Welcome to the Third Degree: Tough, Brief, Weekly Interrogations on matters public and private that force thinking and response. This Sunday we add to the new Articles of Faith series and target: Prostitution

  • Is the sale or granting of sex for money or other valuable items of exchange (freedom, survival, security, marriage) inherently bad or evil? An article of faith?
  • Is it forced sex and/or exploitation, maybe fear, that gives prostitution a bad name?
  • Does it matter if males or females are involved? Givers or takers?
  • Much like life itself, Is the norm men buying and selling and women selling and buying with some gender variations thrown in to confound already confounding and controlling passions?
  • If the transaction is unburdened by coercion, pimps, drugs, violence and the like, are reservations to prostitution merely moral in nature?
  • With prostitution legal in many countries or disregarded by many others are morals winning? How about in America?
  • With prostitution legal and tolerated, even encouraged for much of American history, what changed or should be changed?
  • Has society become more coarse, rape and sexual assault more of an issue with repression versus sexual expression and legalization?
  • Could human trafficking be severely curtailed by establishment of ‘red light’ enclaves with local government oversight, protection and revenue generation potential?
  • In the face of do-gooder opposition, will we we choose more of the same or upside potential
  • Will wringing hands or realities win out?
  • If the arguments and circumstances are as old as life itself, what’s to debate?
  • Meanwhile, is a really dangerous prostitute stalking the land, political prostitution?
  • Is it political whoring of the highest degree to say anything, promise anything, to get elected, to gain and hold partisan power?
  • Are we the people the best whores in the house because we get screwed the most by those who pander and peddle platitudes and promises?
  • Is it more than buying and selling bodies, is it violating the soul of the nation as we lie down and take it?
  • In its many forms, is prostitution another article of faith that falters under observation and deserves remedy?

Socrates reminds: “The unexamined life is not worth living.”The answers and actions are yours.