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Showing Original Post only (View all)The unspoken issue at the center of prostitution is causation [View all]
Back in university one of my professors in a first year class said something that always stuck with me "Freedom is not merely being physically unimpeded by authority, it the absence of all coercion." He was comparing and contrasting what different philosophers had said about freedom over the course of history in what was otherwise a completely forgettable lecture, but that line was worth the price of admission.
The libertine attitude towards prostitution found in these parts seems to be that the actions between "consenting adults" to say an act without physical force is of no concern of the state or society. But this attitude completely ignores everything up the that point in a car, motel or wherever. Prostitutes are human beings and even the most ardent libertarian doesn't disagree that addiction, poverty and criminal elements can force people into the sex trade. Addiction, poverty and crime are just about universally recognized to be potentially highly coercive.
Can one seriously argue that a prostitute "performing" as issues of addiction, poverty and criminal influences linger in the background is a "consenting adult" as one would generally understand that to be?
The argument that follows from the libertines then completely makes me lose my shit. It is argued that legalization is somehow a panacea to these issues, and somehow regulating prostitutes somehow excuses the fact that one might be participating in the sex trade because of addiction, poverty or crime. As though an OSHA like agency was established by the Confederacy. Then they point to Europe, where boutique brothels that are little more than tacky tourist attractions are a sweeping solution when street prostitution (aka "the car trade" remains the domain of the most vulnerable remains unchanged and a whole underground sex trade is orchestrated online outside the reach of any regulation.
The issue at the center of any discussions of prostitution should be causation, a recognition that some tragic series of events probably delivered a given individual to the sex trade. Not creepy libertarian arguments about consenting adults as addiction, poverty or the criminal element lingers in the background. To argue for sweeping policies based on boutique brothels and high-priced escorts is as deluded and dishonest as any Republican argument. Especially when they sound like they were directly ripped from Risky Business or Reality TV.
Now, I realize this this and many other issues it is expected that the progressive position be total libertine level permissiveness and that any suggestion of impulse control where sex and substances are concerned is like totally fascist maaaan. But lets try looking at this issue as a culmination of circumstances in a persons life, not the fact that as they are blowing some loser he doesn't have a knife.