The Regulation of Prostitution Essay Example for Free

The Regulation of Prostitution Essay Prostitution is defined, as a person who engages in sexual acts for money. Although the extreme long-term effects of decriminalized prostitution are not certain, the short-term effects have been economically beneficial. This is a controversial issue because many people feel that prostitution is immoral. Religions, such as Christianity, look down on this issue claiming it sinful. According to religious beliefs, sex should be performed only between a husband and wife. The idea of prostitution becoming legal intimidates some people because they feel it will have a negative impact on the United States. The divorce rate, the spread of HIV/STDs, and the American perception of moral values will supposedly be affected according to these people. Prostitution should be legal because it would help America with its economic disaster, it would also provide jobs, support families, and reduce crime. To truly explain the reason for prostitutions illegalities one has to touch upon the history of the American society itself. Most of the early English settlers were Anabaptists, who made up the largest number of religionists among the colonists. They brought with them a dynamic form of pietistic (having reverence and love for God) perfectionism that was a cornerstone of American civilization (Pivar 18). The concept of prostitution was foreign to the new American culture. England, on the other hand, has a history of experimenting with prostitution. During the twelfth century Henry II gained the credit for legalizing prostitution into England on a grand scale (15). Regardless of his effort, his opinions did not agree with yeoman farmers (A farmer who cultivates his own land) and London merchants. They resisted this policy. 1381 is quoted as â€Å"Perhaps one of the most influential moments in English history† (Anonymous). In the early summer of 1381, a group of people from the lower class came together to take part in the first and only true agrarian revolt, or a rebellion that involved the people of the land, against the government. During the passion of their rebellion, the rebellious destroyed the brothels (licensed sex houses) on the outskirts of London, resisting the Council’s attempts to introduce licensed brothels into the city (Pivar 15). The legalization of prostitution was constantly under attack by the Puritans, and after an epidemic spread of a treacherous disease, syphilis, Henry VIII withdrew state authorization for legalized vice, or prostitution. During the early nineteenth century, an amazing wave of social improvement crashed upon the shores of the American society. Morality was not to be regulated by outside sources of authorities enforcing the law, but rather from an internalized morality that gave strength to the individual in his fight with temptation (Pivar 25). Most English- speaking countries viewed prostitution as evil and it should be suppressed. Middle–class women played a significant role in the anti-prostitution movement, arguing that prostitution is sexual slavery, it threatens family life, and prostitutes are principal carriers of venereal disease. Before 1900 most legislation dealing with prostitution sought merely to control it. After World War 1, usually considered the end of the Progressive era (the era of America’s reform), the goal was to stamp it out completely (Adams). Between 1900 and 1918, more than forty vice (refers to crimes or offenses of an allegedly moral nature) commissions recommended eliminating urban sex districts. In 1909, Iowa was the first of some thirty states that passed red-light abatement laws permit citizens to obtain injunction and close buildings promoting commercial sex (Gilfoyle). By the 1920’s the era of the brothel and open prostitution had ended, and considerable Municipal officials grow less tolerant of prostitution as a whole. Changes emerged over the next four decades that sent prostitution plummeting, from brothels (prostitution establishments), to having them conduct their business in tenement (apartments), dance halls, massage parlors, â€Å"call houses,† and even taxi caps (Gilfoyle). During Prohibition, prostitution developed closer ties with the alcohol trade and organized crime, giving it an even worse reputation. During 1950 and 1951 many prostitutes were forced to work alone. Considering the conditions, the â€Å"Street Walker† prostitute became pray for many of societies psychos. The Customers (also known as a johns or tricks), the pimps, and any other neighborhood scum became a daily obstacle. Even the police were considered a hazard since prostitution was illegal. With no one to protect them, prostitutes had to avoid being robbed, stabbed, shot, raped, harassed, and jailed by police officers if they did not get a â€Å"freebie†. But in all actuality, no one can expect prostitution to vanish completely. It is considered â€Å"The oldest profession in the book†. No benefits, no sick days, and the work sucks, but what job is a great job? Flipping burgers for five dollars an hour compared to five hundred dollars a night. Prostitution is considered a high-risk profession, but what profession isn’t at high risk. If someone wants to run into a burning building for a living, it’s his or her right. From time to time a few people made noise about changing U.S. prostitution laws. The best known is Margo St. James, a