When we say “science” we can either mean any manipulation of the inventive and organizing power of the human intellect: or we can mean such an extremely different thing as the religion of science the vulgarized derivative from this pure activity manipulated by a sort of priestcraft into a great religious and political weapon. – Wyndham Lewis
While unsupported arguments from authority are a powerful persuader for a certain fraction of the population (especially when they agree with existing cherished beliefs), they simply aren’t enough to carry bad policy any more. Don’t get me wrong; they’re still the basis for the majority of laws, rules and regulations. However, the internet provides a powerful tool for those who actually know something about a subject to present facts which refute the propaganda, no matter how heavily it is promulgated by establishment media. This allows them to break the government’s information control over skeptics and people with at least a grade-school level of scientific literacy, who can in turn make their own arguments from authority to counter the official narrative. Bogus studies have thus become a vital tool for keeping the masses sedated; since most people aren’t scientifically literate or well-informed enough to recognize a fake “study” when they see it, this gives the mythmakers their own “facts” with which to counter those disseminated by the real experts. And even though those experts can debunk the faux “statistics”, the establishment’s lies are much louder and shouted through a far larger number of megaphones, so countermeasures may not be believed even when they’re heard.
This is why it’s always a relief to see debunking of “sex trafficking” mythology reported in large media venues; the moral panic will not end until our debunking of the fetishists’ claims begin to receive equal publicity to statements of those claims. Here’s a good example of what I’m talking about: the “trafficking” paradigm pretends that huge numbers of underage girls are forced into the trade by evil “pimps”. But unfortunately for pimp-fantasy-lovers, this is not only false, it was disproven by a major study funded by none other than the US Department of Justice:
…the John Jay study…“thoroughly obliterated the…core assumptions about underage prostitution…Only 10 percent were involved with a…pimp…about 45 percent got in…through friends…Nearly all…said they exchanged sex for money because it was the surest way to support themselves. In other words, the typical [underage sex worker]…is not a tween girl, has not been sold into sexual slavery, and is not held captive by a pimp”…law enforcement “authorities” were very unhappy with the results…which is why they have been buried…the DoJ…immediately ditched [principal researcher Ric] Curtis in favor of his younger, hungrier and less-principled assistant [Meredith] Dank, who was obviously instructed to do another study which would find what the DoJ wanted found – that pimps run the whole show – so as to shore up “sex trafficking” mythology and justify the vast expenditures and rampant civil liberties violations of the War on Whores. Since interviewing real sex workers would merely find the truth again, they were largely avoided except for an easily-manipulated handful in prison…And since interviewees might still tell some truth despite incentives to the contrary, the fantasies of cops and prosecutors were included to balance that…
Of course, this countermeasure was touted far and wide; it was called a “landmark” study and its preordained “conclusions” were trumpeted in every news source in the US and many abroad, and the fact that it was as bad a piece of bogus “research” as anything Melissa Farley or the Schapiro Group ever produced wasn’t obvious to the average consumer of establishment infotainment. Not to be outdone, Curtis and others performed a data analysis of the John Jay and several other studies to serve as a counter-countermeasure to Dank’s countermeasure. While Dank interviewed 36 jailed street workers, the new study drew on interviews with 372 still in the business; while Dank encouraged 73 jailed “pimps” to tell tall tales, the new study drew on non-leading interviews with 85. Naturally the results were totally the opposite, and best of all they were reported in several major venues. International Business Times was first, though its headline bizarrely contradicts the article itself by claiming “half” of underage sex workers were “lured by pimps”:
…Although 87.2% of these young sex workers reported wanting to leave their line of work, none of them stated that a controlling pimp was their reason for staying…The most popular cause for staying…was economic status [and] problems with finding…alternative employment…only 10% of the minors had a pimp at the time of the research, only 1.6% lived with a pimp and 47% reported not knowing a pimp…pimps were only responsible for initiating 8.1% of the minors into sex work. Instead, minors were coerced into joining the industry by their peers 47% of the time and their customers 23% of the time…
Slate’s coverage a week later was even better:
…the researchers…found…that the narrative of [underage prostitution]…they had been sold by local activists—one where knife-wielding pimps lure girls into prostitution then brutalize them into compliance—existed in only rare cases and didn’t describe most people’s experiences…“stereotypical pimps are far less common and important to street sex markets than would be expected…all sex workers in both Atlantic City and New York City described experiencing increasing, rather than decreasing, agency and control over their work over time.” Many of the girls and boys they interviewed “had left pimps because they were violent, mentally abusive, lazy, poor business associates, unable to protect them, extracting too much money, or no longer fun to be around,” sometimes within days or weeks of meeting…Pimps, too, failed to fit the stereotypical mold. “We were told pimps were not approachable because they were too dangerous and didn’t want to talk,” [said Dr. Anthony Marcus]…“But all they wanted to do was talk, talk, talk—that’s what they do for a living”…One pimp told them that going after underage girls constituted “pimp suicide…teenage prostitutes don’t earn enough money”…And while some pimps boasted about exerting control over “their” sex workers, the women working with them told a different story…
The war of information continues: sex workers explain what the demimonde is really like, prohibitionists counter by pretending we don’t know what we’re talking about and presenting lies and exaggerations as though they were facts, then activists and sex work researchers debunk the bogus reports. Measure is followed by countermeasure, which is in turn answered by a counter-countermeasure; though it may seem hopeless, big lies take a lot of effort to maintain, while we only have to keep repeating the truth.
