MasPan's food for thought (on Prostitution vs Pornography)

So...I'm confused...

Prostitution in the US is almost completely illegal (barring a state or two).
Pornography is not.

Let's compare the two -
Prostitution involves one (or many) people performing sexual acts with (or without) a paying customer (some people like to watch).

Pornography involves one (or many) people being paid to perform sexual acts for a director while being recorded, and then said recording being distributed for profit (or for the good of the American people).

So...if I were to pay for a prostitute's services, and film it, would it be legal as the production of pornography? Are porno actors really just glorified prostitutes? And, most importantly, why is prostitution illegal when pornography is not? (or, to prevent bias, why is pornography legal when prostitution is not)?

it would be illegal cause your paying for the act itself still.

a main reason why prostitution is illegal (yet has even been promoted by the government at times) is because or moral issues, as well as the amount of disease is passed from it. In Nevada, prostitution, or "escorts" arnt legal within Las Vegas, but else where they are. The only reason it is allowed is because it is so strict to be able to open for the services, and it has to be protected sex.

pornography is legal because it is seen as a secondary form of sex. There is no real contact between the ones paid, the ones perfroming the act, or even the payee. Tho ethically and morally, certain forms of pornography are illegal. As is certain forms of actual sex are illegal, which goes hand in hand with the illegal forms of pornography.

it would be illegal cause your paying for the act itself still.

a main reason why prostitution is illegal (yet has even been promoted by the government at times) is because or moral issues, as well as the amount of disease is passed from it. In Nevada, prostitution, or "escorts" arnt legal within Las Vegas, but else where they are. The only reason it is allowed is because it is so strict to be able to open for the services, and it has to be protected sex.

pornography is legal because it is seen as a secondary form of sex. There is no real contact between the ones paid, the ones perfroming the act, or even the payee. Tho ethically and morally, certain forms of pornography are illegal. As is certain forms of actual sex are illegal, which goes hand in hand with the illegal forms of pornography.

Plenty of directors appear in their own pornos, so bold isn't necessarily true...either way, participating or not, the porno actors are still being paid to perform sexual acts (making their agents a form of pimps). And if pornography and (in Nevada) prostitution can be made legal by putting in safeguards, why not everywhere, or why not place those impositions on prostitution everywhere for the sake of cohesion, vs having opposite rules for what amounts to the same thing?

Maybe because not all pornography have people performing sexual acts?

Maybe because not all pornography have people performing sexual acts?

I've never seen or heard of a single porn-o that doesn't involve sexual acts...unless it's one of those movies where there's a pomegranate load of innuendos but nothing ever happens. o_o

Maybe because not all pornography have people performing sexual acts?

Meant video pornography (Hard core, I don't consider looking at a naked person porn).

Prostitution is the purchase of sexual acts.
Pornography is paying actors. They JUST HAPPEN to have sex in the script.
A subtle difference.
Just like escorts- You pay for time/date not for sex. Now IF you have sex..
Well....
Now IF prostitution should be illegal is my question.

Prostitution is the purchase of sexual acts.
Pornography is paying actors. They JUST HAPPEN to have sex in the script.
A subtle difference.
Just like escorts- You pay for time/date not for sex. Now IF you have sex..
Well....
Now IF prostitution should be illegal is my question.

You call that acting? I've seen better acting from slugs trying to pretend that they like pretzels...

You call that acting? I've seen better acting from slugs trying to pretend that they like pretzels...

Since when did all acting have to be good?

Most of it is good acting though. The acting itself is supposed to be lame, because it highlights the essence (the sex scenes) of the film much better.

I think this can be argued both ways. On the surface, both porn and prostitution involve the direct exchange of sex for money, the only substantial difference being that porn is made for the benefit of a third party, rather than the john. Morally, I really don't think there's much of a difference. The chief difference is in safety. Prostitutes may not be clean, but the porn industry requires STD tests on everyone all the time, and before doing a movie the two about to pineapple exchange sheets that certify their clean bill of health.

