Controversial sexual Topic: need your opinion!

[pipe007]

Hey Guys
I need help on getting your very personal opinion on a sexual controversial topic for a human sexuality class I'm taking.

Basically just write a paragraph stating whether you are in favor of, or against the idea of "LEGALIZING PROSTITUTION"

If you support the idea or not, please state your reason as to why it should be legalized or why it shouldnt.

Finally, please state your age, gender, and religious background.

Remember that your responses will be kept confidential and there is no rigth or wrong answer, I just need to make this survey to as many people as I can from both genders.

thanks!

 

[Warrior74]

Male. 38. Atheist.

I'm all for legalizing prostitution. I believe in a free market and I believe what consenting adults want to do with their bodies is their business. I think that legalizing and regulation of the sex industry will lead to less crime being involved in prostitution, less underage victims and less spread of disease.

I also believe that for the millions of men who go without female companionship it would be a boon. I think legalization would lead towards less pressure on the weaker members of society who due to poor social skills, low income, or physical misfortune are unable to attract a mate, and then lash out against women. (ex. George Sodini)

Then there is the female advantage also, for young women in a struggling economy, legalization can provide a legal way to earn income. The reduced stigma via legalization would provide incentives for women who are not from the bottom rugs of society to enter this market. Which would increase the quality of providers and raise the overall value of the industry. Women should be free to use their bodies as they see fit, the patriarchy should not limit women in this way. (haha sorry, couldn't resist). Also it would provide a path for entrepreneurship for industrious women who would have legal protection to run their own business, removing pimps and thugs and dangerous circumstances from the equation.

As for traditional marriage. I think when men have a cheap alternative and access to higher quality sex providers, women who want to maintain a traditional marriage will have to compete by being better wives. Healthy competition drives the free market and in the end everyone will benefit, the wives will have happy husbands and satisfied husbands are more likely to be better providers for their families.

That being said, I'd still won't pay for it, playing the game is half the fun.

 

[scrouds]

For.

29, male, christian

Why not? People should be allowed to do what they please when it doesn't significantly harm another. Pay for sex is not a harmful relationship for either party.

 

[Desdinova]

I'm for it.

It'll give the government something else they can tax other than my fvcking property.

34, M, agnostic

 

[Three]

FOR.

42, male, agnostic (raised catholic, go figure)

Victimless crimes should not be crimes. Consenting adults should be able to enter into any business relationship they want that does not harm or violate the rights of anyone else.

 

[Colossus]

AGAINST.

This was a tough one. From a libertarian standpoint I dont think the government should be able to dictate the affairs of consenting adults, but I also dont think legalizing it would do any net good for our society either. We dont need brothels popping up all over. It wont lower crime, in all likelihood it would invite more crime. It isn't a huge public health issue either. Plus, anyone with a few hundred bucks can get a hooker in any major city.

Bottom line is no net gain. I suppose it could be taxed, but if you wanna go down that road, legalize marijuana, stop wasting taxpayer dollars on prosecuting potheads, and tax the fvck out of it. Far more productive.


30, Male, Christian.

 

[Bible_Belt]

How come "my body, my choice" is the rule for abortion, but not for drugs and prostitution? That's what I've always wondered.

 

[Uberguy]

PRO
34. Male. Atheist.

Two consenting adults should have the freedom to engage in any business relationship that causes no harm to a third party.

 

[taiyuu_otoko]

Against

Libertarian, Atheist

In principle, in an ideal world, it should be legal. But if it were legalized under the current political environment, it would be regulated, taxed, and the quality would go down, and the price would go up.

As it stands now, it's pretty free market as it is. There's plenty of Internet resources to find good places, and there's no need to resort to street walkers.

I've never had a problem finding any.

 

[SecondHalf]

Male, 49, Agnostic.

For.

It's kind of legal already, but the chick only has one customer.

Agree with legalizing marijuana too.

SH

 

[Rollo Tomassi]

Male, 44, 'Christ Follower'

Irrelevant, we already have legalized prostitution written into our divorce laws, child support laws and the current sexual marketplace. In one form or another men will always pay for sex. In fact, intra-sexual competition amongst women is really just commodification of their sexual agency. Legalizing 'direct' prostitution will only dilute women's aggregate sexual value, which means the overal price stays high so long as prostitution stays illegal. And just like the 'war on drugs', illegal narcotics make the government more money than if they were to legalize, tax and regulate them. Marriage, divorce, child support, and a host of other industries dependent upon the current practice of prostitution would suffer if direct prostitution were to be made legal. In other words, people make more money from 'direct' prostitution being illegal.