college educated prostitute, whose hooker – rights organization COYOTE (Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics) surfaced in 1973 (Adams 3). She argued that prostitution laws gave the cops an excuse to harass women; prosecution of their male customers was far less frequent. Margo St. James and her supporters attracted their share of feminist allies, who felt that a woman’s right to control her body included the right to rent it out. Prostitutes themselves grew more assertive, similar organizations followed in other states. St. James and her supporters defended prostitution as a privacy issue, demanding that it be accepted as legitimate women’s work (Gilfoyle). Today, in 49 of America’s 50, states prostitution is an illegal misdemeanor crime punishable by a fine and a short stretch in jail. Only in parts of Nevada is it legal, organized, and regulated. All Nevada counties except the biggest one, Clark County that contains Las Vegas, are allowed to legalize and regulate brothels, houses of prostitution. According to Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, incorporated towns and cities in counties that allow prostitution may regulate the trade further or prohibit it altogether. Most sex-workers who work in states where prostitution is illegal, work for different reasons but they are the most common amongst prostitutes. Some sex-workers work because they are poor, hungry, uneducated, and too under skilled to get a job in a society that requires a minimum high school education. Some sex-workers work because their addition to drugs prevent them from getting a legal job. The money that they do earn is quick cash, and is normally used to support their habit. Some prostitutes are forced into the role by a dept, pimp, or abusive spouse. Other sex-workers realize they can make more money in one night compared to putting in forty hours a week at most places they could get employment. The legalization and regulation of prostitution would be highly profitable and economically beneficial to the United States. Without the twenty-first century anti- prostitution laws, the oldest profession in the book could become a taxable, clean, and safe occupation. If legalized the enormous amount of money spent each year on prostitution prevention could be spent on more urgent issues such as programs to help women who are beaten by their spouses, rehab for female drug abusers, or women shelters. Instead of oppressing prostitution and spending millions of dollars a year on prevention, the American government should support it and use the profits in a wise and useful manner. If brothels and prostitutes were to be taxed like any other place of business, millions of extra revenue dollars would become available. Another benefit to legalizing prostitution, is that the profession could become a healthy, publicly sanctioned place of business. Since American laws can never permanently prevent prostitution, it would make sense to make it as safe and healthy as possible. During a 20/20 interview with Joe McNamara, a former police chief of Kansas and San Jose, stated that â€Å"The law makes [prostitution] a lot worse [than it is]. It drives up the potential for corruption and it invites violence† (20/20). If sex work were to be legalized it would then become monitored and protected by law, preventing violence amongst sex workers. With prostitutes and police officers on the same side of the law, the communication could be helpful in the prevention of a crime or arrest of a crime offender. As far as health issues are concerned, legalizing sex work would be the most logical idea in the prevention of the spread of HIV/STDs. Nevada, the only American state that allows brothel prostitution, has state mandatory policies preventing the spread of diseases that would work nationally. According to Wikipedia encyclopedia, state law requires that registered brothel prostitutes be checked weekly for several sexually transmitted diseases and monthly for HIV; furthermore, condoms are mandatory for all oral sex and sexual intercourse. Brothel owners may be held liable if customers become infected with HIV after a prostitute has tested positive for the virus. Legalizing prostitution is economically profitable for governments in need of financial resources. The anti-prostitution laws, which are intended to help the prostitutes and society, instead force prostitution underground where women are in the most danger. Without these anti- prostitution laws, prostitution could become a healthy and safe occupation for the willing; due to the fact that prostitution and the law would be on the same side. Present day prostitution laws are unconstitutional and should be abolished because of their unconstitutional nature. Works Cited Adams, Cecil. â€Å"Why is Prostitution illegal?† Straight Dope. Jan 14, 2000. 2 Dec. 2004. Anonymous Author. â€Å"The English Peasants’ Revolt of 1381†. http://www.wiu.edu/users/isb100/revolt1381.pdf Gilfoyle, Timothy J. â€Å"Prostitution† Reader’s Companion to American History 3 Dec. 2004. Jenness, Valerie. â€Å"The Prostitutes’ Right Movement in Perspective.† Making It Work. New York, New York: Walter de Gruyter, Inc. 1993. Pivar, David J. â€Å"The Genesis of Purity Reform.† Purity Crusade. Westport, Conn./ London, England: Greenwood Press, Inc, 1973, 13-49. 20/20. â€Å"Sex for Sale.† Should Prostitution be legal in America? ABC. 1997 http://www.20/20.com

