Is prostitution a social ill?

[osho]

I often wonder and I do not know this could be a subject of discussion here. In fact there are some countries or cultures where there is no prostitution and some have plenty of sex-workers and this is mainly for an economic reason. There is a kind of discrimination against them despite the fact that selling flesh is their vocation and since some people take on a particular vocation since they have no other options. Some of us are teachers just because we could not be bankers, architects, lawyers or businesspersons and if we had the choice we wound not have wound up the teaching profession and since we have to choicelessly survive we are teachers. And so are the prostitutes.

Share your thoughts and opinions on this issue

[hampusforev]

I definitely don't revile the prostitutes as human beings, and I'd like to see a shift where they're not castigated as the ills of society. But in answer to your question whether prostitution is a social ill - yes I think so. I think any marketing of things which shouldn't be sold (yes I'm making a value judgment here, feel free to object) we corrupt the intrinsic value of sex. It becomes a commodity. Human beings are greedy creatures, and appropriating this human flaw for technology and other material goods is perfectly fine, I'm not against capitalism, but there are certain things that should go beyond market value.

Just because a person finds themselves in a dire situation and feel desperate doesn't necessarily make their choice "okay", this is why we have minimum wage laws and other social rules, to protect those who under desperation would be coerced into choosing a damaging profession.

But feel free to object to my arguments, on the subject of prostitution I'm very much torn. The current system in the U.S. doesn't make sense, but my country's (Sweden) law, under which the johns are criminal, but not the prostitutes, makes sense to me.

[ftil]

Hey, have you forgotten that you have already opened a tread about prostitutes? :p



http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64199