Prostitutes as Legitimate Entrepreneurs?

by Lateef Oladeji Internet Marketer Jesus Christ had given us the hints about the end times - weird 
happenings. Ever since He warned of such strange happenings,
the world has lost count of monumental happenings ranging from the extraordinary to the outright insane. Even if we limit our review of such
happenings to only the recent times, it will take months to make a fair
list, not to talk of recalling their details. Is it the senseless wars and the
resultant destructions or sex perversion that are not worthy of mention?
What of terrorism through suicide bombings? It would have been 
unthinkable in the sane old days. What of strange incurable diseases - AIDS and several others?

Or how doesone rationalise the insatiable appetite for corruption
money of leaders of the developing countries when their subjects are wallowing in abject poverty? The list is really endless.

Hungary has recently added another one - recognizing prostitutes as legitimate entrepreneurs by issuing entrepreneurial permits to them! New permits allow prostitutes to give receipts to customers and
become part of the legal economy in Hungary. This was reported
by the CNN early this week. I was taken aback by the news initially,
but after regaining my composure, I tried to find some sense in the Hungarian new initiative. 

An entrepreneur is that vital and most important factor of production 
responsible for coordinating the services of the other factors in the
production process. He takes a lot of risks to effect the production of
goods or services. He is eventually rewarded with profit if successful, 
or penalized with a loss, if unsuccessful.

Who is a prostitute? A prostitute is a person of either sex that gives out
his/her 'body' for erotical pleasure for pecuniary or non-pecuniary com-
pensation. Now, let us see how a prostitute qualifies to be an 
entrepreneur. To start with, the definition of an entrepreneur does not
include the legality or the legitimacy of the activity. That extra variable is conferred by the law of a particular geographical or political entity. That exactly
is what Hungary has just done. 

With respect to the conventional definition of an entrepreneur, let us 
see if a prostitute qualifies as such. 
Provision and coordination of other factors- yes. Risk taking- yes. 
He/she faces risks like any other businesses- demand risk, supply risk,
health risks, environmental risks, etc. When it comes to value 
generation, does a prostitute have a score here? I think he/she does generate value too. If there was no demand for his/her services, there would be no prostitution in the first instance. 
There is demand for prostitution service, hence the supply at a profit in
most cases. 

We can then ask: What is it about prostitution that is so hurtful and
hateful that gambling or alcoholism is not? Human dignity? Maybe. Divine injunction?
Not really since gambling and alcoholism are also against Divine laws
in some religions. This leaves human dignity as the main reason why 
prostitution is never openly accepted in any decent society. However, excessive gambling or
drinking can also badly affect human dignity. Why then do we legally recognize alcoholism and gambling, but deny prostitution legal recognition? 

I guess it has to do with the fact that "moderate" gambling or
drinking cannot debase humanity whereas the tiniest dose of prostitution pollutes human dignity. What do you think?

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Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.

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