oops… your last link “big lies” doesn’t seem to work…
That’s because it links to a future column (next week).
haha! I should have known. And the one in the future will then cross-reference back. Life does move in interactive circles
Yeah, I really shouldn’t do that, but sometimes I can’t resist. At least it’s good to know people really do click on the links I take all the trouble to embed. 😉
UPDATE: It just got worse; I had to push it back to the 19th to make room Monday for something more important.
What is classified as underage in the United States? Here in the UK the age of sexual consent is 16 for men and women but it is illegal to pay for sex with someone who is aged 16-17 even though non commercial sex is legal. This poses a problem for sex buyers as, short of asking for proof of ID there is no way of knowing with absolute certainty that a sex worker is is 18 or 19 rather than 16 or 17. In the case of a genuine mistake by a client who pays for sex with someone who is 16 or 17 it is the punter (not the sex worker) who ends up in legal hot water. It has always struck me as unfair that clients who make a genuine mistake should risk legal penalty.
Lawheads don’t care about that, clients are all perverts in their eyes.
It’s stupid, in the current legal atmosphere, for anyone to hire a call girl that looks like she’s even close to 18. You’re right, there’s no way to know.
The young ones also tend to be brats too. I don’t know why anyone goes for them. Hate to stereotype here … but they’re not very smart either – and tend to be the ones who have a male “helping” them in the business.
Disproportionate punishment is the problem. Government pretends to be civilized by abolishing corporal punishment and the like, but the strategy is still to terrorize the population by making examples out of minor violators with inflated charges and extreme custodial sentences
In most US states the “age of consent” is either 16 or 18. There are a few weird exceptions (for instance, Mississippi allows a girl to marry at 12, with parental consent).
But the laws against child pornography and against having sex with a child (even overseas) are federal laws, and they define “adulthood” as 18. Thus people have been imprisoned for allowing themselves to be filmed having sex even where the sex was legal.
Thanks, that is interesting. Here in the UK those aged 16-17 can not participate in pornography and it is an offence to possess pornographic pictures of them. However there is an exception where 16-17-year-olds in a relationship may produce pornography provided that it is purely for the use of the couple concerned, it must not be distributed to anyone else. All rather confusing.
While the Sir Walter Scott line “Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive” may seem cliche, it does seem that illusion pales before reality and madness eventually succumbs to reason.
Reblogged this on thoughtsofapunter and commented:
Interesting post which shows that the majority of underage sex workers do not have pimps. They become sex workers due to encouragement (sometimes coercion) by friends but quite a few enter it for survival/financial reasons.
Can we please stop using the word ‘coercion’ to mean ‘got talked into it’? Coercion is when you make someone do something using force or threats. Broadening the meaning of the word “coercion” to mean “pretty much anything at all that persuades you to do something you later regret” is a key talking point of the “one in four” crowd. These people will refer to being paid for sex as “economic coercion”, and justify the nordic model on that basis.
You make a good point. The word “coercion” is over used. Most of us work because we need to keep a roof over our heads, pay bills etc so it could be argued the majority of the population is subject to “economic coercion” which is, of course a silly argument.
“the internet provides a powerful tool for those who actually know something about a subject to present facts which refute the propaganda, no matter how heavily it is promulgated by establishment media”
Which is why I suspect it will just be a matter of time before its neutered,
Fortunetly, for the present at least, the Internet has been fighting back.
They’re already trying, very damned hard, using excuses like “sex trafficking”, “the children” and “copyright violation”.
