97
lesday - June 3, 1997
The Battalion
'retty women for lease
\galization of prostitution profits society
r( | Ihe legalization of prostitu
tion in the United States
law' wou *d be a great leap to-
LJltJreduGing waste due to the
ninalization and subsequent
fy secution of "consentual
LI lies."There are many other
mes"lumped into this class,
L^ilhisis the silliest.
T ( jjjClassifying prostitution as a
l ve neisan invasion into the
[i n sofconsenting adults in-
fed in a business transaction. The per-
InAed benefits of making prostitution a
^rv linal act far outweigh the real detri-
Jmi jts to society. Legalization of prostitu-
jselwould result in a bevy of good out-
jes: lower crime rates (especially
1 fori
111
Columnist
Jack Harvey
Junior economics major
violent), increased tax revenue, a
slowing of the spread of sexually
transmitted diseases and the un
burdening of societal hypocrisy.
Much crime is perpetrated
every year in this nation due to the
criminalization of acts between
consenting adults (prostitution
and drugs among them). At first
this seems to be a circular argu
ment; it is certain that the crimi
nalization of once legal acts will
result in a higher crime rate. Moreover, the
criminalization of a consentual act which
previously had only minor ill-effects on so
ciety breeds more serious ills.
People are forced to do unsavory
things in order to feed their hungers and
addictions. The submergence of vices
into the black market drives the prices
paid by the consumers for them upward,
thereby forcing people to commit violent
crimes to get exactly what they want. But
this is not to say violent crime would
come to an end with the decriminaliza
tion of crimes like prostitution, but many
of them would not be committed.
Some argue the great damage done to so
ciety is the waste of productive resources on
such immoral indulgences as prostitution.
The loss can be found in the enormous
amounts of time and energy spent in a los
ing battle: trying to eradicate vices such as
prostitution, not in the comparatively mi
nuscule amounts of resources spent by mid
dle aged-men who feel wanted.
Instead of government wasting efforts
to change the unchangeable, it could
profit from the world’s oldest profession.
So-called “sin taxes,” such as those al
ready levied on alcohol and tobacco,
could be expanded to include revenues
of prostitution.
Moralists have no need to worry. One
can be a right-wing extremist and still be
pragmatic. It is a well-known fact that the
tried-and-true mechanisms of supply
and demand are the best ways to change
people’s behavior. Where militant police
action has failed, changes in supply and
demand brought about by a sizable tax
on incomes of prostitutes is sure to have
strong effect. With lower expected earn
ings for prostitutes, fewer women and
men will work in this field.
The change in price caused by the tax
also would reduce the demand for these
services — government would turn a
profit and reduce this “undesirable” ac
tivity at the same time. This situation is
much better than the current scenario of
interminable expenses for the enforce
ment of current laws for nominal suc
cess. Surely there are better ways to
spend this money.
The regulation of this industry will also
have benefits for the people most closely
involved. When raised to the status of good
citizens, prostitutes would enjoy a happier,
safer life. These women and men are noto
riously maltreated by pimps and clients
and there is effectively no legal recourse
for them because they are labeled crimi
nals. Regulation of this trade will help slow
the spread of STDs such as AIDS.
If each individual can decrease his
chances of contracting a STD through the
use of a condom, government regulators
can protect the public health through
mandatory use of condoms and regular
medical exams for prostitutes. Even if
someone is not planning to have sex with
a prostitute, or with someone who al
ready has, there are costs all citizens
must pay.
The financial effect of STDs on the pub
lic health care system is staggering. Accord
ing to Forbes Magazine, the government of
Amsterdam estimates that the cost of treat
ing an AIDS patient for one year is $46,000
— this cannot be overlooked.
When debate over this issue comes to
pass, everyone will feel better. There
won’t be as much society-wide hypocrisy
when it comes to the ideals that sex once
held under Puritan beginnings. Human
nature is unchanging and laws should
take this reality into account.
ampus
Voice
n ■
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Photograph: Tim Moog
Action to the McVeigh
% verdict:
From what I
\ the evidence
orts the
tys decision.”
Patrick Traister
Senior chemical
en gineering major
Mail Call
Corps officers
suffer false blame
In response to the editorial printed in
the June 2 issue of The Battalion, con
cerning the Fish Drill Team:
The authors of the editorial are
saying that the advisers in question
should be considered victims be
cause an unnamed officer suppos
edly knew what was going on and
simply warned the cadets to “not get
caught.” This accusation of scape
goating is merely a dreamed up de
fense tactic, or as we in the Corps
say, “pulled out” by the accused
cadets’ attorneys.
I must also add that it is a rather
poor excuse. These cadets are in no
way in a vulnerable position. Gen
eral Hopgood has made his posi
tion on hazing no less than crystal
clear. The Corps of Cadets teaches
accountability to oneself, a virtue it
has so far not demonstrated. Cer
tainly, it does not take an officer to
explain to college students that
striking others with weapon butts
and urinating on subordinates in
the name of tradition and training
is unacceptable and morally
wrong. I would hardly call the offi
cers in the Trigon the “root” of the
problem. The root of the problem
is the sophomoric mentality that
just because something was done
to a cadet as a fish justifies the
same actions carried out to others.
Only when cadets realize that
there is a definite line between mil
itary discipline and hazing can the
problem be rectified. Yes, the Trigon
is opening itself up to criticism by
not fully participating in getting
questions answered, but the advis
ers are no less accountable — cer
tainly not victims. They as Ags and
Corps members should have
known better.
