4 ms·

Yes, Germany. Their "Saunaclubs" are world famous. No matter what you think about prostitution, as long as no coercion is involved, it is none of your business

Yes, Germany. Their "Saunaclubs" are world famous. No matter what you think about prostitution, as long as no coercion is involved, it is none of your business what other people do. "If selling is legal and fucking is legal, selling fucking should be legal."

bjourne 5y ago
Coercion is a fact of life. Claiming otherwise is naive. Legal prostitution means that your future daughter might have to choose between losing her unemployment benefits or taking a job selling sex.
- tokai 5y ago
  Makes more sense to change how unemployment benefits works then.
  - bjourne 5y ago
    Sure. Make working for a living completely optional and then legalize prostitution.
- pacman2 5y ago
  Hm. Strange that this isn't the case now. Germany has not only unemployment benefits but also social welfare. If you unemployment runs out, you get a reasonable apartment paid, health insurance and about 400 Euro per month. No one if forced to work in a sex related field. If you compare that to some things in the US: Man Who Served 20 Years in Prison for Stealing 2 Shirts Freed https://finance.yahoo.com/finance/news/man-served-20-years-prison-214753569.html https://finance.yahoo.com/finance/news/man-served-20-years-p... Even if you consider this a reasonable punishment, the average costs to imprison a person in the US are about USD 30k per year and maybe you should reconsider your view.
- matt-attack 5y ago
  And who is to say that choosing that career path is any worse than choosing any other job to pay for life? It’s your own hang ups at work. Not everyone sees it as a negative. Just because you wouldn’t want your daughter doing it is entirely different from saying everyone should be criminalized for participating in it.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- EveYoung 5y ago
  What do unemployment benefits have to do with legal prostitution?
  - bjourne 5y ago
    In many countries to be eligible for unemployment benefits you have to take any job available. Thus, it stands to reason that if prostitution was legal, such jobs would be available to people with unemployment benefits and they would be required to take them. The US may be different since it's social security system is very primitive. There, the choice would perhaps be between working as a prostitute and starving. Which, obviously, isn't a free choice.
    - kadoban 5y ago
      "any job available" is overstating it. I'd be shocked if that's how it works _anywhere_. It certainly isn't in the US. For example, here's the requirement from my particular state: "You will lose your unemployment benefit if you turn down an offer of "suitable" work without "good cause." Suitable work is work that fits your training, experience, skills, health, physical fitness, prior earnings, and is within 20 miles of your home" Two other large states had similar requirements. I could not find any with a "you must take any available job" requirement. There's no way that could be even vaguely construed as requiring someone to take a sex work job if it's available.
      - bjourne 5y ago
        Yeah, that is exactly what it means. You cannot have the cake and eat it to. If selling sex is a normal job like waiting tables or coal mining (others' examples, not mine: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26898169 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26898169) then there is absolutely nothing stopping an unemployment office from compelling a benefactor to prostitution.
        InvertedRhodium 5y ago
        I can assure you that at least our welfare system here in NZ doesn't require you to take literally any job. We also have legalized prostitution for nearly 20 years with essentially no negative consequences.
- matt-attack 5y ago
  Legalizing bussing of tables means that my daughter might have to choose between being starving and demeaning herself by cleaning up after other people. If farming is legalized she might have to pick cotton if desperate. Best to keep both of those things illegal to spare the dignity of my daughter. Better to lock people in jail if they attempt those things. Better to turn people who might actually enjoy farming into criminals.

bjourne 5y ago

Coercion is a fact of life. Claiming otherwise is naive. Legal prostitution means that your future daughter might have to choose between losing her unemployment benefits or taking a job selling sex.

tokai 5y ago
Makes more sense to change how unemployment benefits works then.
- bjourne 5y ago
  Sure. Make working for a living completely optional and then legalize prostitution.
pacman2 5y ago
Hm. Strange that this isn't the case now. Germany has not only unemployment benefits but also social welfare. If you unemployment runs out, you get a reasonable apartment paid, health insurance and about 400 Euro per month. No one if forced to work in a sex related field. If you compare that to some things in the US: Man Who Served 20 Years in Prison for Stealing 2 Shirts Freed https://finance.yahoo.com/finance/news/man-served-20-years-prison-214753569.html https://finance.yahoo.com/finance/news/man-served-20-years-p... Even if you consider this a reasonable punishment, the average costs to imprison a person in the US are about USD 30k per year and maybe you should reconsider your view.
matt-attack 5y ago
And who is to say that choosing that career path is any worse than choosing any other job to pay for life? It’s your own hang ups at work. Not everyone sees it as a negative. Just because you wouldn’t want your daughter doing it is entirely different from saying everyone should be criminalized for participating in it.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
EveYoung 5y ago
What do unemployment benefits have to do with legal prostitution?
- bjourne 5y ago
  In many countries to be eligible for unemployment benefits you have to take any job available. Thus, it stands to reason that if prostitution was legal, such jobs would be available to people with unemployment benefits and they would be required to take them. The US may be different since it's social security system is very primitive. There, the choice would perhaps be between working as a prostitute and starving. Which, obviously, isn't a free choice.
  - kadoban 5y ago
    "any job available" is overstating it. I'd be shocked if that's how it works _anywhere_. It certainly isn't in the US. For example, here's the requirement from my particular state: "You will lose your unemployment benefit if you turn down an offer of "suitable" work without "good cause." Suitable work is work that fits your training, experience, skills, health, physical fitness, prior earnings, and is within 20 miles of your home" Two other large states had similar requirements. I could not find any with a "you must take any available job" requirement. There's no way that could be even vaguely construed as requiring someone to take a sex work job if it's available.
    - bjourne 5y ago
      Yeah, that is exactly what it means. You cannot have the cake and eat it to. If selling sex is a normal job like waiting tables or coal mining (others' examples, not mine: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26898169 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26898169) then there is absolutely nothing stopping an unemployment office from compelling a benefactor to prostitution.
      - InvertedRhodium 5y ago
        I can assure you that at least our welfare system here in NZ doesn't require you to take literally any job. We also have legalized prostitution for nearly 20 years with essentially no negative consequences.
matt-attack 5y ago
Legalizing bussing of tables means that my daughter might have to choose between being starving and demeaning herself by cleaning up after other people. If farming is legalized she might have to pick cotton if desperate. Best to keep both of those things illegal to spare the dignity of my daughter. Better to lock people in jail if they attempt those things. Better to turn people who might actually enjoy farming into criminals.