07:13:37 pm, Categories: Life Views, 896 wordsI spent a lot of time learning about this topic before I was confident enough to write about it. I spent a lot of time watching documentaries, reading research and studies and speaking to people around me before I put my fingers to the keyboard.
The reason I am writing this is not because I have any type of desire to use the services of a prostitute but because I understand the hypocrisy and unjustness of criminalizing prostitution.
First lets have a look why it is illegal... I asked around and the only reasons I could seem to find was because it is, "immoral" and "degrading". So basically the reason appears to be religious moral conditions more than any actual real crime or harm being done to either the buyer or the seller.
What society has done by criminalising prostitution has allowed some very vulnerable people to become victims to some of the worst types of abuse. Females and males who work in the industry can be subjected to rape without any type of recourse from the law for fear of being arrested themselves.
So basically, because we are offended by the concept and idea of the type of work someone has chosen to do, we just sit back and allow their hurt and abuse to continue. I'm sorry, you cant take the moral high ground on this one. If you seriously think that we should continue to create victims because of some warped morality code than I cant hold any type of respect for you. You are committing a great crime by allowing these woman to be abused, then by legalizing the industry. Morality should not be legislated!
Now I want to move onto the "degrading" argument that was constantly thrown my way. I emailed and got into contact with a couple of people who work in the industry to get a more balanced view point on the topic, and get their thoughts on the criminalization of prostitution. The responses I got back where professional and interesting and to the letter, not one of them thought their job was degrading.
Most of the people I contacted in fact informed me that they loved their jobs and what they did and a couple even mentioned it was more than about the money. Their point of view seemed to center around the fact that they considered themselves sexually "mature" and did not see any type of sin or evilness with sex.
A couple of the people I spoke to appeared already to be the victims of society with no other resources available to them. One of the ladies explained how her husband had left her with three kids and they were basically starving on the side of the road before she entered the industry. Now she is able to look after herself and her kids, and is putting them all through school.
Another important point we have to look at is the crime associated with prostitution. Yes, there is a pretty large criminal element associated with prostitution but as studies have shown... that element is there because the act of prostitution is criminalized. Because prostitutes are considered to be committing a crime they are unable to use the protective services a lot of society has to offer, and so in turn, have to associate themselves with less savoury characters to get some type of protection from the sicker parts of humanity.
If you legalize it, most of the criminal element should leave with it. This has been shown over and over again when countries like the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand and even an American and Australian state who have all started the process of legalizing it.
In the state of Nevada where prostitution has been legalized and is regulated, results have shown that the STD rate amongst the prostitutes in that state are lower than those of the general public. Also, because the woman are more educated in safer sex and are protected there has not being a single case of AIDS in the Nevada legalized prostitution industry.
This topic should be very simple for us. You have no right to tell someone else what they can and can not do with their body, and no one has the right to tell you what to do with yours. If you choose to sell your body services off as a toilet janitor, a politician or a prostitute that should be YOUR choice. Whether you are offended by the idea or not, prostitution has and most likely will always have a roll and to play and a part in our society. Even in countries in the Middle East where prostitution is punishable by death it continues. Sex is legal, money is legal, sex for money is illegal... unless its in front of a camera, and its just porn, and then its legal. You cant be serious?
Now we can choose to be hypocrites and allow this abuse to continue in the name of some imaginary moral conviction or you can do the right thing, and help protect these woman by decriminalizing the industry.
In the closing words of Penn & Teller episode on the subject of prostitution, if you think its disgusting and degrading. Don't do it.
I would like to point out, that I never had the desire or need to use the services of a prostitute.
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wtf is wrong with all you people?
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Leetest form of linux there is. The primary OS I now use. Kubuntu, Dapper Drake, 6.06 LTS. I really think people should use this as their default OS
For those of you who dont know, I run Kubuntu OS as my desktop OS. With all the queerness of Microsofts Anti Piracy campaign, I have decided to completely leave the MicroSoft world. Sure, I loose windows media player and some gaming choices. However, you do get awsome games like warsow that are completely open source, and LOADS of fun to play. If you are in South Africa, there is a South African warsow server gracefully hosted by Web Africa. When in the game just type "connect warsow.webfafrica.co.za" And you will connect to the server to be able to jam with the rest of us.