 

[ebracer05]

PRO

M, 25, Christian

I'm a libertarian and believe that every time the government attempts to legislate a moral imperative, it fails and usually ends up encouraging the opposite outcome. Building on what Rollo said, the current state of affairs artificially increases the perceived market value of sex. I believe this artificially inflated value ceiling is what is responsible for a good deal of the problems with women. If sex became a commodity that could be traded for according to the same means we trade for anything else (ie, currency), a static price would eventually equalize and quantitatively determine it's actual value.

I think this would also be very curative for the problem of the attention wh*re too. At least the orbiter betas who could afford it would be able to placate their sexual desires with a prostitute rather than continue to bombard women they would never bed using "conventional" methods. Even eliminating half of those men would, in my view, go a long way towards fixing a great many problems.

That being said, I personally think prostitution is wrong.

 

[The Duke]

FOR Legalization. Legalizing it will be the first step for it becoming socially acceptable and when it does it might help put regular(non prostitutes) women in check.
They will realize they got more competition now. Their pu$$ isn't so special after all.

35

Male

Christian

 

[Who Dares Win]

Male 27 agnostic PRO

I dont see any reason for which a government or a ignorant majority should be free to tell women what to do with their bodies nor men what to do with their money as long as the conseguences of that behaviour are on them.

Actually legal prostitution would achieve many result:

1)organized crime would no longer mistreat women and finance itself through high priced prostitution.

2)countries with national healthcare would have a lower cost since most of STDs would be stopped through legal control and medical assistance to prostitutes.

3)Huge taxes that could be used to relieve pressure on the tax payers.

4)Hugh impact on social dinamics, men looking for sex would be no longer dependant on overpriced escorts or overgaming bar slvts.

While women looking for a relationships would be no longer victims of guys going after their pvssy only.

Its a win/win situation for both sexes where the only one losing are attention wh0res.

 

[user43770]

FOR

M, 27, Agnostic.

As long as nobody is getting hurt, I don't see a problem with it.

 

[The Duke]

AGAINST.

This was a tough one. From a libertarian standpoint I dont think the government should be able to dictate the affairs of consenting adults, but I also dont think legalizing it would do any net good for our society either. We dont need brothels popping up all over. It wont lower crime, in all likelihood it would invite more crime. It isn't a huge public health issue either. Plus, anyone with a few hundred bucks can get a hooker in any major city.

Bottom line is no net gain. I suppose it could be taxed, but if you wanna go down that road, legalize marijuana, stop wasting taxpayer dollars on prosecuting potheads, and tax the fvck out of it. Far more productive.


30, Male, Christian.

The brothels are already here, yes sir right here in the good ole uSA. Most are disguised as something else. You also have prostitution going on out on the street and inside the vip of your local $trip club. As far as the crime, yes crime comes with prostitution. Read about what has happened with the redlight districts in Europe. I won't disagree with you on that.

 

[taiyuu_otoko]

Do you think that's true? If something is in demand and legal, there should be an abundance. The price would go down and the free market coupled with regulation (mandatory STD testing e.g.) would give the consumer greater options and better quality. When it's in demand and illegal the price is inflated because of relative scarcity and higher legal risk, and the quality is questionable.

.

I don't think there would be much more demand than there is now. I seriously doubt anybody who wants a hooker is dissuaded because it's "illegal."

Also, the demand for Alcohol is far, far greater, (as its acceptance in the general population) than the demand for hookers.

Prices at the chicken ranch (where it's legal) are far higher than anything I've ever paid (where it's always been illegal.)

Your argument about quality is incorrect, IMO. The free market is the best creator of quality, not government regulations.

One might argue that because it's illegal, certain women can enter the trade on the side, and on the sly, whereas if it were legal, there would ALWAYS be a paper trail that a girl was a hooker, which may dissuade a lot of young, attractive ladies from part time work.

Also, regulation creates something called a "moral hazard," where people are less careful because they feel somebody else is responsible (similar to banks making stupid business decisions because they know they'll always be bailed out by the fed).

