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Prostitution was illegal in almost as much of the 1950s USA as it is today, the only place in the US where prostitution was legal in the 1950s in which it is not today was Alaska. (A shame, because that would've been an ideal occupation for the Palin women....)
Yet according to Kinsey, 75% of American men in the 1950s had patronized prostitutes. The figure today is about 20%.
If criminalization was the answer, there would've been fewer males patronizing prostitutes back then. The percentage in the 1950s was probably little different than the percentage in the 1910s when prostitution was legal in the US. The reason for the decrease is because it's no longer expected for women to stay virgins until marriage and there's less branding of women who sleep around as "sluts".
Criminalization doesn't solve prostitution problems, it only amplifies them, as with legality comes control. If guns were banned in the US do you really think gun crime would stop and no one would have a gun? Same with prostitution. Prostitution being outlawed only means that outlaws are prostitutes.
Kinsey study is not reliable since most of the people interrogated were former convicts and prostitutes!
Prostitution was illegal in almost as much of the 1950s USA as it is today, the only place in the US where prostitution was legal in the 1950s in which it is not today was Alaska. (A shame, because that would've been an ideal occupation for the Palin women....)
Yet according to Kinsey, 75% of American men in the 1950s had patronized prostitutes. The figure today is about 20%.
If criminalization was the answer, there would've been fewer males patronizing prostitutes back then. The percentage in the 1950s was probably little different than the percentage in the 1910s when prostitution was legal in the US. The reason for the decrease is because it's no longer expected for women to stay virgins until marriage and there's less branding of women who sleep around as "sluts".
Criminalization doesn't solve prostitution problems, it only amplifies them, as with legality comes control. If guns were banned in the US do you really think gun crime would stop and no one would have a gun? Same with prostitution. Prostitution being outlawed only means that outlaws are prostitutes.
This post is spot on. First of all morality laws for vices do next to nothing to stop it. But what it does do is create larger government, more tax money needed to fuel a "war on" and goes against the concept of liberty.
Morality/vice laws are a cash cow for government and then the side effects for these laws makes those want to ban regulate the secondary effects to those laws thus increasing government and decreasing liberty even more.
Perfect example is a war on drugs which creates drug crime thus the opportunity to ban guns to fight drug crime comes about.
Kinsey study is not reliable since most of the people interrogated were former convicts and prostitutes!
It's more reliable than any other source as to sexual behavior of Americans in the 1940s and 1950s and is generally considered reputable.
Kinsey was the first man to do a scientific study of American sexual behavior. There was no other study in that period that was done. One isn't going to get an accurate picture from films of that era due to the Hays Code existing from 1934-66 (and the even more stringent UK motion picture code which studios also were governed by, given that they had to pay attention to the laws in their largest overseas market - the "married couples in separate beds" provision was never in the Hays Code but it was in its British equivalent.) Nor would one get an accurate picture from TV in that period which was even more censored.
There are many books of that era about prostitution and if anything going by both nonfiction and fiction books about prostitution in that time period Kinsey's figure actually seems low. Books written later about that era again suggest that Kinsey's figure was if anything on the low end as does anecdotal evidence.
Not to mention that in a society in which "nice girls" didn't put out before marriage (virtually every western society from the Roman Empire to pre-1950s America and Western Europe), in which social restrictions on female sexual behavior abounded, and in which women had fewer job opportunities, there inevitably is more prostitution.
And ironically it's only legal in Nevada, a conservative state.
What are the reasons behind this?
It's the mentality that many politicians have that says the must tell us how to live our lives.
And it's part of the huge problem we have in this country of having a bloated government. If they got out of the personal choices business, our taxes could be greatly reduced.
The problems remain the same but not as many girls will be prostitutes and not as many guys will go at prostitutes if it's illegally!
I'm not sure that's true. Do you have any facts?
Prostitutes are available in any city in the US today. The profession is thriving and it's absolutely ridiculous that our Big Brother government has to tell us how to live our lives.
Prostitutes are available in any city in the US today. The profession is thriving and it's absolutely ridiculous that our Big Brother government has to tell us how to live our lives.
I don't have facts but I see what happened here in Europe.
I don't have facts but I see what happened here in Europe.
Well, if you're talking about Europe: prostitution is illegal in Italy but Italy has more prostitutes than most of the European countries where prostitution is legal, AND more problems related to prostitution than for example Germany or the Netherlands (e.g. illegal immigration, violence, etc.) Prostitution's also illegal in Sweden which has the effect of confining the "world's oldest profession" exclusively to illegal immigrants, and which has resulted in MORE pimping, MORE human trafficking, and MORE disease than Germany for example.
So even in Europe the countries where prostitution is illegal have more problems related to prostitution than those where it is legal.
Nevada is a conservative state? With Harry Reid as a Senator since 1986?
We've been stuck with Reid due to the high percentage of transplanted Californians in Reno and Las Vegas. Their numbers are high enough that the rural areas which make up the geographic majority of Nevada have been unable to muster enough votes to get him out of office. He's largely despised in the rest of the state.
Quote:
Originally Posted by betamanlet
And ironically it's only legal in Nevada, a conservative state.
What are the reasons behind this?
We're not really a conservative state. Outside of the above mentioned cities Nevada has a strong Libertarian streak. By and large there are minimal attempts by the state to legislate morality.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil306
Prostitution is NOT legal in Nevada. Its a long standing internet myth. It IS legal in TWO counties within Nevada; however, it is NOT legal all thru out Nevada. Try going to Las Vegas or Reno and get a hooker. You will end up in jail, where you belong.
This is inaccurate. Clark County (Las Vegas), Washoe County (Reno) and Douglas County are the only counties in which prostitution is illegal. They are also illegal in Carson City. Eureka County has no laws prohibiting or permitting brothels. They are legal in the other counties of this state.
Ironically the 2 main areas of the state in which prostitution is illegal are also the liberal strongholds. There are however numerous active brothels on the outskirts of both of these cities.
Generally brothels are ignored by the majority of locals. Aside from their customers no one really pays much attention to them. They are generally confined to a small section of town so they have minimal impact on day to day activities of local residents.
Personally I can see both sides of the pro and con argument relating to legal brothels. There's no doubt they offend a number of people's sense of morality.
On the other hand as a result of their being legal it provides a safer working environment for the girls. They're working for businessmen rather than criminals. Local government is able to impose health standards to protect customers. Licensing provides a substantial revenue to the local governments.
I pretty much come down on the side of people are going to do what they will, legal or not. If by making the activity legal and regulated it can make it safer for all involved why not make it legal.
Last edited by outbacknv; 09-03-2010 at 07:52 PM..
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