4 ms·

I think the one big emotional difference which has put prostitution in a separate category is that it kind of overlaps with drugs and addiction. Sex releases h

I think the one big emotional difference which has put prostitution in a separate category is that it kind of overlaps with drugs and addiction. Sex releases happy chemicals, just like drugs. Nobody is getting hooked on paying people to pour concrete. There's the saying "if you look for yellow cars, you'll find them." I think your assumption that the difference was gender is just a product of the times: you were looking for that answer. Even though male prostitutes are illegal too. And there's clearly an emotional difference between having sex with someone, and having them mow your lawn.

float4 5y ago
> Nobody is getting hooked on paying people to pour concrete. So you think sex work is illegal / made very impractical in so many countries to protect the customers?
- kevin_thibedeau 5y ago
  Only one is a transmissible disease vector that presents a threat to all of society.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- Y_Y 5y ago
  These things aren't illegal soas to protect the unfortunates who would become addicted, so much as the society as a whole. So that (most) people don't just give up and smoke crack all day or become too immoral or whatever. In principle at least, every individual vice has it's own complicated story.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
u20210623 5y ago
>There's the saying "if you look for yellow cars, you'll find them." I think your assumption that the difference was gender is just a product of the times: you were looking for that answer. Without passing an opinion on the subject, isn't that kind of a flaming laser sword? You could apply it to any parallel drawn between two things regardless of whether the comparison is valid or not. It doesn't seem like a useful tool to discriminate valid ideas from invalid ones.
- saithound 5y ago
  This form of argument does not seem to apply to every parallel drawn between any two things. It seems to apply specifically to comparisons that are very close fits with dominant cultural trends. In 1800s Britain, it could be applied to reject claims such as "cholera is caused by the jews", but it could not be applied to claims such as "cholera is caused by contaminated water pumps". Similarly, the claim "prostitution was made illegal because the Plumbers and Deliverypeople Union wanted exclusive nibs on spontaneous sexual encounters" would be impervious to this 'sword', because blaming plumbers for the problems of society is not a current trope of our culture. Disregarding the merits of this particular instance, that seems like a reasonable general heuristic: after all, if some conclusion is socially desirable, then people may reach it even when it's not supported by the preponderance of evidence.
  - u20210623 5y ago
    Why couldn't it? The statement has nothing to do with current tropes, but rather is an implicit accusation of a confirmation bias on a single person. You can make a claim, and regardless of what it is I can reply with "well, you're saying that because you have an a priori belief and you were looking for any evidence to confirm it".
    - saithound 5y ago
      The statement has a lot to do with current tropes: that's exactly what "product of the times" means. Cf. a "sign of the times": something that shows the kinds of things that are happening, popular, important, etc., in a culture at a particular period in history.
Workaccount2 5y ago
~~If you watch any interviews with sex workers it's clear that they view it as a job, not as a pleasure act. Many porn stars for instance have boyfriends/husbands and note that sex with them is different then their day job sex.~~ Also I am talking more about hard labor, construction, dock work, mining, landscaping is is taxing but it doesn't pay the big sell-your-back-knees-and-possibly-a-limb bucks.
- frenchy 5y ago
  You misunderstood. The people who presumably get 'hooked' aren't the workers, but the customers. People don't sell drugs as a pleasure act either.
  - Workaccount2 5y ago
    Ah, I see.
8note 5y ago
success and completing things also release happy chemicals, but we you're allowed to build things or play sports for payment. Even with that emotional connection, both psychologists and masseuses exist just fine
- seph-reed 5y ago
  I've made a few friends in life who've done pretty much every drug under the sun. The only one that I've consistently heard described as "better than sex" is heroin. Please, reflect on that for a second. Imagine going through all the drugs you could, trying heroin, and being like: "woah, this one drug is actually better than sex." It says a lot.

float4 5y ago

> Nobody is getting hooked on paying people to pour concrete. So you think sex work is illegal / made very impractical in so many countries to protect the customers?

kevin_thibedeau 5y ago
Only one is a transmissible disease vector that presents a threat to all of society.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
Y_Y 5y ago
These things aren't illegal soas to protect the unfortunates who would become addicted, so much as the society as a whole. So that (most) people don't just give up and smoke crack all day or become too immoral or whatever. In principle at least, every individual vice has it's own complicated story.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

u20210623 5y ago

>There's the saying "if you look for yellow cars, you'll find them." I think your assumption that the difference was gender is just a product of the times: you were looking for that answer. Without passing an opinion on the subject, isn't that kind of a flaming laser sword? You could apply it to any parallel drawn between two things regardless of whether the comparison is valid or not. It doesn't seem like a useful tool to discriminate valid ideas from invalid ones.

saithound 5y ago
This form of argument does not seem to apply to every parallel drawn between any two things. It seems to apply specifically to comparisons that are very close fits with dominant cultural trends. In 1800s Britain, it could be applied to reject claims such as "cholera is caused by the jews", but it could not be applied to claims such as "cholera is caused by contaminated water pumps". Similarly, the claim "prostitution was made illegal because the Plumbers and Deliverypeople Union wanted exclusive nibs on spontaneous sexual encounters" would be impervious to this 'sword', because blaming plumbers for the problems of society is not a current trope of our culture. Disregarding the merits of this particular instance, that seems like a reasonable general heuristic: after all, if some conclusion is socially desirable, then people may reach it even when it's not supported by the preponderance of evidence.
- u20210623 5y ago
  Why couldn't it? The statement has nothing to do with current tropes, but rather is an implicit accusation of a confirmation bias on a single person. You can make a claim, and regardless of what it is I can reply with "well, you're saying that because you have an a priori belief and you were looking for any evidence to confirm it".
  - saithound 5y ago
    The statement has a lot to do with current tropes: that's exactly what "product of the times" means. Cf. a "sign of the times": something that shows the kinds of things that are happening, popular, important, etc., in a culture at a particular period in history.

Workaccount2 5y ago

~~If you watch any interviews with sex workers it's clear that they view it as a job, not as a pleasure act. Many porn stars for instance have boyfriends/husbands and note that sex with them is different then their day job sex.~~ Also I am talking more about hard labor, construction, dock work, mining, landscaping is is taxing but it doesn't pay the big sell-your-back-knees-and-possibly-a-limb bucks.

frenchy 5y ago
You misunderstood. The people who presumably get 'hooked' aren't the workers, but the customers. People don't sell drugs as a pleasure act either.
- Workaccount2 5y ago
  Ah, I see.

8note 5y ago

success and completing things also release happy chemicals, but we you're allowed to build things or play sports for payment. Even with that emotional connection, both psychologists and masseuses exist just fine

seph-reed 5y ago
I've made a few friends in life who've done pretty much every drug under the sun. The only one that I've consistently heard described as "better than sex" is heroin. Please, reflect on that for a second. Imagine going through all the drugs you could, trying heroin, and being like: "woah, this one drug is actually better than sex." It says a lot.