Why is being a self-aware whore "sad and tragic"?

[elfs]

I was listening to the local talk radio station this afternoon, and the topic was underage prostitution in Seattle. Now, like many large West Coast cities, we have weeklies that are full of escort ads that seem so obviously solicitation for prostitution that you have to wonder whether or not law enforcement does anything about it. It's clear, though, from the ads that those are adults selling their, ahem, services to other adults.

On the show, one of the guests was former city of Seattle chief prosecutor Dan Satterberg, and host Steve Scher felt compelled to him about all of those ads that appear in the back of The Seattle Weekly and The Stranger.

Satterberg responded:

It's sad and it's tragic that adults make that decision-- to be in the sex trade-- but law enforcement has scarce resources and better things to do than call all those numbers and set up sting operations. They are adults, and we're focused on the kids who are trapped, beaten, hooked on drugs.

Now, call me confused, but is that an admission that law enforcement resources are more limited than the laws they're call on to enforce? And why is it "tragic" that some people go into the sex trade? I don't see much difference between selling your body for sex and selling your body as a ditch digger. Both use up scarce resources of vitality and time. At least in one you get to meet interesting people.

Comments

[dv-girl.livejournal.com]

It's terribly sad! They're denying Wal-Mart and McDonalds some slave labor. They're likely under-reporting taxes so he's not getting his piece of any of those pies, and you know, the hypocrisy of the Republicans that have been caught with sex workers in recent years is pretty tragic.

[sirfox.livejournal.com]

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/a/m/americandad/2010/03/an-open-letter-to-conservative.php?ref=recdc

that seems relevant.

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

While I find prostitution morally distasteful, the libertarian in me has to say that if a woman wants to have sex for money, then it's her life and her business. People are entitled to make bad decisions. I would agree that trying to save kids who shouldn't be in that position in the first place is a good use of resources. Whether or not it is effective, I cannot say.

[doodlesthegreat.livejournal.com]

You also get to choose your own hours of work, pick your own clientele, and are probably more likely to make enough to pay the bills.

I think bankers are more tragic than hookers.

[mouser.livejournal.com]

Since you asked "You are confused!" There are laws against jay walking but few tickets. I don't think I've ever heard anyone in the LE profession say they have enough people, funding, equipment, etc.
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-64609365.html

I think they say tragic (other then "This will become a soundbite for the next news cycle!") because many prostitutes fall into the business. If it wasn't a persecuted profession, I think it might not be too bad a job for some people, rather then a choice of desperation it is of some of the people that do it... I don't know, YMMV.

I have no objection to the LEO focus being on child prostitution.



Of course, they only go after the sex workers, not the clientele which I find to be the tragedy of hypocrisy - but that's me.

[pixel39.livejournal.com]

It does depend on the local LE whether they go after the clientele. They've been going after the clients pretty aggressively here in MN.

[drewkitty.livejournal.com]

>> The industry is an illegal black market and is thus ruled by violence because it is the only way to resolve a dispute

Exactly. When we start treating sex workers at least as well as we do convenience store clerks, that will be a great deal of progress.

There Are Advantages to Legalising it

[tamahori]

The reasons you list are among several of the reasons that we legalised it over here in New Zealand a bit back.

One of the interesting results was that levels of prostitution dropped in the country ... mainly because the police could now ignore the places that were being legal about stuff, and hammer flat the places that used drugs as part of their business model.

Turns out that the profit margin in running a brothel isn't that big, and drops even more when you're having to follow Health and Safety regulations.

It hasn't stopped things over here, but it does seem to have shrunk the market a bit, though I'm going purely off anecdotal comments from people I've talked to, and as we all know, the plural of anecdote is not data.

What I'd like to see is a proper study done over here to see what the legalisation has done to gang profit margins.

-- Brett

[elgatocurioso.livejournal.com]

I would say that he has to say what he did for political reasons ("It's a bad baaaad thing..."), but that he recognizes the financial reality and is focused on the crimes that do more harm to society.

Yeah, his words are questionable, but his actions seem to speak better?

[kistha.livejournal.com]

Since I'm all for legalizing and regulating adult prostitution, I'm just fine with them spending their time on Child Prostitution.

[urox.livejournal.com]

Of course there aren't enough law enforcement resources. There's never enough money given to government that they can't spend. :P

And it's "tragic" because 80% of the US is christian and does not condone the sex trade.

[srmalloy.livejournal.com]

What fraction of the US Christian population that doesn't condone the sex trade patronizes it despite their self-righteous attitude about it?

[urox.livejournal.com]

Interesting question. My guess is less than 50%, though.

[(Anonymous)]

Not to mention that there are plenty of adults trapped in the sex trade by drugs and/or violence. If someone entered and remained in the trade by choice (not by force of circumstances either) then I wouldn't exactly call that tragic, though I'd neither want such a job nor use their services. That's just my personal feelings though, and I wouldn't force my sexual habits on others (I'm very much a "need to care for the person I'm with" kind of guy).