fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2412 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2412 ⌋

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 04 pages, 093 secrets from Secret Submission Post #345.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 1 - repeat ], [ 1 - take it to comments ].
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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's the phrasing that bothers me, not the topic. "using" is such a negative word and makes it seem like the prostitute is not a human, but some sort of appliance or tool there simply to be used and discarded. Also men versus people. Just the whole phrasing bothers me and I'm judging you for your word choice.

I see nothing wrong with the profession of prostitution and don't think it should be illegal. But the attitudes that people have towards prostitutes - and this includes the whole "using" thing - is the problem. If we were in a society where people saw prostitutes as people and treated them with respect then that would be wonderful. But sadly we do not, and it's this attitude that I judge harshly.

I think a lot of the people in this thread aren't aware that prostitution is legal in many places and that not every prostitute is forced into it against their will or has no choice about their clients, etc.

Simply put, a lot of people in this thread are Americans who can't fathom that the rest of the world doesn't do things the way they do.

Conversely, I live in a developing country with a huge underprivileged population, where prostitution is both illegal and rife with exploitation, to say nothing of the fact that many of our women have ended up victims in the human trade abroad for decades now. A friend of mine works for an NGO dealing with public health and urban development; pretty much all prostitution in major cities here is linked to organized crime and contributes to the rampant spread of STDs, including HIV/AIDS which is a big problem in this country. The women involved in the "industry" are often poor, undereducated, and come from heavily rural areas; they have little to no agency in their "line of work". The government? Entirely ill-equipped to deal with the issue effectively. This is not just the case for this country, but the region in general to varying degrees.

When you take this lofty attitude that "Americans who can't fathom that the rest of the world doesn't do things the way they do", you also have to consider that the rest of the world isn't one single place. To be honest, I find this to be the more naive, condescending attitude. There are far more underdeveloped countries in the world than there are developed ones, and in those places, the exploitative situation with prostitution and other social vices is much worse than in America for many reasons. The attitude toward prostitution isn't as enlightened as we'd hope either; most people here view prostitutes as beneath them, which definitely does not contribute to bettering their treatment in society.

"When you take this lofty attitude that "Americans who can't fathom that the rest of the world doesn't do things the way they do", you also have to consider that the rest of the world isn't one single place."

Except the comment you replied to isn't about the entire rest of the world, it's about people in thread. Based on when they posted and what they said, most probably are Americans. There are a few who specifically say they aren't and that prostitution is legal where they live and their attitudes are very different from the known and likely Americans.

The comment also didn't take into consideration any of the reasoning behind much of the opposition in the thread, just brushing it off as Americans being unenlightened and prejudiced and can't understand "fathom the rest of the world". That's their words, not mine.

In fact, the problem of exploitation exists even in the US, even if it isn't as severe as in the developing world. And what about the fact that the US has a huge immigrant population and is also where much of where the demand side for human trade lies? These things go hand in hand. From my years living there, I also find the attitude toward sex workers is deplorable. If you'd ever talked to an actual guy who's used their services, the discussion doesn't often emphasize how much he respected the woman. So their concerns should be just as valid as mine seeing as it is an issue where they live and would most likely encounter this scenario. Brushing it off as Americans as being narrow-minded compared to the rest of the world makes no sense when in fact they have the same problems that much of the world also faces.

Honestly, if you live in a place where prostitution is not only legal but well-regulated enough that sex workers not only are protected from exploitation but receive benefits, you are the minority. In that setting, it might be appropriate to get into the ethics of it all -- and yes, all those conditions must apply, you'd be naive to believe just because something is nominally legal means it can't be a problem.

The US, being a developed country and all, doesn't have the HIV/AIDS issue to the extent that the developing world does, but the sex trade is still heavily linked in many cities with gang activity, organized crime, and human trafficking. Even Canada has trafficking problems, and they don't even have the crime stats the US does. Knowing all this, and the fact that the general attitude toward female sexuality is terrible, to say nothing of sex workers, it's not a bad thing to err on the side of caution. The "system" as it is is broken, so if you contribute to it, it makes you complicit. It's not about how people should feel about sex workers as people, it's more that the industry is full of problems and they can't exactly be blind to that, whatever else may happen in the few countries that don't face such issues.

Honestly, if you live in a place where prostitution is not only legal but well-regulated enough that sex workers not only are protected from exploitation but receive benefits, you are the minority

I'd question whether you exist tbh. Where is this magical land with well-regulated prostitution? Hint; not Germany or the Netherlands.

nah, tho

[ SECRET POST #2412 ]

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