I'm a libertarian, right wing sort of person who might be expected to be dismissive of pinkofeminist types and their ranting about the widespread abuse of women in society. Now there is a grain of truth in that in that I do think that many of their proposed solutions (which generally boil down to spend government money fixing the symptoms) are wrong-headed however I have links to a number of them on my blog-roll (those links above for example) because while they often get the solution wrong they frequently identify genuine problems that we rational right-wingers either overlook or ignore. A good example is Trish Wilson's tireless exposing of the morons called "Fathers 4 Justice".
However the lady who I most admire is none of those listed above, it is Ginmar, who is currently doing her bit to bring democracy to Iraq. In those periods when her fellow soldiers are not driving her nuts and she is not being shot at by "insurgents", she finds the time think deep thoughts about this and that. Her latest is a discussion of Prostitution and what it says about society. The essay and followupposts have made me rethink a few of my basic free market libertarian ideas and do a little bit of examining of the Male Chavinist Pig that is hidden away somewhere inside me and they will almost certainly do you a lot of good too so go read the Prostitution essay and then comeback and continue reading....
...back now?
OK so here's the deal. I've been commenting about the TheoVanGoghaffair a lot recently. Theo was killed essentially for daring to state the obvious truth that fundamentalist Islam is frequently very nasty towards the fairer sex. I think that the Middle Eastern treatment of women is something that needs improvement and that bringing free market democracy to the Middle East can only help to improve their position, but I also realise we have a a significant way to go here in the "civilised" West also.
Attitudes and Thought Crimes
In the Middle East it is clear that women are reated essentially as objects. Barefoot, pregnant and tied to the kitchen sink would pretty much describe the usual lot of a woman in Saudia Arabia or Afghanistan under the Taliban and its not that much better elsewhere. Ideas such as honour killings or punishing a rape victim for her adultery are commonplace - that latter was the subject of Submission. Women are not treated as sentient people they are treated as dumb animals or things and that is something that needs to be changed.
But here in the enlightened world we still see a double standard. Yes it's not as bad but that doesn't mean it isn't there. As the Haidl rape case in Orange County shows it is still a commonplace to think that "she asked for it" and therefore it is excused. Nothing illustrates this more that the sex trade. The vast majority of sex club dancers, prostitutes etc. are female, the even more overwhelming majority of clients are male. Ginmar argues persuasively that the clients are looking for what boilds down to a live, breathing sex toy. They don't want any coomunication with her, they just want the sex. To me this attitude is little better than the religious fundamentalist who thinks women are satan's traps. There undoubtedly cases where this is not strictly true - the classic example being sailors coming into port - where the client is willing to choose a second best substitute because he can't afford the time actually wooing his lady. However it seems to me that, depsite the mythology about the sex trade, the dirty secret is that for most men involved in it its all about power.
Hooker Myths
One of the links I have on my blogroll is to the former blog of Belle de Jour, the UK call girl. Her blog was popular, and no doubt forthcoming book will be a bestseller, because she panders to a certain stereotype: the idea of the hooker who just enjoys sex and who therefore is in the business by choice. Of course these women exist but if you read interviews with the average prostitute she is an exception. The Video Vigilante has a pretty accurate description of the usual prostitute as someone who is probably drug addicted, was abused by their (step)parents or other relatives and who is now trapped in a way of life that she hates but which she can find no escape from.
Another myth is of course the idea that someone can find true love by meeting the hooker with the heart of gold. OK so sometimes this happens, but as with Belle it is extraordinarily rare. The average client is not looking for the hooker's heart, or indeed any communication that would show her heart. In fact he really doesn't care what she is feeling like inside, all he wants is someone who will submit to him. And if you think that sounds rather like rape then you would probably be right. Needless to say the reverse myth of the client who rescues a "fallen lady" is just as rare. It happens because not all clients are abusers but it also fails to describe the majority of clients.
