Talk of the Nation Today — Updated, and Updated Again
I’ll be joining Talk of the Nation today in the fourth quarter hour to comment on Spitzer. 2:45 or so eastern time… tune in.
Update — Wow, live radio. You say things, and then you think later, did I say that?
Here’s some further, day-later thoughts on two things I did say:
First, my spinning out a theory that Mr. Spitzer came late, as it were, to his expensive hobby, perhaps even getting the idea, and even the website URL, from one of the targets of his many investigations. News reports today indicate that (duh) I was wrong, that Spitzer had been hiring call girls for a decade or more. Even if those news reports don’t turn out to be true — I’m sure there are a lot of false claims and claimants swirling around the case, right now — it’s obvious that I was laying out a storyline I’d prefer if I were writing this movie, rather than any evidence. I will stand by my claim that Spitzer’s legendary personal anger at the targets of his prosecutions was real, and was directed, I would guess, partly at the fact that these guys could get away with all kinds of misbehavior that was forbidden to him.
Second, my statement that prostitution should be legal. I’ve thought about it, and still stand by it — understanding that there is an important distinction between saying something should be legal (like, say, smoking cigarettes) and declaring it to be right. I know there are a lot of credible experts (and I am not one) who speak of the destruction and depredation that prostitution does to women caught up in it. But I would respond that certainly, legal prohibition has not done them any good, and (as with drugs) since this business is removed from any legal oversight, we’re pretty much letting the criminals do whatever the hell they want to whomever they can. I compare it to the porn industry, which these days operates in the open as a legal business. The women in porn — for the most part — have chosen that profession freely, if not perhaps wisely. They work under certain voluntary and legal protections that increase their safety and security. With each passing year, they gain a larger share of the financial reward and the power in that business. You may argue that it is wrong, and destructive for the women involved. But making it illegal (again) clearly won’t stop it, and would make things much, much worse for the people in it. I await a good counterargument as to how, and why, prostitution is so different.
(This opinion, BTW, like all such represented here, is entirely my own, and not that of NPR, or WWDTM, or my friends, or anyone else at all.)
UPDATE THE SECOND — my mother just left me a message saying that she was reading my blog at 3 AM and wanted to let me know that she agreed with me that prostitution should be legal. If that’s not a sign from God to never speak about such topics again, I don’t know what is.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Arrghhh.
Just missed it. Congrats on being TOTN’s “go-to guy” on prostitution.
Your book is still on my list, but the last two book stores I stopped by for an impulse by didn’t have it. I like to think that they were sold out. I’ll get it soon!
March 12th, 2008 at 9:04 am
I heard you later in the day (sirius). I like that you are the goto guy on prostitution. Maybe its like giving clean needles to heroin addicts. At least if you acknowledge the difficult lifestyles you can give some relief to those stuck in unfortunate and inescapable situations.
Misty
March 12th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
I couldn’t agree with you more on your thoughts on legalizing (or as they used to say with drug use–decriminalizing) prostitution. And we even have some track record on how well it’s worked if you look at the handful of counties in Nevada that allow it: STD rates are very very low. Years ago people snickered when a group of sex workers in New York tried to unionize, but that’s exactly the issue. There will always be a strong market for prositution, so why shouldn’t sex workers receive benefits and appropriate working conditions?
March 15th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
I’ve long agreed with you that prostitution should be legalized. Which is why I’m profoundly troubled by what happened when Holland did just that recently — as reported by none other than NPR. Everyone thought it would lead to more safety and order, but instead it ended up creating vast new opportunities for human trafficking and organized crime. I have a horrible feeling that this is one of those times when our compassionate liberal ideas don’t quite jibe with harsh reality. Here’s a recent New York Times article on the subject: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/world/europe/24amsterdam.html?scp=47&sq=amsterdam&st=nyt
March 15th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Correction — couldn’t find any NPR link. Must have been an American Public Media show…
April 5th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Came here from your more recent post–you linked here when saying, “I have a feeling that if we talked at any length, you’d find I have opinions and attitudes that committed feminists would find appalling.” I dunno; while to some extent there may be an old guard/new guard division on these questions, I and many other “committed feminists” I know would agree with you on porn and prostitution. –Not to mention that there’s no set of talking points to which you must adhere in order to be considered a feminist. To me it’s all about equal opportunity and respect. “Women are people too” is not a bad summary. (And though I am ashamed to admit I have not yet read your book, I am sure you came across men in prostitution and porn as well…)
Although this piece was written with an audience of young women in mind, I think it is still worth recommending: http://www.tomatonation.com/?p=677 I am not an internet crusader on this topic, but it always saddens me when I see someone disavowing feminism because they associate it with a dour or diehard party line.
I missed your piece on NPR but now that I’ve listened to it I loved it. It seems there’s a bit of a backlash these days; I recently had a son and have been given books about how neglected boys are in school, etc. etc. Actually, I was mostly just relieved that I wasn’t going to have to negotiate the tween-girl clothing aisles this time around.
I always enjoy your blog posts. Please keep them coming!