College Admissions Essay: Remembering Mom :: College Admissions Essays

Remembering Mom    The memory of that Christmas Eve years ago still lingers in my mind. Who would have known that a simple candle made of wax and wick would change my way of thinking forever...    Christmas Eve was a special time for Momma and Poppa. Even though there never was enough money to go down to the neighborhood stores to buy presents, Momma and Poppa always made sure I had one present on Christmas morning. In years past I had received a doll made from worn out clothing, with a painted face and hair of yarn. A box made of wood carved by Poppa with my name encircled with a heart. One gift to a young child may not be much, but Momma and Poppa always made sure there was something under our tiny Christmas tree.    But this year Momma was not home for Christmas. The Angels had come for her earlier the summer before. Poppa had grown weary working jobs that paid very little and kept him away for days on end. Leaving me to tend to the house and to keep up with my schooling. Momma always knew what the perfect gift would be that would make my Christmas complete. She was the one who made the doll and suggested the box that I still hold dear today. But now Momma was gone and Poppa was away, leaving me alone on Christmas Eve.    I sat alone reading by the dim light of the last candle that I found in Mommas nightstand. Momma made such beautiful candles, dipping each wick lovingly into the hot wax over and over until the candles took form. Before gently hanging them up to dry she would take a knife and carve a word on each one. Through the years, I had seen the words hope, love, giving, along with a multitude of others. I took the candle down from stand and this one had one word cut delicately in its side...remember.    How odd a word to put on one of her lovely candles. It seemed strange not to see a word of hope, love, charity or even family. Remember. Why would Momma put such a simple word on this last candle? Taking the candle down from the shelf, memories of Momma flooded into my mind. Her soft golden hair, the smell of her favorite perfume, even the memory of her voice seemed to echo in my ear.

A;P: Short Story 2

A & P â€Å"A&P† written by John Updike is a short story about a young boy named Sammy. He was 19 years old and he was working at A&P mini market. One day, there were three girls shopping at the store wearing bikinis, and Sammy was surprised yet adore these three girls, until one day he quitted his job because he wanted to be their hero, but unfortunately, the girls didn’t even see him. John Updike was trying to describe Sammy as a typical youth who is trying to get some attention. At the beginning of the story, Updike didn’t really describe Sammy.Otherwise, he described more of the girls whom Sammy was looking at. But, along his writing, readers could conclude about Sammy’s physical look. Another thing is that Sammy had his job as a cash register in A&P store, and from the way Updike had written, readers could conclude that Sammy doesn’t really like his job. He calls one of his customers a â€Å"witch† and says the other customers are  "houseslaves† and â€Å"sheep. † But what makes him more hate his job is the cash-register-watcher: â€Å"She gives me a little snort in passing, if she’d been born at the right time they would have burned her over in Salem† (303).This shows how much Sammy hates her. In addition, Sammy is sexist. He gives long, loving descriptions of the girls who cause all the trouble. 1 Moreover, Sammy does experience growth through the course of the story. In fact, Updike clearly described it, as when Sammy decided to quit his job: â€Å"So I say â€Å"I Quit† to Lengel quick enough for them to hear† (308). The reader won’t expect this to be happened, but Sammy made a shocking decision by quitting his job just for the girls he’d just knew.But maybe, the reason was not just because of the girls, but also because he had enough of Lengel, and he felt he had enough for all the things he never wanted to but, but he had to. Yes, Sammy was doing his job because his parents were the friends of the store manager, Lengel: â€Å"He’s been a friend of my parents for years† (309). He learned about life, and prepared for the rough road that lies ahead. The most important part of Updike’s story is when Sammy quitted his job. Even Sammy finally knew that the girls were not heard what he said, but he continue to do what he had spilled.Updike is trying to insert some moral value here through Sammy. When Sammy said: â€Å"But it seems to me that once you begin a gesture it is fatal not to go through with it† (309). In addition, by this event, Updike is also wants to reveal that these days, boys will do anything for the girls they like, just like Sammy. Moreover, Sammy knew that when he made that decision, everything will be much harder for him: â€Å"And my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter† (310). But he realizes that he had done the right thing and what w as done had to be done.Moreover, Sammy also indicated that he didn't want to end up like Stokesie, who was married with two kids, and will probably work in the store for the rest of his life in order to support his family. Stokesie suggests what Sammy 2 might become if he were to continue to work at the A;P. For this, Sammy is adapted to a change in his life by resigning as a cashier at A ; P. Towards the end of the story when he announces that he is quitting, he goes on to say: â€Å"a couple customers that had been heading for my slot begin to knock against each other, like scared pigs in a chute† (309).Readers may have sympathetic feelings of Sammy, because he dare to take actions even that he knew that everything will be much harder for him. It never even crossed his mind that he would quit his job because of girls. In the other hand, readers may not realize that Sammy would go far beyond. But what he had done was realistic, because people always do something that they re alize will ruin their life ahead, in other words, people sometimes do craps in their life.Thus, Sammy, the first person narrator, plays an essential role in portraying an in depth viewpoint of the story. His portrayal of a typical teen working in a dead-end job, his thoughts and feelings are very obvious in the story â€Å"A & P. † He develop through out the story, he did some outstanding decision that the reader would not expect. 3 Work Cited Updike, John. â€Å"A;P†. A Pocketful of Prose: Vintage Short Fiction Volume 1. Madden, David. Boston: Thomson Higher Education, 2006. 4

