The Spitzer affair has started many interesting conversations all over America. One of the most talked about topics has been "Kristen," the twenty-two year old woman whom Spitzer paid for sex. For whatever reason, (because the affair involves a government official, because "Kristen" has a myspace page, because of the amount of money she was being paid...etc..) people seemed to have lost sight of the fact that the subject is PROSTITUTION and not some glamorous publicity stunt. Some have made comments such as "well, its not so bad, this is good publicity for her singing career" or "the girl is lucky she will be so rich after this" or "wow, she is going to have so many more myspace friends...lucky" (yes, someone said that.) ...all of these comments, to me, represent a lack of understanding about the psychological aspects of what has occurred not to mention the greater social problem of trafficking and mistreatment that might not be so apparent in this case, but does occur. This is not to say that "Kristen" or some other girls don't "choose" their occupations, but I do think that speaking about the affair as good publicity masks other questions such as why people sell sex, what are the psychological effects, who are the people operating these rings and why... etc.
Kristof wrote an eloquent NY TIMES op-ed on the subject. One statement he makes is:
"But whatever one thinks of legalizing prostitution, let’s face reality: The big problem out there is the teenage girls who are battered by their pimps, who will have to meet their quotas tonight and every night, who are locked in car trunks or in basements, who have guns shoved in their mouths if they hint of quitting. If the Spitzer affair causes us to lose sight of that, then the biggest loser will be those innumerable girls, far more typical than “Kristen,” for whom selling sex isn’t a choice but a nightmare."
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