Jonathan A. Scott
Class of’99
Honor of Kyle Field
not given respect
I think it is absurd to even allow
the removal of the burial sites of
the Reveilles of Ol’ Army days. The
respect that is devoted to our
mascot has been shoved aside
only to allow a few to benefit from
the addition of a couple of sky-
boxes where chances are great
none of the students at Texas A&M
will even sit in them.
This makes me sick to my stom
ach to know that not even long
time honored traditions are sacred,
especially at Kyle Field, home of the
Fightin’ Texas Aggies.
If there is any way students,
being upstanding and true Ag
gies, can stop this from happen
ing, we should be informed how
to stop those money-grubbing
individuals immediately.
Elena Garza
Class of’98
Sexist advertising
places women on
pedestal of shame
mt
Mandy Cater
Columnist,
Senior psychology
major
nn” walks in her apart
ment at 8 p.m. on a
^Wednesday night. After
a long day of tests and boring lec
tures, she decides to relax in front
of the tube. The first channel she
comes across displays a leggy
blonde perched on a ladder
painting in her lacy bra and
panties. Not too interested, she
flips the channel. This time she is
greeted by a red-lipped brunette,
coyly sucking on a lollipop.
These are the kinds of im
ages American consumers are
bombarded with daily. Adver
tisers effectively send the mes
sage that this is the beauty ide
al; what every woman should
strive to become. Unfortunate
ly, this ideal is not realistic for
most women. It is this impossi
bility that advertisers and their
clients depend on to keep their
pocketbooks padded.
Advertising has proven to be
one of the strongest proponents
of women’s oppression in
American society. As women’s
movements raise consciousness
and open doors for women,
media backlashes consequently
slam them in their faces.
Today women are greeted on
billboards, magazine pages and
television commercials by smil
ing Cindy Crawfords. These per
fect beauties have a few com
mon traits, which make them
easily recognizable: they are all
lipstick-wearing, young women,
completely void of cellulite.
Women see these goddesses
and feel guilty because they are
not like them. On the other hand,
men see these images and expect
women to be exact duplicates.
This is where women’s
groups are concerned. Accord
ing to Naomi Wolf’s “The Beau
ty Myth,” the average fashion
model today is 23 percent un
der the usual weight for an av
erage woman. This trend is
even more troubling when con
sidered in a historical context.
Women in America are, on av
erage, heavier than they were in
the past, but models continually
grow thinner. Dr. Mary Pipher, au
thor of “Reviving Ophelia” said, “In
1950 the White Rock mineral water
girl was 5 feet 4 inches tall and
weighed 140 pounds. Today she is
5 feet 10 inches and weighs 110
pounds.” Marilyn Monroe, recog
nized internationally as a sex sym
bol, is a perfect example of how far
society's standards have fallen.
These statistics might seem
trivial unless there is an under
standing about their overall im
pact on society.
Foremost, there is this issue
of weight. In the United States
today, upwards of $30 billion in
revenue is generated from the
“thinness” industry. It is also es
timated that one in five young
women suffers from an eating
disorder, approximately eight
million American women in all.
In many cases, these women
are completely depriving their
bodies, “often receiving less
nourishment than Jewish con
centration camp victims.”
This type of sexism in adver
tising also devalues women to the
status of sex objects. When bikinis
are used to sell beer and using a
certain brand of shampoo can
send women into orgasmic fren
zy, consumers are sent a power
ful, yet misleading message.
Women, despite any ad
vancements in the workplace,
are trivialized to subservient
bimbos. Ads send the message
that, no matter what anyone
achieves, it all comes down to
one’s sex appeal — brains are
rendered irrelevant.
Real women do not adhere
to this ridiculous norm, but
they are often the ones who
suffer. Violence against women
is an extremely common occur
rence. Nationwide federal gov
ernment data suggests that a
woman is beaten every 18 sec
onds. This gives validity to the
belief that when valuation of
women is low, violence against
them increases.
Moreover, the most disturb
ing facet of women in advertis
ing is the focus on adolescence.
The bodies of most fashion
models are glaringly akin to
those of young teenage girls (ex
cept with respect to large, round
breasts). Essentially the message
defines young and tender to be
sexy. The impact of this notion
became clear with the death of
six-year-old “beauty queen” Jon-
Benet Ramsey in recent months.
One might ask how advertising,
having these severe repercussions,
has gone unchecked in our society.
President Clinton blasted
advertisers for “glamorizing
drug addiction” by portraying
models as “strung out” heroin
addicts. Although drugs are a
serious problem in America, it
is interesting that politicians
choose now to express opposi
tion toward advertising.
Women’s groups have voiced
concern for years, with not so
much as a nod from politicians.
One might also wonder why the
current campaigns are causing
such a stir in Washington after
so many years of silence.
The answer is simple: drugs are
a good fight. When popularity is
suffering within the White House,
it is always good politics to jump
on the “Just Say No” bandwagon.
The problems women’s
groups address, however, are
not as easy. These issues de
mand a reevaluation of how we
view women in society. They
require admittance that the
defining characteristic for
women of today is beauty.
Until millions of women
who are beaten and starving
themselves is considered a
problem in the United States,
the voices of women’s opposi
tion to sexism in advertising
will go unheard.
Me.
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smmooeL??,