Thank goodness for proxy services. I have one and may start to use it more often.
The more I read of your work the more impressed I am. You are a voice of calm reason on a subject that is marked by shrill unreasoning discourse.
Thank you! 🙂
I am a former teenaged runaway now in my 50’s of perversely ridiculous youth and health. I encountered numerous “pimps” in my travels (hitch-hiking across country, in bus terminals, their bars, etc.) who were nothing but courteous to me. I continue to encounter men today of all walks of life who are decent caring individuals due to my refusal to live in isolated fear; along with sex workers of all stripes and genders due to my refusal to allow my judgment and values to be manipulated by major media among other values in common.
It would seem to me that the war on pimps is the opening salvo of a war on individual male entrepreneurs and protectors which extends throughout all means of independent wealth generation and thereby also amounts to the wealth of females and children under their care and protection–young, old, minority, working class, etc.; as well as a war on female entrepreneurs of all persuasions who are not under the yolk of government and big business.
By promoting the myth of pimp as bogeyman they promote the myth of independent small businessman as bogeyman in such a way as all myths of this sort prey on susceptible individuals who either apparently don’t understand math or are otherwise confused by shell games that amount to robbery of their own resources, productivity, and wealth generation capabilities.
If such wars ultimately feed the military industrial complex including the prisons it is no surprise just how many resources that they have at their disposal.
Ironically, smokers–another independent propaganda-resistant minority–are also in their crosshairs. By the way, the studies that vilify tobacco can be traced to quite unholy alliances as well. Independent tobacco growers are apparently as unwilling to be herded as ranchers. Tobacco meanwhile is being used to produce loads of patentable drugs to protect us against dementia as one example. Tobacco users–like pimps in the study–love to talk–no matter what indignities they force upon us.
I agree the word “pimp” is a catch all term and is not particularly helpful. There are, however people who abuse sex workers. I remember one escort agency (long since gone out of business) where many of the women would tell me stories of how the owner had made threats to them. I don’t think he was ever physically violent but he certainly let down the tyres of women who had done something he didn’t like. He had a terrible temper as I can attest due to having dealt with him over the phone and I wouldn’t have liked to have got on the wrong side of him. I’ve also heard from working girls who work for agencies where they are treated extremely well by the manager/owner.
Of course not all bosses are perfect and neither are employees. That goes for every business under the sun. Violent threats are of course forbidden in polite company however in order for an illegal business to stay afloat sometimes one has to go out of the box. If conformity works for you then perhaps pimping/prostitution or any of the vices is not your best career choice. However, to assume that the military industrial complex is not violent just because they have some pretty storefronts and “equal opportunity” is selective blindness.
I am a little troubled by the use of the phrase “coercion by friends” . How exactly would that conversation go. It seems to me as though it might be one of those fine weasel words that the prohibitionists can latch onto and exploit with their shill cries of “we told you so” without looking at enough to see that it isn’t really what they think it is.
I’m a lot troubled by it, and considered altering it; however, I figured it demonstrates the writer’s bias so I left it in.
The “White Slaves of Chinatown” poster made me wanna see what that was all about. An interesting bit of BDSM pornography from way back.
There’s a fellow …
(And NO … it’s NOT me!)
Who works in a shopping mall. He’s also a “hobbyist” – a guy who sees a lot of prostitutes. If he were female – he’d be a prostitute himself I’m sure – he’s so fascinated by the profession and lifestyle.
So the next best thing … be a “self-styled” pimp. He’s not really in it for the money … shit I doubt he makes that much money off it but …
He’ll recruit girls out of the shopping mall where he works. Strikes up a conversation and just expertly moves it into the direction of money … which most of these girls don’t have. Lots of college girls … they like nice shit … not a lot of cash to pay for everything they want. So somehow he talks them into “trying out” the business – with HIM as a coach. Of course – there’s a fringe benefit to this … he gets to try them first … either for free, or at a heavily reduced cost to what he’d normally have to pay for an established lady.
Hey … he’s a young guy on an adventure I guess. Whatever.
I’ve talked with my ATF about this – and we both are of the opinion that he doesn’t have the level of knowledge to properly advise and keep new girls in the business safe. He’s not a good mentor in other words. Call Girls get their education from the school of hard knocks – or from other women who have done the job. As a client – he may THINK that he knows everything – but he doesn’t.
But technically – this guy is a PIMP – and he’s prolly accounted for in the statistics on Pimps. But honestly … LOL … he’s not very “tough” and doesn’t do coercion and his gals frequently “bolt” on him (quit). And he lets them leave … because he doesn’t want them going to the cops to report him … he’d piss himself.
