Would you go to a brothel?

[BarkingGhostar]

I was watching a couple of documentaries on YouTube (of all places) about the Japanese culture that separates love from sex. This is something that has been in grained in their culture for hundreds of years (apparently).

One Japanese sociologist stated unlike the West's interpretation, prostitution isn't something negative or bad. One separates sex and love and one can have sex without love, and have love without sex.

My reaction as a westerner was 'Okay' and got to wondering about all of those poor unemployed female high school teachers that lost their jobs because they couldn't find the right kind of action. I am sure they could cater to the young men of the west and make a living at it.

Now I know prostitution is legal in several countries, or parts of countries, but not if you are a brothel manager (i.e. pimp), but self-practicing individuals are free to employ themselves in this manner. So, not looking at the psychology or the article (and hence NO relationship discussion), would you be tempted to drop a $20 for a handjob, $100 for a quicky if it were legal?

Again, this has nothing to do with love and relationships. This is why it isn't in that forum. I look at it as money being spent on regular maintenance (lube job?).

 

[BarkingGhostar]

BTW, my intent on YouTube search had nothing to do with this aspect of Japan. I typed in 'japanese acc' looking for Japanese car accidents and some of the results that came up were completely tangent to what I was looking for. I used the YouTube app on the Apple TV3.

Amazing how an afternoon can go unexpectedly. One of the documentaries showed the result the negative population growth in Japan as the change in society evidently began back in 1975. One town (Nubari?) looked desolate and only one of the 16 public schools was still running and when the documentary was shot there had been zero births at the last remaining hospital.

In Japan, sex ==Marriage+children. How f-ing crazy is that!?!

 

[AViking]

Brothels are pretty much normal in most of the world. Lots of Europe has red light districts. If you're in the US there is at least one county in Nevada where it's legal. So you can pretty much eliminate any legality discussion from it immediately.

Morality can be dismissed as long as it's between two consenting adults. I have no problem with it then either.

My problem with it is that it can be a very sterile way to be with a woman. I'd rather jerk off. Plus it's not that hard to meet another single person who is only interested in sex. They have these things called bars and night clubs. They work wonders for a sex life.

Never used them but when I was in Amsterdam I was just watching people in the red light district. Kinda interesting. The guys there said that they were not allowed to touch the girls unless they were given permission. So it's really impersonal. If you violate this rule they have a button there that calls the police. To me that sounds horrible.

Outside of Europe it's pretty much anything goes. However you then introduce a real risk of disease.

Stick to the bars. Use tinder. However if you do want to hit up a brothel all power to you as long as you're really careful and use protection.

 

[Newell Steamer]

Brothels are great. I am all for prostitution - legalize it already.

However you then introduce a real risk of disease.

Stick to the bars. Use tinder.

Now, any person looking for sex clearly has NOT had the exposure to the number of partners, as a prostitute has had.

But, when you introduce alcohol, you increase the risk of making some poor decisions; like having unprotected sex with someone you just met at a bar, or, via tinder.

If you go to a brothel, you will practice safe sex. If you get drunk, there is a chance you won't.

 

[mmntech]

Japan is not as sexually liberal as people in the west like to think it is. I think the hentai and panty machines give people a false impression. They still hold on pretty tightly to strict gender roles. People also aren't having it very often. Japan's birth rate is low compared to even other first world countries. There are men there they call "herbivores" because they don't seem interested in being with a partner at all. A high percentage of women also said they weren't interested in sex.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbivore_men

As for prostitution, I think legalizing independent sex workers wouldn't change things for the better. Especially concerning safety of the women. It's a dangerous profession, made more so if you don't have a support and security network. Brothels are much safer for the girls, but can also become havens for human trafficking. That being a big issue in the strip clubs. Any legal industry is going to have to be well regulated to ensure cleanliness and safety are taken seriously. There's also the issue of where to locate red light districts, which will probably become the most hotly debated thing. The current system doesn't work but blanket legalization isn't as simple as some think.

 

[Printer Bandit]

run to the grocery to get milk...stop off at the brothel to get AIDS....sure.

 

[Imp]

Japan is not as sexually liberal as people in the west like to think it is. I think the hentai and panty machines give people a false impression.

Blurred porn is the weirdest contradiction ever...

 

[KeithTalent]

Sure, why not? I fully support the legalization of prostitution. I have no idea why North America is so freaked out about it; seems like a win all around to me.

KT

 

[Sonikku]

I dunno, but all of this talk reminds me of my childhood.

 

[AViking]

In some cities, who want a slightly better image, they put the red light district outside the city center.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Sure, seems like a good way to get some action on the side without "cheating" on the woman.

 

[crashtestdummy]

I don't have any ethical objections in the abstract to prostitution. If both the client and the patron are openly consenting, I don't see a real problem. Making prostitution legal would have the benefit of allowing prostitutes to seek the protection of the law in cases of abuse.

Also, legally speaking, I don't see a lot of difference between prostitution and pornography. The distinction that it's illegal to hire someone to have sex with me, but legal to hire someone to have sex with me in front of a camera makes little sense.

On a personal level, prostitution has little appeal for me. Much of my enjoyment of sex comes from the reciprocation of pleasure. Having an explicit monetary transaction involved lessens that enjoyment, as I'd know the other person is primarily having sex with me for that reason.

 

[videogames101]

don't think I would be tempted, strip clubs are one thing - actual contact for money doesn't have the same appeal for me though

no ethical problems with it though

 

[Platypus]

never, but I have 0 problem with the practice or people who would go.

 

[dawp]

yes

 

[SMOGZINN]

The guys there said that they were not allowed to touch the girls unless they were given permission. So it's really impersonal. If you violate this rule they have a button there that calls the police. To me that sounds horrible.

You know that is true all the time right? You need permission to touch another person. Because your comment sounded a little rapey.

Stick to the bars. Use tinder. However if you do want to hit up a brothel all power to you as long as you're really careful and use protection.

Personally I'm all for the legalization and regulation of the sex worker industry. I know that there are arguments about human trafficking, but nothing we have done has stopped the brothels or the human trafficking, but if we made it legal and regulated it I think you would be able to find more people willing to take sex work and that ultimately would take away a lot of the market for human traffickers.

 

[PokerGuy]

I don't have a problem with the concept, to each his own, but as for me personally? Eww, no. Disgusting, and a waste of money IMO.

 

[Paladin3]

I don't know why the government needs to get between people having sex, even if money exchanges hands. How often in human history has a woman married a man she didn't love just so he could provide for her needs? It's basically how marriages where made for centuries.

If prostitution was decriminalized and regulated it could only lead to fewer women being victimized or forced into the profession. It's a win-win for everyone except for the prudes who want to enforce their sense of morality on society, and the law enforcement and prison systems who profit from turning citizens into criminals.

Edit: We could replace prostitution with recreations drug use and the same reasoning would apply.

Double Edit (for my wife): I don't use drugs or prostitutes.