Guys: Your Name in Lights

Reuters reports that in Oakland California, the faces of convicted “johns” are now being features on billboards as a type of punishment for their crime. “Other signs invite prostitutes to quit by calling a helpline.”

In Vancouver, I am told—I cannot vouch for this—johns instead are sent to “john school,” where prostitutes are hired to lecture them on the harm they have done.

Clearly, the victim is the prostitute, and the criminal is the client.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to apply this same principle to other crimes of commerce? By this logic, shouldn’t the faces of cocaine or marijuana users be put on the billboards, while owners of grow ops and traffickers are invited to call help lines? How about hiring bookies to harangue illegal bet makers on the harm they have suffered? Those who smuggle in cigarettes could similarly harangue their customers; sellers of illegal satellite dishes could also have a help line; or those who peddle pirated software.

Let’s, just for the sake of argument, forget the prohibition in both the US and Canadian constitution against “cruel and unusual punishment.” Let's trim that human rights fat when it comes to crimes against women.

For what is different, then, between these other economic crimes and prostitution, other than the sellers being female and the buyers male? Could we see gigolos similarly having a moral case against the rich widows who might employ their services? Or isn’t this just a case of scapegoating men and exonerating women for the results of their own actions.

A colleague defends the current practice by claiming that prostitutes are commonly addicted to drugs and therefore not in control of what they do. Fine; this might or might not be true. Those who have tried vouch for how hard it is to get a prostitute to leave prostitution; this makes it seem unlikely they are doing it under compulsion. It has been pointed out that prostitutes make more money than most people pursuing a more conventional career. That does seems a possible reason for choosing the trade.

But even if it is true that most prostitutes are drug addicts, this is also true of many burglars, muggers, and break and entry artists. In these cases, do we feel being a drug addict exonerates them?

No, isn’t it is their sex alone that exonerates prostitutes?