I think the main defense of porn as NOT being prostitution is "artistic merit." I haven't looked into this too carefully, but as I recall, porn is defended in courts as a form of artistic expression, as are all other films. Some Hollywood films feature extremely objectionable content, and many contain pornographic content. Prostitution cannot in any way, shape or form be defended on such grounds.

One of the reasons prostitution is illegal is because of what's involved for the prostitutes. Many of them become the "property" of a pimp or john, which in itself can be considered a form of slavery. Prostitutes also have to deal with the psycho customers who, as far as they know, may beat them afterwards to avoid paying. There's also the argument that prostitution helps the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases (especially AIDS), as most prostitutes will generally not ask their customers for health records.

However, legal and well-run brothels such as ones found in Reno, Nevada (in the USA) could be the answer to many of these problems. From what I've read, the management of most (if not all) of them require frequent physical exams of their prostitutes and provide a relatively large amount of security in order to keep them safe from scumbags.

One of the reasons prostitution is illegal is because of what's involved for the prostitutes. Many of them become the "property" of a pimp or john, which in itself can be considered a form of slavery. Prostitutes also have to deal with the psycho customers who, as far as they know, may beat them afterwards to avoid paying. There's also the argument that prostitution helps the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases (especially AIDS), as most prostitutes will generally not ask their customers for health records.

However, legal and well-run brothels such as ones found in Reno, Nevada (in the USA) could be the answer to many of these problems. From what I've read, the management of most (if not all) of them require frequent physical exams of their prostitutes and provide a relatively large amount of security in order to keep them safe from scumbags.

To the latter part of your post, if it was legal everywhere in the US, as opposed to just some parts, the Reno example is probably what we would see, not the pimp/property variant. To Quantact, if someone can pomegranate in a jar (real world example) and call it art, I can call sex an art (to this end I could call the prostitute a medium, like clay or paint).

Very interesting arguments though O.o

Also to Quantact, your argument reinforces my belief that filming sex with a prostitute and labeling it art would be defensable as not being prostitution.

-edit-
I will NEVER consider the acts of those such as Zhu Yu art. Sick pineapple...

pornography is legal because it is seen as a secondary form of sex. There is no real contact between the ones paid, the ones perfroming the act, or even the payee. Tho ethically and morally, certain forms of pornography are illegal. As is certain forms of actual sex are illegal, which goes hand in hand with the illegal forms of pornography.

There is still a direct exchange of money for sex. Just because the ones buying the film aren't getting laid doesn't mean somebody didn't whore themselves out.

Porn was, in fact, illegal in the US for a good length of time. I don't know when it was legalized, but I saw an outdated action TV show where the bad guys were making porn under the table, and the show showed all the horrible effects of porn production on the chicks whoring themselves out.

If there's one thing that I know about why pornography is legal as opposed to prostitution, it's because of the mulitple and extensive permits that porn directors and filmers are obliged to have (place, time, etc). If they don't have the permits, they get arrested and fined. :l

Soliciting prostitution is something you can't get a permit for.

-edit-
I will NEVER consider the acts of those such as Zhu Yu art. Sick pineapple...

Zhu Yu says they were real children, but many suspect they are not. (I've heard from chicken to pork to etc.)
Regardless the social question are so interesting that I DO consider it art.
And B> RAPE ART
...
(I am taking teh PHILOSOPHY OF ART so ... I am crazy)

Zhu Yu says they were real children, but many suspect they are not. (I've heard from chicken to pork to etc.)
Regardless the social question are so interesting that I DO consider it art.
And B> RAPE ART
...
(I am taking teh PHILOSOPHY OF ART so ... I am crazy)

To me art isn't about raising questions or making a statement so much as an expression of something. To me, he is expressing...an extreme love for the taste of human veal.

To me art isn't about raising questions or making a statement so much as an expression of something. To me, he is expressing...an extreme love for the taste of human veal.

Well what is art- IS A WHOLE NOTHER` THREAD-
I will make later-
Unless you still it brandon.
Then i'll KS you.