I found the issue of Prostitution in Imperial Germany to be interesting. We did not discuss it, but I'm sure everyone knows that legal prostitution still exists, Amersterdam and the US even (Bunny Ranch in Nevada). We discussed many of the pitfalls of state sponsered prostitution but present advocates of state sponsered (4 lack of a better term) prostitution argue that state mandates and police protection rather than arrest, benifits all involved in the industry (prostitute, customer, and pimp). They have the same argument that their predeseccors in Imperial Germany had, that legal prostitution protects the prostitute and prevents the spread of disease.
I do agree with this argument in an ideal situation when a prostitute, male or female, decides to sell his or body because they feel this is the most benificial job for them. However, it appears that prostitution almost never occurs because of an ideal situation. Today we see many stories of women being kidnapped and forced into prostitution internationally and within the US, also we hear horror stories of victims of rape or other types of abuse choosing prostitution as a form of love and gratification not found anywhere else. This aspect of the reasons one may choose to be a prostitute was also true in Imperial Germany. Women at that time needed easy money. There were also even less job oppurtinities for women at that time. So prostitution does not ever appear to be beneficial in the long run, but the easiest and quickest solution.
When we discussed the role of the police in respect to prostitution in Imperial Germay, the first thing that came to my mind was that they actually were just glorified pimps. They made sure the women were in the right district to gain customers, they made sure the women were up to date in their medical examinations, and they reprimanded the women when they did not follow the rules. These job duties just spelled out pimp to me when thinking of them in the prostitution world. Thinking of the police as pimps made me think of other questions. Did the ptostitutes pay off the police? Did the police get free services? And if the police were doing the actual pimpming, what was the role of the brothel owner?? Just some questions to leave you guys to ponder on...
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Yeah I'm sure the police were very involved in things, and there was likely some corruption. The one danger though of outlawing it altogether is that if something is illegal you lose further regulatory power. It's difficult to go in and talk to the women about what is going on if they're breaking the law. The authorities have a hard time determing whether they're there against their will, whether they are getting proper healthcare, and a variety of other concerns.
ReplyDeleteThere are some really shady aspects of prositution and it goes way beyond the idea of selling one's body being morally wrong. My understanding is that some of the legalized prostitution in Europe has made it much safer than you would expect dealing with streetwalkers or organized crime when they are driving hte business.
I've always considered prostitution a victimless crime. The presence of any sort of "morals police" disturbs me to a great degree. If women in imperial Germany or any other early stage industrial society viewed it as an only option, that is unfortunate, but still implies consent. When women are getting kidnapped and forced, that is rape and kidnapping at work. However, when of one's own accord, one's body is one's domain. For the sake of reputation, I understand Berlin and Hamburg's concern, but otherwise, the ills that perpetuate from prostitution seem exclusive to clients and practitioners (pimps and the women themselves).
ReplyDeleteI agree with that point. Considering the lack of legitimate opportunity, prostitution was sadly the best choice for many women. This does indicate an acceptance for practicing the profession. Still, I understand the aim of Berlin and Hamburg. There is usually a lot of bad stuff in the rough trade that goes beyond the general "transaction". But again, most of the evils of the business are reserved for those who put themselves in a position to deal with them.
ReplyDeleteYour post gave me some slight shivers. I'd never really considered the police force's side of prostitution, and you made a valid point. There were those that geniunely tried to help, and then there could have been that other group that took total advantage of the situation and could have ruined a person's life by their actions, be they the police man doing something horrible himself or just ignoring the regulations and letting whatever pass inspections (for lack of better word). People think of police as protectors, but they really could have been predators.
ReplyDeleteI feel bad for women that felt they had no other option than to become a prostitute. I wonder what went through their minds when they made that decision. There had to have been NO other options, and that seems so low and demoralizing. It's heartbreaking, and I wish there would have been other options.
Prostitution is a hard issue because there is the surface issue and concerns (other crimes associated with this business, the spread or control of veneral disease, etc) but there is also the question of the inherently unequal power relationships at play. You bring up a great point in discussing the power that regulated prositution gives to police but feminist historians (and contemporaries) have often pointed out that laws that sought regulate prostitution almost always are more punitive to the prostitute than the customer and serve to perpetuate unequal power relationships between men and women as well as inequalities between social classes since prostitutes need to come from lower classes while both their customers and those empowered to regulate prositution often hail from a higher social class. Furthermore, id prostitutes must pass a health check, what about their clients? Do they bear no responsibility for controlling the spread of disease?
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