The Crucible By Arthur Miller - 942 Words

A twisted part of American history is well explained throughout the play. The Crucible by Arthur Miller. After a group of young girls got caught dancing around naked in the forest by Rev. Parris all kinds of crazy let loose. In turn of the girls being caught, Rev. Parris wants to protect his family name by covering it up and accusing others of witchcraft.The girls go on and on listing people who were ‘involved’ in the act of witchery. Abigail Williams, the heart of most of the problems that came about in Salem. Her wanting of Proctor leads to vengeance towards Elizabeth. Rev. Parris calls for Rev. Hale of Beverly to come and help remove witchery from the town of Salem. Once time to do the trials judge Danforth immediately starts the hanging for punishment. Mary Warren and John Proctor try to go to the court and tell them that it is all a lie and that the girls were just accusing others so that they wouldn’t be hanged. There are four main keys in this play that b ring out different sides to all the characters. Hysteria being Abigail Williams, reputation being Rev. Parris, intolerance being Elizabeth not letting John lie to her, and lastly empowerment being John in Act III. The events in the play show the true colors of some who try to keep their name as clean as it was before the witchery came into the town of Salem. When Rev. Parris finds his niece Abigail Williams, and his daughter Betty in the woods with his worker Tituba dancing around the fire. He yells at them andShow MoreRelatedThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1269 Words   |  6 PagesAt first glance, the playwright Arthur Miller in The Crucible highlights the historical significance of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, but in fact it is an allegorical expression of his perception of McCarthyism. If the reader has some background information on Arthur Miller’s victimization as a communist, it is evident that the play is a didactic vessel illustrating the flaws of the court system in the 1950’s. The communist allegations were launched at government employees, entertainers and writersRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1681 Words   |  7 Pagesof their way to the last dying breath to make sure they leave with a good or bad reputation. In one of the recent literature study in class â€Å"The Crucible† by Arthur Miller, Miller uses characterization to illustrate reputation throughout the play. â€Å"The Crucible† takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. It is based upon the Salem witch trails. In â€Å"The Crucible†, we journey through the life of three characters who reputations plays a major role in the play. 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The book is known to have a inexplicable plot. This plot is advanced by multiple characters in the book in order to ensure that the reader maintains interest with the material that is being read. The farmer, John Proctor, would be theRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller841 Words   |  4 PagesThe Crucible is a chaotic play, throughout this American classic Arthur Miller takes the reader through multiple events of terror and insanity. While creating a great on-stage play, Arthur Miller portrays his life through the events, the characters, and plot of The Crucible. Using vivid imagery and comprehensible symbolism, Miller manipulates the real personalities of the characters and events in 1600 Salem, Massachusetts to create a symbolic autobiography. Throughout this play, the reader experie nces