So he just goes back into the mall and recruits more girls.
Like I said – he doesn’t use coercion. Why would pimps use coercion these days? Most young girls will have sex at the drop of a hat … or rather, a “Benjamin” or two.
So all this violent pimp shit and beating women and starving them … and all those tales.
I don’t understand them when there’s PLENTY of NICE ways to get women to have sex for cash.
Maggie, I wonder if a good way for us to combat the deluge of misinformation from the prohibitionists would be to put together a small infographic with the 3 or 4 most crucial data points related to sex work and trafficking, based on legitimate scientific studies. And a blog article with references to back it up. For example:
* Estimated percentage of prostitutes in Western nations who are coerced: 2% to 6%
* Estimated percentage of prostitutes in Western nations who are trafficked: 0.5% to 3%
* Average age of entry into prostitution in Western nations: 24 to 26 years old
The wide range of the numbers (like 2% to 6%) would reflect the fact that there is not a lot of good data out there, and would perhaps encourage more comprehensive studies. The 2% to 6% for “coerced” is based on the few studies that I know about, the numbers for “trafficked” I pulled out of thin air but perhaps it could be roughly calculated, the age estimate is based on your estimate of 25 years. “Trafficked” should use its original definition before the term was hijacked by the rescue industry.
I know you already have a “Handy Figures” blog article which includes data like this, but it also includes a lot of extra bogus data (for humorous effect, I know). But a simple facts-based infographic with some thought put into it would be hugely beneficial, I think, and it could be spread far and wide. The notion that a large percentage of prostitutes are coerced/trafficked is THE misconception which allows the sex trafficking hysteria to thrive, and it deserves a pointed counter assault.
That sounds like a great idea! Do you know a graphic artist who could put something like that together for us? I can supply the data if someone can present it in an eye-catching & easily-digestible form, then we can get it to the news media.
Hm, I don’t know any pro graphic artists offhand (aside from my ex), but I’m a web developer with some graphics experience and I could put together a decent .png graphic, I think! I will send you an email with some thoughts.
Although if there are any pro artists out there who’d like to take this on, please comment here and I’d be happy to step aside.
This type of organized lying is going on in other fields and on many levels. As usual, perceived short-term gains are valued vastly over long-term problems caused. Sometimes the BS is so cleverly disguised that you almost nearly a PhD in the respective field and close to the subject to find out what is going on.
I think overall, this is a decline (hopefully not unstopped) of “science” in general. Science has gotten difficult enough and started to give accurate enough answers for quite a few things that the powers that be find their power threatened, and hence set about to demolish science. That a scientific fact is actually a fact and that ignoring it has consequences, often dire ones, seems to be completely unknown to these people. They do everything they can to make their often twisted fantasies what gets accepted as reality, all for short-term gains.
Personally, this saddens me, and the most immediate effect I suffer is that it gets harder to explain and teach anything scientific to people, as they are often so overloaded with propaganda that comes in a scientific guise, that is is hard explaining simple facts to them. Most also have trouble distinguishing between hard, verifiable facts and pure fantasies that somehow sound credible.
I can only hope that the Internet will continue to make a difference and that difference will become larger. Otherwise we are destined for another dark age of superstition, witch-burning and universal (avoidable) suffering.
In that sense, I applaud your continued efforts! Although your topic area is often narrow, the actual applications of your insights are usually far larger.
The story of the DoJ delegating their research to a more “convenient” researcher reminds me of the European Commission, which didn’t like the findings of one researcher, according to whom prostitution is not violence against women and does not equal trafficking, so they commissioned the research to someone else, who will ensure the findings are what the EC wants. Perhaps you know the story already (it’s from February) but still, you can see it here (and the research) – http://www.danieladanna.it/wordpress/?p=393
Wow, that Daniela Danna blog post is pretty damning of the EC. Her original report is pretty good.
Has anybody besides me noticed that broadcast TV series this year seems to be filled with sex trafficking of white female shows?
Someone in Hollywood is going way out of their way to insure a particular mindset among the American people.
I don’t have cable TV in my house, so I haven’t kept up, but can you clarify a bit? Are you saying suddenly several shows are featuring ‘sex trafficking’ storylines?
The Blacklist, CSI, NCIS LA, Bones, The Mentalist, and Elementary (I think these are the ones that I remember) have all had sex trafficking stories since New Years.