"It's The Oldest Profession" and Other Bullshit Excuses for Inaction

by Amanda Kloer · 2009-05-28 06:50:00 UTC
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Those of you who regularly read this blog know that I don't do a lot of casual swearing, but in this case "bullshit" is the most appropriate word to describe one of my least favorite arguments in the world.  The argument usually goes something like this:

Prostitution may be related to human trafficking, but it is the "world's oldest profession", and therefore, it will always be around.  So it's silly of us to waste our energy trying to figure out how to fight it, reduce it, regulate it, protect women and children from it, or make it safe.

Slate.com is the most recent outlet to publish an article making this claim, but it's neither a new nor creative one.  I can't even say it's just lazy, since this goes a step beyond lazy.  It's quite simply, bullshit.  The "oldest profession" argument esentially says, we know that prostitution exists and is harmful to women and girls, but we're not going to do anything about it, because we don't think we can.

I fully support debating how to best create a policy around prostitution that reduces human trafficking and keeps women and children safe.  And I think that intelligent, well-meaning people can come to different conclusions about how we reduce violence and trafficking in prostitution- legalize, decriminalize, or crack down. But to give up?  To tell the abusers and traffickers that they win, that they are too powerful for us?  To me that is not an option.

Prostitution is old.  So is hunger.  So is poverty and murder and tyranny and cancer and child abuse.  So is every single cause here on Change.org, and most issues of social justice today.  Just because something is old, rooted in society, and difficult to fight, does this mean we should give up?  The pervasiveness of prostitution in history does not make the 14-year-old on the streets of Las Vegas any less exploited.  It does not make the women held in a brothel in Mexico City any less enslaved.

So please, let's put aside the bullshit excuses for inaction, step up, and work to end human trafficking.

Amanda Kloer is a Change.org Editor and has been a full-time abolitionist in several capacities for seven years. Follow her on Twitter @endhumantraffic
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