this post was submitted on 08 Nov 2023
728 points (98.8% liked)

News

22890 readers
3647 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. We have an actively updated blocklist, which you can see here: https://lemmy.world/post/2246130 if you feel like any website is missing, contact the mods. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.


Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.


7. No duplicate posts.


If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners.


The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] hogunner@lemmy.world 178 points 10 months ago (6 children)

Alleged prospective sex buyers in this scheme first had to respond to a survey and provide information online, including their driver’s license photos, their employer information, credit card information, and they often paid a monthly fee to be part of this.”

Wait, what? (͡•_ ͡• )

That should make the prosecutors jobs much easier.

[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 35 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

The ease of prosecuting is directly proportional to how wealthy and influential the accused is.

Remember, it's a legal system ... not a justice system ... you can easily distinguish the difference by how wealthy you are (or are not)

[–] hogunner@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago

Sad but true

[–] EatATaco@lemm.ee 6 points 10 months ago (5 children)

Not really, because the people who made the survey are probably smart enough to not include anything about exchanging money for sex. Basically, there's nothing illegal about filling out a survey about who you are and what are your likes or dislikes. There's also nothing illegal for someone to pay another person for their time.

So no mention of exchanging money for sex and it's incredibly hard to prosecute.

load more comments (5 replies)
load more comments (4 replies)
[–] David_Eight@lemmy.world 141 points 10 months ago (16 children)

Why is sex work even illegal in the first place.

[–] elbarto777@lemmy.world 86 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Selling is legal, fucking is legal, why isn't selling fucking legal?

-- George Carlin

[–] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 28 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Seas he also the fella that said “Getting paid for sex is illegal… UNLESS YOU RECORD IT!”

[–] vrek@programming.dev 14 points 10 months ago (5 children)

For years I've contemplated the idea if I came into a bunch of money if starting a porn studio where the customer is an actor/actress in the porn.

We have a building and several "sets" with cameras recording, customer picks their "partner" and "set" and "shoot the porn", after they are done the video is burned on to a dvd(or blue ray or potentially put on a private file server).

The customer isn't paying for sex, they are paying for the video.

Pretty sure it would have a ton of legal push back and I would need a lot of money for the lawyers to fight the cases.

But 1. Safer for everyone imvolved(it's video taped so you won't beat/hurt/kill the other party) 2.technically legal just like shooting porn

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] quindraco@lemm.ee 54 points 10 months ago

The underlying assumption is the same as in abortion: that women can't be entrusted with agency over their own bodies.

[–] stella@lemm.ee 23 points 10 months ago

Puritan values.

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 20 points 10 months ago (2 children)

My bet is on America's conservative puritan history where anything good is bad.

Also sex trafficking. At least that's the argument for keeping it illegal. :(

[–] Plague_Doctor@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago

I believe the reason sex trafficking happens is because sex work is illegal.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] momtheregoesthatman@lemmy.world 16 points 10 months ago

Old white men elected themselves under the guise of voting (gerrymandering who?) and are too embarrassed and confused to allow women the rights they have as humans. Isn't democracy silly.

[–] Jimmyeatsausage@lemmy.world 12 points 10 months ago

I'd say the diagram of "Why is sex work illegal" and "Why is abortion illegal" is almost a perfect circle.

It's about contolling other peoples' bodies and weakening the separation of church and state.

[–] Igloojoe@lemm.ee 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

AFAIK, it's not federally illegal, but mostly every state bans it. As how Nevada can have prostitution.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] masquenox@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago (19 children)

Sex work differs from most other type of work in one very significant way - it's an industry in which capitalists cannot really control the means of production unless slavery (ie, a person can become the private property of another) is legalized and institutionalized. In other words, a sex worker - for the most part - is not as easily coerced into selling their labor to capitalists like most workers can be, and capitalists hate when people have a way to opt out of being hosts for their parasitism.

Sex work also has a way of subverting patriarchal norms upon which the status quo rests.

This is not to say that sex work is automatically a revolutionary, anti-capitalist or even "empowering" thing by itself - there are plenty of ways in which our socio-economic systems allows and enables de facto slavery without calling it slavery - but it certainly doesn't fit into the neat class hierarchy that capitalists wants society to be trapped within.

[–] crackajack@reddthat.com 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)

You're reading too much into it. The primary reason is puritan values. To be fair, the taboo on promiscuity is likely due to the lack of contraceptives and risks of getting sexually transmitted diseases. But access to contraceptives and education would lessen the risks these days. Though people are still creatures of habits so sex and sex work are still taboo for many without questioning why it has been in the first place.

