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| Whore of Babylon |
It looks like the world’s oldest profession continues to be attacked from the newest crop of do-gooder liberals. One example comes from an editorial in Al Jazeera where the author, one Simon Hedlin, asserts that the “Swedish model” is the best means of tackling sex trafficking/prostitution.
Basically, the Swedish model decriminalizes the selling of sex – which lets the hookers off the hook – while penalizing buyers. I’m not really interested in delving into the whole debate over the morality of prostitution itself, as the late George Carlin said it far better than I ever could:
However, from a purely logical standpoint, such an argument is asinine, and can be illustrated by a simple thought experiment. Imagine that there’s a meth epidemic in Albuquerque, which is the epicenter of the drug trade in the American Southwest. Let’s also pretend that Walter White (ie. “Heisenberg”) from AMC’s Breaking Bad is in fact a real person. In response to the corrosive effects of the meth business, New Mexico’s governor enacts a new law called the Albuquerque Arrangement. Under this new law, emaciated meth heads are penalized for trying to get high, but the likes of Walter White are left alone.
I’m sure that concerned human rights activists would cry foul, insisting that there’s a significant difference between a kingpin such as Heisenberg and a desperate and exploited run-of-the-mill prostitute. For the sake of argument, I’ll concede such a point. In that case, the Swedish model applied to drugs would be akin to busting druggies while turning a blind eye to the activities of struggling street dealers. Either way, you can’t target demand while completely ignoring supply.
This is yet another example of the left absolving women of any and all responsibility. To hear them tell it, women involved in prostitution are exploited victims completely devoid of agency. Seldom do we hear about the enormous economic incentives for women to engage in the flesh trade. High-end escorts, for example, can make over a grand per hour.
That’s right, in the weakest economy since the Great Depression (the so-called “recovery” notwithstanding), a woman can make more money than the overwhelming majority of the population just by being sexually available. I’ll grant you that she is being objectified, but exploited? Certainly not. Sure, not all prostitutes are equal – just like not all drug dealers are equal. Yet the financial allure of both professions is enough to entice many people to take up those respective trades.
At the end of the day, feminists, SJWs, and even many liberals want to make having a vagina tantamount to diplomatic immunity. Somehow, I don’t think that such immunity will be afforded to various street dealers.
Basically, the Swedish model decriminalizes the selling of sex – which lets the hookers off the hook – while penalizing buyers. I’m not really interested in delving into the whole debate over the morality of prostitution itself, as the late George Carlin said it far better than I ever could:
However, from a purely logical standpoint, such an argument is asinine, and can be illustrated by a simple thought experiment. Imagine that there’s a meth epidemic in Albuquerque, which is the epicenter of the drug trade in the American Southwest. Let’s also pretend that Walter White (ie. “Heisenberg”) from AMC’s Breaking Bad is in fact a real person. In response to the corrosive effects of the meth business, New Mexico’s governor enacts a new law called the Albuquerque Arrangement. Under this new law, emaciated meth heads are penalized for trying to get high, but the likes of Walter White are left alone.
I’m sure that concerned human rights activists would cry foul, insisting that there’s a significant difference between a kingpin such as Heisenberg and a desperate and exploited run-of-the-mill prostitute. For the sake of argument, I’ll concede such a point. In that case, the Swedish model applied to drugs would be akin to busting druggies while turning a blind eye to the activities of struggling street dealers. Either way, you can’t target demand while completely ignoring supply.
This is yet another example of the left absolving women of any and all responsibility. To hear them tell it, women involved in prostitution are exploited victims completely devoid of agency. Seldom do we hear about the enormous economic incentives for women to engage in the flesh trade. High-end escorts, for example, can make over a grand per hour.
That’s right, in the weakest economy since the Great Depression (the so-called “recovery” notwithstanding), a woman can make more money than the overwhelming majority of the population just by being sexually available. I’ll grant you that she is being objectified, but exploited? Certainly not. Sure, not all prostitutes are equal – just like not all drug dealers are equal. Yet the financial allure of both professions is enough to entice many people to take up those respective trades.
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| Meth face. |
