----- Original Message ----- From: "Erik Reuter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2004 7:12 PM Subject: Re: More hypocrisy on display than skin
> On Tue, Nov 23, 2004 at 03:30:09PM -0600, Dan Minette wrote: > One might argue that the "problems" are caused by cultural views, that > as long as prostitution is perceived as dirty or immoral, that primarily > people who have lots of other "problems", and therefore are less > concerned about the stigma, will participate in prostitution. But, from a religious perspective, being abused is not immoral....only abusing is. Even the most fundamentalists Christians we knew have expressed nothing but sympathy for Teri's abuse. So, the religious stigma for abuse is lower than it is for voluntary premarital sex. Lets look at a step down, to a more socially acceptable practice. Even here in the middle of the Bible Belt, strip clubs are advertised all over Houston with big billboards and lotsa radio time on sports radio shows. Going to one is a regular guy thing to do. Maybe one doesn't brag about it at church, but, back in boom times, going to strip clubs was an acceptable bidness expense. But still, an overwhelming disproportionate number of strippers are abuse victims. One can see it as "I've been forced to give it away for free for years, I might as well make some money off it, viewpoint. That has been voiced by a lot of folks. >In other words, perhaps a good way to eliminate the "problems" of prostitution is > to eradicate religion(s) which teach that prostitution is immoral? So, using people as things is moral to you? My problem with sex work is a lot more from a feminist perspective than from a religious perspective. The foundation of my viewpoints on what makes things right and wrong in sex is that one should treat other people as people, not objects. Indeed, by no stretch of the imagination, is Houston more religiously conservative now than it was 20-30 years ago. Gay pride marches get good pub on major TV stations. Yet, even Houston has allowed zoning for strip clubs, now. (Back in the '80s, the high school seniors could work just a block from the school my daughter was supposed to eventually go to high school at when she was old enough.) Let me give one more perspective. I have virtually no moral compunctions about going to a movie with strong erotic scenes in it. I see nothing immoral in it. I've never gone to Hooters, which shows far less. This can best be understood by knowing my wife and daughters and their viewpoints on how inappropriate it is to view women as objects. I've listened to them, and decided they had a very good point. Dan Summers-Minette _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
