I understand you allat, and I understand Os' view too. I've always felt Islam's idea of marriage is nothing more then glorified prostitution. Traditional marriages are very similar (may depend on your definition of traditional).
Of course prostitution itself is more complicated, but they have their similarities.
Exactly. Traditional marriage is not practiced much in the west, but it's a reality. Marriage has a long history based in property exchange, and it's always been about the woman exchanging her life, body, womb, for a man who was expected to pay for her and any kids she had.
Traditional biblical marriage is the same. Islamic traditional marriage too.
Well I think both are complicated. In some ways prostitution is simpler. In other ways, not.
Anyway here's another spanner to throw into the works. Given that whoring is not most people's first choice of occupation (to put it mildly) and given that money is the usual motivation (although there may be odd exceptions) there is a strong inclination on the part of prostitutes to avoid regulation.
What I mean is that if the business is legal and regulated you will have to pay tax on your earnings. This means that for the same return you spend more time with your face jammed in some idiot's crotch than you would if your business was not legal and regulated. This is usually regarded as not a good thing, funnily enough.
I don't think most prostitutes are against regulation. First of all, no surveys have been taken to prove this either way, but if you look at the conditions of work most of them work under - being trafficked, being addicted to drugs (often, not always), being beaten and abused by pimps, having their incomes taken away by pimps (many go through this), being ostracized in society, having no legal worker laws to protect them, being abused by cops and authorities, going to prison for their work etc., I don't see how paying taxes would be the bigger problem for them. Some sure, the ones who are not as marginalized in one way or another, but really, most would be happy to get legal protection.
Poll
Topic: Prostitution