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You say this as if the sex industry is a single organization which does both the cam shows of legal adults and exploitation of children. Would you say that the
by lambda 13y ago
You say this as if the sex industry is a single organization which does both the cam shows of legal adults and exploitation of children.
Would you say that the internet industry is inherently harmful because much of this exploitation of children takes place over the internet? Would you say that the software industry is inherently harmful because some people write malware?
You said that "I think the industry is fundamentally different and in its most extreme realizations has been shown to cause severe emotional harm to exploited workers" but I'm not sure how the most extreme realizations of abuse in a particular industry speak to the industry as a whole, unless those are somehow condoned by the majority of the industry or vastly more widespread in a particular industry.
There's a lot of the adult entertainment industry that works scrupulously within the law, and provides income for a lot of models. For some reason, a lot of people have a notion that they are being harmed merely because they are involved in sex work, no matter that they are consenting adults and are choosing this work over any of a number of other jobs that they could have.
So do you believe that working in the sex industry is inherently harmful in some way? Or do you believe that the industry exploits its workers more than is common in other industries? Or that acceptance of harmful behavior is more widespread in the sex industry? And do you have evidence to back this up?
And note, of course, that I'm talking about the legal sex industry; like in the case of any prohibition, such as alcohol prohibition back in the day or drug prohibition today, illegal industries tend to attract more crime, because you're already a criminal merely by participating in the industry. Do you have evidence that shows that the legal sex industry is particularly harmful or more conducive towards tempting people to abusive or illegal behaviors than any other similar industry?
- LukeWalsh 13y agoI don't think of it as a single organization, or as an industry that is inherently harmful. There are many adult entertainers who enjoy their work. I do however think that it's something to watch carefully in developing countries in the same way that we consider safe working conditions. I think that perhaps the quantity of exploited workers in the sex industry is not higher, but the depth of exploitation possible can be much greater than that in many other industries.
- girvo 13y agoThe way I see it, is that sex work has a higher chance of involving harm, but it's not a guarantee. It's inherently risky (contact sex work, I mean) due to STI's and various other reasons; and often those who participate in it as a worker do so for reasons that we should be tackling (be it abuse while young, a lack of other career options, &c) as a society. If the people involved are not suffering or being exploited, then more power to them! In my research though, often those at most risk of harm in society end up there, and that's a bad thing, in my opinion. I live in a country where prostitution is completely legal, and while that doesn't entirely remove all problems, it's certainly helped. Being in a western first world country also helps. it's not a simple topic, and your point is well made; we should think before we rush to judgements and conclusions, especially those based on "Puritan" morals and societies shunning of the industry as a whole.