[–] masquenox@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

You’re reading too much into it.

No, I'm not... in fact, I'm not even scratching the surface.

[–] stella@lemm.ee 6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (9 children)

Sex work also has a way of subverting patriarchal norms upon which the status quo rests.

cough, what? No, it reinforces those norms. Men in power get to have women at their beck and call.

This isn't a capitalist thing. Just look at how profitable the sex industry is in Nevada.

It's a "holier than thou" thing that we just haven't been able to get rid of in our society.

As much as I like calling out greed for what it is, this simply isn't one of those cases.

load more comments (9 replies)
load more comments (17 replies)
load more comments (8 replies)
[–] GR4VY@lemm.ee 128 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I'm assuming they're arresting the sex workers and not the politicians and military officials?

[–] tookmyname@lemmy.ml 30 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Hopefully neither, and they’ll arrest the organizers/pimps/etc.

sex workers and clients should be the lowest priority.

[–] INHALE_VEGETABLES@aussie.zone 9 points 10 months ago (3 children)

You know what they say about hoping, you can hope in one hand and bang an escort in the other hand and see which hand fills up quicker.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] roofuskit@lemmy.world 22 points 10 months ago

3 individuals sounds like just the pimps.

[–] PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 15 points 10 months ago

They'd probably have to confirm identities to arrest those folks, and also prove they aren't just getting name-dropped.

Just grabbing the pimps and workers is a lot easier and less case intense

[–] shiroininja@lemmy.world 78 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Anybody remember that one piece about our servicemen being involved in trafficking women overseas about three years ago that was swept under the rug?

[–] Rhoeri@lemmy.world 31 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I only remember the rug as I’m supposed to.

[–] DreadPirateShawn@lemmy.blahaj.zone 29 points 10 months ago (2 children)

To be fair, it did really tie the room together.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] sylver_dragon@lemmy.world 66 points 10 months ago (4 children)

Customers are not named in the affidavit, according to the agent, because ~~the investigation into their involvement is “active and ongoing.”~~ these are the type of people who don't get held accountable, ever.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] Aceticon@lemmy.world 65 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Ah, yes, 4-star generals in Procurement retiring to gold-plated consulting gigs in the very companies from which they ordered $1000 paper clips and congressional members using insider info from some congressional comission or other they're in for trading on their portfolios is all fine, it's paying for sex that's the real problem with holders of high level official positions in America.

[–] Skyrmir@lemmy.world 19 points 10 months ago (6 children)

The bribery potential of those officials violating the laws they're publicly supporting is the problem.

load more comments (6 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Nobody@lemmy.world 48 points 10 months ago (2 children)

The client list will likely go in the same vault as Epstein's. They're all assets now.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] toiletobserver@lemmy.world 37 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

I'm sure they'll be arresting and charging the politicians any and revoking security clearances any moment now...

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] tronx4002@lemmy.world 26 points 10 months ago (4 children)

In this day and age where nothing stays secret, how is it hard for elected officials not do stupid stuff like visiting brothels?

[–] Murais@lemmy.one 48 points 10 months ago (12 children)

In this day and age, why aren't brothels and sex work legal?

[–] roboticide@lemmy.world 14 points 10 months ago (7 children)

Buddy, we're still working on legalizing an absurdly common plant because for a while much of the country thought it was satanic or whatever.

"In this day and age," in America, of course it's not legal yet. That is gonna take a long time.

load more comments (7 replies)
[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Christianity. By demonizing it they can still use it but get to get angry at the women who work there.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (10 replies)
[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 12 points 10 months ago

Where else are they going to get sex? From the woman they live with that is laughably called their wife?

Look at Ted Cruz and tell me that there is a woman on the planet earth who will allow him inside her without money being exchanged.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 22 points 10 months ago (2 children)
[–] fleabomber@lemm.ee 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Oh sure, blame the capitalist.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I'd blame the communist, but communism is just a red herring.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] YoBuckStopsHere@lemmy.world 19 points 10 months ago (2 children)

If the girls were sex trafficked I have a problem with this, if they were free to do as they please, then I have no issue with this.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] guleblanc@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Who would have thought it. A brothel in Watertown. Cambridge I can see. What's next, strip clubs in Belmont, Mitt Romney's home town?

[–] vamp07@lemm.ee 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)

And this is illegal and newsworthy why?

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›