I consider this a book that every South African should read to get perspective in their lives. Its honesty is most refreshing and Al Lovejoy`s ability to capture in words the essence of a culture and history of a generation of south Africans is amazing. Al Lovejoy has earned a lot of respect from a generation of youth who appretiate the truth. Thank you Al.
Other reviews:
‘Acid Alex is quite simply one of the most shocking autobiographies I have ever read. It is also well-written, addictive, excellent.’
– Sue Blaine, Business Day
‘Heartbreaking! Entertaining! Intelligent!’
– Erns Grundling, SL magazine
‘Nothing I have read has sketched the scorched social landscape of South Africa’s last half-century with such intensity and honesty. Read it.’
– Charles Thesen, Marie Claire
‘There are elements of Hunter S Thompson, Herman Charles Bosman, William Burroughs and William Wharton. But in the end it is an amazing story told in a unique voice. A voice moulded by pain, a voice honed by a government reformatory..., whetted by the SADF, and sharpened by Pretoria Central.
It is the story of a man who went to hell and came back, a morality tale, a Bildungsroman, the narrative of a f*ckup who found redemption, and the anthem of a lost generation.’– Caspar Greeff, Sunday Times
‘Truly, as Koos Kombuis says, this is “an astonishingly breathless story” … Besides being a great read, Acid Alex is an invaluable record of a type of mania that gripped a certain type of South African in the last quarter of the 20th century. It’s a book that’s going to appeal to many young South Africans who currently have to turn to the United States for their myths of pointless excess, and it’s going to inspire them. Not necessarily in a particularly savoury way.’
– Chris Roper, Mail & Guardian
This book is more than just a suggested read.
In what has to be a remarkable show of insight into the power of social networking, a British Indie band is offering their album free to download off their website. This is one band, that seems to have googled it. It looks like the older corporate models are failing and hopefully the world will not have to tolerate the insanity that is RIAA much longer.
I love artists with scope.
South Africa needs science and South Africa needs prominent scientific voices. Unfortunately, like the media in much of the rest of the world, South Africa's media is not nearly welcoming enough to the skeptical and scientific views of the world. Luckily, we have great examples from the United States and elsewhere of how self-publication through blogs can affect public discourse, promoting science and acting as a counterweight to indifference, ignorance, and gullibility. However, unlike our comrades elsewhere, South African science bloggers are unconnected and not organized. I propose to change that...Read More
Really funny flash video depicting the end of the world as the result of a nucleur fall out.
For those of you who dont know, I am South African. Im a born and bred white native african, and damb proud of it. However, I will often use words that you may not understand, local slag u wont pick up on. Click on this link to learn a little more about South African slang, aka, Safrikan!
The entire catalogue of information from 1,800 courses at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will be available free online by the end of the year. Once uploaded, it will represent one of the internet’s most important resources.
MsDewey.com
I never have never used a search engine this cheeky before :) Its great fun for about 10 minutes.
Seaward.co.za for South Africa`s best coastal real estate.
In what has to be classed as bizare, a clash between a 6-foot (1.8m) alligator and a 13-foot (3.9m) python has left two of the deadliest predators dead in Florida's swamps.
I came across this site by Anup Shah that has a detailed look into the causes of poverty. I found some of the statistics he shows to be very embarrassing and a shameful reflection on humanity today.
* Half the world — nearly three billion people — live on less than two dollars a day.
* The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the poorest 48 nations (i.e. a quarter of the world’s countries) is less than the wealth of the world’s three richest people combined.
* Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
* Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.
* 1 billion children live in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world). 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day).
Anup Shah shows us the institutions, policies and people behind many of today's causes of poverty.
http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Poverty.asp
Haha, these poor lil bunnies. A bunch of pictures of bunnies trying to come up with imaginitive ways to kill themselves.
The Public Library of Science is a nonprofit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource. A most excellent link for those of you wanting access to some amazing science.
A really nice Travian signature generator
Ever wondered how many babies are being pushed out every day, or how many people are dying every minute? Well this is the place for you then! This meter currently records those tpes of things, and with a population of 6.5 billion, there are lots of interesting stats for you to check out.
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