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http://randazza.wordpress.com/2008/03/1 ... hy-is-not/

I thought I'd just play the scythe card and just paste a link to provoke debate.

Either way, those two occupations are a personal choice (with a few exceptions, like illegal trafficking and stuff). Porn stars and prostitutes are almost the same thing, and being either is voluntary, and, as such, should be legal. However, I think it's perfectly reasonable for them to be frowned upon.

I agree that it's ridiculous for one to be legal and the other not.

flag said what I was going to say, just better. I think people in the government should make it legal before they all get caught doing it.

flagmyidol wrote:Either way, those two occupations are a personal choice (with a few exceptions, like illegal trafficking and stuff). Porn stars and prostitutes are almost the same thing, and being either is voluntary, and, as such, should be legal. However, I think it's perfectly reasonable for them to be frowned upon.

I agree that it's ridiculous for one to be legal and the other not.

I think the reason that prostitution is illegal is for a few logistic reasons.

1) Pornography is more organized, and can therefore have more standards. That's why escort services exist in a lot of countries where prostitution is otherwise illegal. Being clean and sane isn't something you can verify on the streets.
2) You can't tax prostitution properly for just the same reason. Without a definite knowledge of the number of clients the prostitute is serving, you can't make sure that the government gets its share.

I'd like to think that the land of the free isn't holding back prostitution on moral grounds, so I come up with excuses.

SlappyMcGee wrote:I think the reason that prostitution is illegal is for a few logistic reasons.

1) Pornography is more organized, and can therefore have more standards. That's why escort services exist in a lot of countries where prostitution is otherwise illegal. Being clean and sane isn't something you can verify on the streets.
2) You can't tax prostitution properly for just the same reason. Without a definite knowledge of the number of clients the prostitute is serving, you can't make sure that the government gets its share.

I'd like to think that the land of the free isn't holding back prostitution on moral grounds, so I come up with excuses.

I think that if it were made legal, it would become more organized.

Aldaric wrote:

SlappyMcGee wrote:I think the reason that prostitution is illegal is for a few logistic reasons.

1) Pornography is more organized, and can therefore have more standards. That's why escort services exist in a lot of countries where prostitution is otherwise illegal. Being clean and sane isn't something you can verify on the streets.
2) You can't tax prostitution properly for just the same reason. Without a definite knowledge of the number of clients the prostitute is serving, you can't make sure that the government gets its share.

I'd like to think that the land of the free isn't holding back prostitution on moral grounds, so I come up with excuses.

I think that if it were made legal, it would become more organized.

Right, organized prostitution is escort services, which I mentioned.

That guy is so fucking stupid. People can watch each other having sex if it's going to satisfy them sexually. And you pay for that, how nice. Also there is a big difference between having sex with a whore and watching someone having sex. Pornography is not illegal, shouldn't be.

Tunco wrote:That guy is so fucking stupid. People can watch each other having sex if it's going to satisfy them sexually. And you pay for that, how nice. Also there is a big difference between having sex with a whore and watching someone having sex. Pornography is not illegal, shouldn't be.

Yeah but those two (Or three or four or two hundred and fifty one) you're watching are being payed to have sex, prostitution is paying someone to have sex. It's the same concept as finding two prostitutes and paying them to have sex with each other, it's still illegal even though you can watch it on TV legally.

SlappyMcGee wrote:

flagmyidol wrote:Either way, those two occupations are a personal choice (with a few exceptions, like illegal trafficking and stuff). Porn stars and prostitutes are almost the same thing, and being either is voluntary, and, as such, should be legal. However, I think it's perfectly reasonable for them to be frowned upon.

I agree that it's ridiculous for one to be legal and the other not.

I think the reason that prostitution is illegal is for a few logistic reasons.

1) Pornography is more organized, and can therefore have more standards. That's why escort services exist in a lot of countries where prostitution is otherwise illegal. Being clean and sane isn't something you can verify on the streets.
2) You can't tax prostitution properly for just the same reason. Without a definite knowledge of the number of clients the prostitute is serving, you can't make sure that the government gets its share.

I'd like to think that the land of the free isn't holding back prostitution on moral grounds, so I come up with excuses.

Good points, both.

Prositution spreads a lot more disease than pornography. Not to mention that it is more visible to the public that don't want anything to do with the industry at all. If people don't want to watch porn, then they don't visit the website, or buy the dvd, or whatever. If people don't want to see prostitution, they have to close their eyes when they drive past the city corners. Yeah?

Also, the powers that be arent interested in prostitutes so much, but i bet they love their discreet porn sessions every now and then.

Destiny wrote:Prositution spreads a lot more disease than pornography. Not to mention that it is more visible to the public that don't want anything to do with the industry at all. If people don't want to watch porn, then they don't visit the website, or buy the dvd, or whatever. If people don't want to see prostitution, they have to close their eyes when they drive past the city corners. Yeah?

Also, the powers that be arent interested in prostitutes so much, but i bet they love their discreet porn sessions every now and then.

Illegal prostitution spreads disease and invades your daily life. Every (half-way decent) argument for legalization of prostitution I've heard involved institutionalizing prostitution as well, which would mimic the porn industry in its STD-screening practices and advertising.
Besides, don't tell me that porn ads don't sometimes come from unexpected places when you're online. And if you have an email account, you have ads for "male supplements" sitting at least in your spam folder.

It should be noted that STD rates are still alarmingly high in the institutionalized pornography industry. The somewhat back-market nature of the industry also lends it to higher general crime rates. The porn industry is not a completely clean one.

Destiny wrote:Not to mention that it is more visible to the public that don't want anything to do with the industry at all. If people don't want to watch porn, then they don't visit the website, or buy the dvd, or whatever. If people don't want to see prostitution, they have to close their eyes when they drive past the city corners. Yeah?

I've seen way more porn DVDs on shelves when I've been looking for TV box sets or video games than I have seen prostitutes on street corners. You also (Like suki said) have the numerous ads for porn on the internet everywhere, barely any for prostitutes (The only one I've ever seen is trying to hire me as a male escort).

Another way you're argument is flawed is that you mention people buying/watching/going to a site for porn, something you do after looking for it, but you mention the act of looking for it for prostitutes. I'm fairly sure people don't hire a prostitute and do it right there on the street corner.

Either way I've used the word prostitute way too much in the post.

jean-luc wrote:It should be noted that STD rates are still alarmingly high in the institutionalized pornography industry. The somewhat back-market nature of the industry also lends it to higher general crime rates. The porn industry is not a completely clean one.

I don't find it at all surprising that people don't care about the porn stars they watch having any noticeable STD's. If they're coming into contact with sex workers, e.g. through institutionalized prostitution, I'm sure it'd be a much greater concern.