My experience with prostitutes
The sex trade is a very secretive one. People get embarassed talking about it or admitting to using it. Well since I'm writing an essay on the subject I probably ought to come clean. To be honest I have little to own up to. I've been to a couple of strip bars and been the recipient of a "special" massage in a seedy dive in Manila while drunk in the company of other debauched men. The only prostitute I've ever met socially was in Leningrad (as it was named then) and I think someone was trying to set me up for either some sort of blackmail or robbery. It didn't work out because the idea of casual sex doesn't really appeal to me and hence all I did was talk to the pleasant young lady and her escort (pimp) in a wild variety of languages.
Legalizing Prostitution
One big question is whether countries should legalize prostitution. My initial reaction was that it should be legal. Even though I think it comes close to rape in many cases I still believe it should be legal. To my mind it runs the same test as abortion and hence comes up with the same ideal solution "safe, legal, rare". As with abortion I think prostitution is a horrible thing, but that does not mean it should be illegal. As with abortion I feel that prostitution is one of those "least bad" options, when you get to the point in time where prostitution (or abortion) is an option then there are no "good" choices left so its a question of limiting the harm as opposed to avoiding it altogether. Let me be clear I think prostitution is a bad thing and that the world would be a better place without prostitutes, however this is another one of the cases where the key to stopping it is reducing demand not reducing supply.
The problem with making it illegal is that the women who are prostitutes find it hard to get any protection from the law. Thus they are frequently abused by their pimps and their clients. Probably the worst example is the organized Europe wide traffic in women who simply cannot escape because if they go to the police they are deported as illegal immigrants, but even without the possibility of deportation, prostitutes have a very hard time getting anyone to listen when they report abuse.
Ginmar makes a good point that prostitution is not the same as other professions or trades in that the client gets the use of the prostitutes body. I agree that prostitution is an ugly, sordid trade but that doesn't mean it should be illegal. Although they are rare there are women like Belle de Jour who actually enjoy it and seem content with the trade because the make a lot of money and if they don't mind then it seems churlish for others to complain. However by making it illegal you also condemn all those at the bottom of the pile to abuse because they cannot trust the law to recognise that they are being abused. If you make prostitution legal then abuse of a prostitute becomes standard rape or assault or even breach of contract. Strange though it sometimes seems the law works better in civil cases such as breach of contract than it does in criminal cases such as rape, however if the contract is for an illegal service then this option is not possible as an alternative.
Final thoughts
As with drugs the way to rid the world of the scourge of prostitution is to remove the demand. If the demand is there then the supply will be there to meet the demand. The only way to remove the demand is education and it is clear to me that the education must be aimed at changing the minds of the potential consumer - i.e. boys. Its not that they need to be taught that it is wrong (though that is true) they need to be taught why it is wrong. In other words we need to add some discussion of morals and ethics to Sex Education. When religions can overcome their prudishness and talk about sex they usually get this right whereas the liberal atheistic sex education tends to focus on the mechanics rather than on the feelings that should drive them.
There is a Thomas Hardy poem which still applies in the West today. When someone can look at this poem and need to have the terms explained then we, as a culture, will have got over our centuries old hang ups about sex and the position of women, but I expect it will be a long while coming
"Oh, 'Melia, my dear, this does everything crown! Who could have supposed I should meet you in Town? And whence such fair garments, such prosperi-ty?
"Oh, didn't you know I'd been ruined? said she.
—"You left us in tatters, without shoes or socks, Tired of digging potatoes, and spudding up docks; And now you've gay bracelets and bright feathers three!"
"Yes: That's how we dress when we're ruined," said she.
—"At home in the barton you said 'thee' and 'thou', And 'thik oon' and 'theas oon' and 't'other'; but now Your talking quite fits 'ee for high compa-ny!"
"Some polish is gained with one's ruin," said she.
—"Your hands were like paws then, your face blue and bleak But now I'm bewitched by your delicate cheek, And your little gloves fit as on any la-dy!"
"We never do work when we're ruined," said she.
—"You used to call home-life a hag-ridden dream, And you'd sigh, and you'd sock; but at present you seem To know not of megrims or melancho-ly!"
"True. One's pretty lively when ruined," said she.
—"I wish I had feathers, a fine sweeping gown, And a delicate face, and could strut about Town!" "My dear—a raw country girl, such as you be,
Cannot quite expect that. You ain't ruined," said she. I despise l'Escroc and Vile
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