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Paying for sex, should it be illegal?

Gawdzilla Sama said:
Is the band giving blow jobs to strangers?
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That's irrelevant. The manager looks for clients and opportunities. The employee carries out the duties. It doesn't matter if it's a band manager, a literary agent or a pimp. It's all the same thing.

Where prostitution is illegal, pimping has largely been associated with abuse. But the abuse exists because of the illegality, not independent of it. For this reason it's better to refer to a sex worker's manager, or agent, rather than his or her pimp. Just like it's better to refer to clients, not johns. Avoid using the language of abuse in order to foster a healthier environment.
 
Gawdzilla Sama said:
No, it's not. You equate a job like the Blues Brothers playing "Rawhide" in a chicken-wire cage with some gal who has orders to bring home $200 before dawn or get worked over with a sock full of quarters. That's nonsensical.
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Like I said, the abuse exists only because of the illegality of prostitution. Where prostitution is legal and regulated, that doesn't happen. Any more than your literary agent beating you up because you're late with your manuscript.
 
Gawdzilla Sama said:
No, it's not. You equate a job like the Blues Brothers playing "Rawhide" in a chicken-wire cage with some gal who has orders to bring home $200 before dawn or get worked over with a sock full of quarters. That's nonsensical.
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That's not a particularly good example of the nature of commercial prostitution as experienced under a legal regime though is it?

It's not an inaccurate characterisation of it in an illegal trade though.

Both are selling their bodies. If music performance was illegal I'd wager the people involved in managing bands wouldn't be particularly nice people.
 
arthwollipot said:
Like I said, the abuse exists only because of the illegality of prostitution. Where prostitution is legal and regulated, that doesn't happen. Any more than your literary agent beating you up because you're late with your manuscript.
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You have more faith in human nature than I do. I think people will exploit people whenever they get the chance.
 
Gawdzilla Sama said:
You have more faith in human nature than I do. I think people will exploit people whenever they get the chance.
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Of course they will. But inherent to prohibitionary policies is a consequence of making the regulation of any given product in demand full of criminality. Some other industries contain a fair bit of this criminality and general naughtiness regardless, but at the least its reduced to the minimum possible given the nature of humans.

Its not as simple as that of course, I couldn't pretend to have the answers for how to effectively regulate the prostitution industry. I'm pretty sure that making it illegal hasn't helped those involved in it one way or another. I could imagine a sole trader only based system for prostitution, but much is to be recommended of commercial management involvement, not least of which is professionalism.
 
Gawdzilla Sama said:
You have more faith in human nature than I do. I think people will exploit people whenever they get the chance.
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Sure, but where an industry is legal and regulated, the proprietors and employees will be operating under the same penalties and restrictions, as well as benefits, that other industries operate under.

There is certainly exploitation and even a certain amount of abuse in other legal service industries. But where the industry is legal, the exploitation can - at least in theory - be monitored and controlled, and stamped out where it borders on abuse. Where the industry is illegal, the employees have no such protections.

It's not faith in human nature, but faith in the rule of law.

Of course, given its history and the moral hysteria that always seems to surround it, it will probably be some time before prostitution is considered as legitimate an industry as others are. We have some work to do before that world is realised. The question is - why wouldn't we want to work to bring that about? Isn't it all about harm reduction?
 
nvidiot said:
Its not as simple as that of course, I couldn't pretend to have the answers for how to effectively regulate the prostitution industry. I'm pretty sure that making it illegal hasn't helped those involved in it one way or another. I could imagine a sole trader only based system for prostitution, but much is to be recommended of commercial management involvement, not least of which is professionalism.
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What's wrong with a basic service based employer-employee arrangement? As long as reasonable health and safety standards are in place - which will be different from but surely no less complicated than those in the food service industry.

As an employee, you agree to perform your duties to the best of your ability, work a certain number of hours per week as appropriate to your needs, and in return your employer agrees to pay you a certain wage and other awards as required by legislation. It doesn't matter if you're a barista, a data-entry operator, a law enforcement officer or a prostitute. The basic employment agreement is the same. Only the details differ.
 
If prostitution becomes legal, will the prices fall to a more manageable level?
(This question is important for my budget.)
 
Gawdzilla Sama said:
No, it's not. You equate a job like the Blues Brothers playing "Rawhide" in a chicken-wire cage with some gal who has orders to bring home $200 before dawn or get worked over with a sock full of quarters. That's nonsensical.
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So if the band needed to bring in enough money or be beaten by their manager it would be OK, because they are not using sex to get that money but music.

Is it the sex or the beating your are objecting to?
 
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