Comments on: Legalize Prostitution to Prevent a Repeat of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Fiasco

By: Eddie

Eddie — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I had similar thoughts for our own homegrown "Gaps"... how many minorities are locked up because of drug-related charges, leaving kids behind who grow up without fathers?
It seems almost criminal in itself to imprison so many for a crime like drugs, a self-inflicted drag on the national economy, the potential of countless citizens and a drain on government (local, state and federal) to pursue the misguided war on drugs.

By: Dan tdaxp

Dan tdaxp — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I agree (and with drugs the benefits would be even larger). Besides all the domestic benefits, you would take away drugs as a center of instability in the Gap.

Another benefit, too. The Midwest is being ravaged by methamphetimines, which are both trivially easy to create and extremely damaging to the brain.

Problems don't go away if we criminalize them. But we can typically make them worse by doing so.

By: Eddie

Eddie — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

And why not drugs (at least certain kinds)?

By: Dan tdaxp

Dan tdaxp — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Eddie,

Exactly right. In fact, it's worse than that.

Creativity, Talent, and Expertise [1] rely on accumulated advantages. Those who change their domains have a series of "lucky breaks" which are only in part luck: they are in good environments with a high likely hood of serendipitous.

Being arrested on a drug charge is not a lucky break. Indeed, it's one that's very lucky to prevent future advantages.

For underfunctional minorities, drug lacks hurt by preventing the accumulation of even the minimum number of advantages needed to be functional. For others, it may merely prevent them from gaining the expertise necessary to create something revolutionary later in life.

Either way, society loses.

As do the victims of the drug laws.

[1] http://www.tdaxp.com/unl_creativity_and_expertise/
[2] http://www.tdaxp.com/archive/2005/07/08/south-dakota-v-cuong-nguyen.html

By: Brendan

Brendan — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I am guessing you recently saw Bullshit from 2 weeks ago on the subject of prostitution.

By: Dan tdaxp

Dan tdaxp — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I haven't seen it, but I'm glad to see that great minds think alike!

By: Adam

Adam — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I think you're exactly right. Although there is never any excuse for rape (which the evidence doesnt seem to show happened at Duke in this particular instance) there are ways to discourage it. Despite the unscientific theory that "rape isn't about sex, its about aggression," countries with more liberal attitudes and laws on sex and pornography have less rape. As porn for all tastes has become steadily more avaliable in the United States via the internet, the rape rate has declined. I read one study (I can look it up after work) that showed an inverse correlation between viewing violent porn and committing violent sex crimes.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

What evidence exists to show the Duke Lacrosse accuser ever committed an act of prostitution?

By: Dan tdaxp

Dan tdaxp — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Mike,

You are correct that working for a whorehouse does not make one a whore. Likewise, I am sure that many girls throughout Asia are barfined merely because they were not at their posts, and thus paying a fine to their employer is only right.

Unlike some, I would think no less of Ms. Mangum if she has chosen that profession. Indeed, my post is aimed at making life better, not worse, for prostitutes.

Adam, I agree.