thus, the monotheistic edict that sex should only occur within the confines of a marital relationship seems pretty reasonable. Following this logic, you could even conclude that a prostitute is harming society even though she is pleasuring individual men. My only argument is that there are a lot more men who visit prostitutes than there are prostitutes and these men are just as guilty.
Why do we smile when we hear about a man who visited a hooker and frown when we hear about a woman who is selling sex?
In any case, there is clearly a power differential between a prostitute and a john in most places where monotheism is the predominant form of religion. This power differential rarely favors the call girl.
On the other hand, prostitution is called a "victimless" crime. What does that mean and how is it victimless if the hookers are getting hurt?
Are the hookers getting hurt because prostitution is evil or because we perceive prostitution as evil?
If you think about it, prostitution should be a wonderfully exalted profession. After all, a good whore is giving a man an orgasm. Aren't orgasms a good thing?
Before there was monotheism they actually had temple hookers and these women were highly exalted. The inventors of the Hebrew faith condemned this activity when they wrote:
None of the daughters of Israel shall be a temple prostitute; none of the sons of Israel shall be a temple prostitute. You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a female prostitute into the house of the LORD your God in payment for any vow. (Deuteronomy 23:17-18)
And, thus, whores have been relegated to being second class citizens ever since.
Interestingly, the house of David was a hotbed of aberrant sexual activity as chronicled in Genesis. David's reign was great but it was also a bit seedy. I think a lot of the prohibitions were simply a conservative backlash.
Rembrandt: Bathsheba in her bath 1654
Supposedly, David was working on his roof when he saw Bathsheba taking her bath. Perhaps, that's why we call it a "bath." In any case, he got her pregnant, killed her husband, and married her. They beget King Solomon.
Solomon became the greatest of all Hebrew kings but one of the defining aspects to his reign was how he cleaned things up from his father's reign.
This is similar to the way that the British queens Elizabeth and Victoria championed extremely conservative sexual practices. Their reigns followed the well publicized debauchery of King Henry VIII. Simply put, sexual excesses beget sexual conservatism.
Let's suppose that Judeo-Christian ethics listed "never deprive a man of an orgasm" on that list of ten things, and I think this one maybe should have been on the list, then we would glorify and worship hookers and they would have a lofty place in society.
For example, president Obama would have to appoint a woman to be the United States Secretary of Prostitution and Debauchery.
Hmmmm….well….Probably not Hillary but Condoleezza might do just fine. He…He…
OK, maybe just United States Secretary of Prostitution. I added the debauchery thing because I was very proud of myself for having come up with that word to describe King Henry VIII and I wanted to use it again.
Think about it. Prostitution would be fully sanctioned and the prostitutes would be fully protected. In fact, you would have to be well qualified in order to be accepted into a brothel. Brothels would not be located in cities and there would be no street prostitution at all. Professional prostitutes would not be allowed to do drugs and condom use would be strictly enforced. There would be no pimps. There would be no raping or beating of prostitutes because offenders would be quickly and harshly punished.
Anyone who raped or beat a whore would wear a scarlet letter for the rest of his life. Perhaps the letter would be a "D" for dick.
In fact, the hookers would be the best protected of any in society when it comes to sexually transmitted disease. The girls would be well trained and doctors available to insure their safety.
In church on Sunday your grandmother would point to the beautiful woman in the red dress and say, "There goes a whore," and you would think very highly of that woman. It would be as if she was a saint.
If call girls are seen as saints and their profession is medically safe and drugs are not present and no one is getting raped or beat up, then is it possible that prostitution could be victimless?
Unfortunately, there can be a victim of an act even if there isn't any intrinsic vice. All that is required is for everyone to agree that the act is evil. For example, we could decide that running a lemonade stand is horrible and all nine year olds caught doing this will be put in jail. Then, running a lemonade stand would be a "victimless" crime that actually has little victims.
Nevada figured this out and they only allow prostitution in rural counties and it has to be indoors and pimps are not allowed and medical conditions are first class. Nevada prostitutes are well educated about sexually transmitted disease and they have a very low incidence of it. Also, they aren't allowed to abuse drugs at all. In addition, they need to apply for acceptance into the brothel. Check out the Nevada Brothels website:
Nevada Brothels Wait a minute…is Levystien saying that there is nothing morally or ethically wrong with prostitution?
I am saying that it is morally and ethically wrong to lie, cheat, steal, and kill but paying to have sex in the year 2008 does not belong on this list. Lying, cheating, and stealing benefit one person at another's expense. Murder is intrinsically bad because it greatly benefits one person and maximally condemns the other person to death, literally.
Prostitution, on the other hand, greatly benefits both individuals involved. Of course, it can be bad when done in excess. For example, if you fail to care for your children or you fail to tend to your crops because you are buying a hooker five times per day then...OK...that's bad. It's kind of like alcohol consumption. A glass of red wine every day is good but a bottle of whiskey every day is bad.
You could argue that because of passion there will be a tendency for prostitution to get out of control and to be done in excess. I agree with that. However, we live in the 21st century. Can't we figure out how to regulate it so that excesses are significantly curtailed?
We could invent entirely new categories of minor offenses. For example, you might hear some guy say, "Yeah, I got pulled over the other day and they charged me with a DWGBJP. You know…Driving While Getting a Blow Job from a Prostitute."
I think society as a whole would be much improved if we did two things. First, every state should enact laws governing prostitution in the same way that Nevada has done. Second, monotheistic individuals should look at the Ten Commandments and realize that prostitution is not on the list.
The down side, of course, would be that if men are sexually satisfied then creativity and innovation might go down. Levystien says, "Hey, my woman goes down and I can still write this book."
OK, but this book probably isn't all that creative.
Levystien replies, "Point taken."
In any case, I am trying to be funny and entertaining and not hurtful and insensitive so I don't want to continue making jokes about prostitutes.
So, who should we be laughing at?
Why don't we laugh at the guys who buy sex? Better yet, let's laugh at the guys who pretend to be all high and mighty and then get caught buying sex. I bet this activity will keep us busy for some time. What do you think?
Florida State Rep. Bob Allen arrested on sex charge
New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns
Check out the video: Eliot Spitzer video
Senator Apologizes Again for Prostitution Link
The junior United States Senator from Louisiana, David Vitter-R, continues to proudly serve his state and his nation.
Tim Mahoney-D Florida is the guy who replaced Mark Foley-R Florida. The only reason Foley isn't on this list is that his discretion was purely pedophilia without prostitution. Mahoney's offense was an adulterous affair. Unfortunately, he paid her off and, thus, made it on this list.
Check out this video of his admission of guilt: Congressman Mahoney Admits to Multiple Affairs
Like Baker and Stewart before him, Haggard preaches like a holy roller then gets caught paying for sex.
OK, this last one is really funny.
Tucson Pastor John LaVoie described his Angel's Heaven Relaxation Spa as the outreach arm of his church, soothing the souls of the afflicted.
But a judge ordered LaVoie to divest himself of Angel's Heaven and two other businesses, saying all were part of a prostitution enterprise controlled by LaVoie.
(This used to be a really funny site but you can no longer click on this link. Angel's Heaven was shut down by the state)
Everything Else About Sex