Every pro I've ever visited has been EXTREMELY careful about safety, and many places require their girls get regularly tested anyways, as any rumor of unhealthy girls would kill their business, legal or not.

Sure, if you're talking about cocaine or some other illegal substance that the government is spending sufficient time and money to stop, your argument would be valid.

But for all intents and purposes, prostitution is pretty legal, simply because there's way more hookers and rub n tug shops that the cops can ever hope to close.

 

[Colossus]

Do you think that's true? If something is in demand and legal, there should be an abundance. The price would go down and the free market coupled with regulation (mandatory STD testing e.g.) would give the consumer greater options and better quality. When it's in demand and illegal the price is inflated because of relative scarcity and higher legal risk, and the quality is questionable.

Look no further than alcohol. When its sale was banned, people paid higher prices for unmarked swill that was mixed in bathtubs and gave people fits, nerve damage, and sometimes death. Plus they risked getting busted and were beholden to organized crime.

Today liquor is relatively cheap, safely made, clearly marked and regulated, and exists in a variety of quality and pricing. The public gladly pays tax (as gladly as a tax can be paid) because it's an indulgence. Over time, the public has become better educated on its potential dangers and risks.

Not a perfect analog to prostitution, but I see them as similar indulgences.

That's actually a pretty good analogy, although I don't think this "commodification" as it were would happen in the way we expect it to. Take the STD angle, a popular plug for legalization: What people dont take into account is that STDs are both vertically (mother-child) and horizontally (partner-partner) transmitted. So while providing subsidized testing and making it mandatory to all sex workers sounds great in theory, it doesnt stop the other half of the disease pool, the general public. STD testing is not the exact science the public thinks it is. Viruses and bacteria have incubatory times, and test latency periods when they are undetectable. Disease will inevitably be transmitted during these windows, and the mandated testing would only offer a margin of security, not do anything to truly buffer public health. John Smith could walk into a brothel with subclinical syphilis, give it to a prostitute, and she could give it to the next 20 clients before anyone is the wiser.

Second, like Howie was saying, brothels are everywhere as it is, in some iteration or another. Making them more visible and accessible would probably dilute women's average sexual value, but the same types of men who get hookers now would do it if it were legal. Kind of like the pot myth---legalizing it isnt going to result in every citizen blazing up on the street, it's just going to make it more prevalent among those who already do.

Would the quality go up? Eventually. But would the price go up as well? THAT would be the X factor. If any average dude with $300 could go and get a pro who is a 9 in looks, then that would significantly alter the sexual marketplace. But if the price stayed high, as in 1k or more, well then nothing would really change.

 

[MatureDJ]

Age 46, never married, secular Catholic (i.e., agnostic)

Definitely PRO-PROSTITUTION!

In this economy especially, it allows young women with no marketable skills (a situation today that even college graduates are basically in) a way to earn a very good income (although perhaps the market rate would drop with the legal element taken out) if they so choose.

It also acts as a release valve on male sexual frustration, which I think would have an incredibly positive impact on the incidence of rape - be it the "real" or "imagined" kind (although I suppose that poor men would still be rapists, as they would not have the cash to procure sex.)

Now, this is not to say that ho's should be able to market their wares on the street corner, or any other improper place. Of course any adult themed establishment (i.e., strip joint) could have rooms for rent for the activity, and it would not be any different.

And of course, by regulating it, the ho's could be tested for disease, and condom use would be enforced much better.

 

[MatureDJ]

AGAINST.

This was a tough one. From a libertarian standpoint I dont think the government should be able to dictate the affairs of consenting adults, but I also dont think legalizing it would do any net good for our society either. We dont need brothels popping up all over. It wont lower crime, in all likelihood it would invite more crime. It isn't a huge public health issue either. Plus, anyone with a few hundred bucks can get a hooker in any major city.

Bottom line is no net gain. I suppose it could be taxed, but if you wanna go down that road, legalize marijuana, stop wasting taxpayer dollars on prosecuting potheads, and tax the fvck out of it. Far more productive.


30, Male, Christian.

So you are against strip joints as well? Can't strip joints be relegated to certain parts of town (typically the industrial area, at least the ones I somewhat frequent. )

But someone getting that hooker might get arrested. For example, legalization would have kept Governor Spitzer in office, and a prime candidate to be the first Jewish POTUS in 2016.