Proffessor Brittany Stephenson

29 April 2016

English-1010-SP16
Salt Lake Community College
Included with this transmittal memo are unit one through three assignments, including the
following documents.

Narrative essay, Paratroopers Rollercoaster Ride.

Rhetorical analysis, Dont Quit the Game Before All the Cards are on the Table.
Research, Annotated Bibliography and Opinion Summary, Should prostitution be
legalized?

My rhetorical audience throughout the semester has been the instructors in the English
Online Plus program, and students enrolled in this class for fall 2016 semester. I went into this
semester with a sense of detestation, knowing that I have some ability to write, but that to do so
is a constant struggle. When I have to write, I tend to overthink, over revise, and never feel I
have produced anything worthy of reading. I will confess that I still struggle, much as I did at
the start of the semester. I have however grown to understand how important rhetoric is, and to
tailor my writing for the intended audience. In the following paragraphs I will focus individually
on the three units.
Narrative Essay
For the narrative essay I choose to write about the experience surrounding jumping out of
an airplane. I chose the genre of memoir. The reason I decided the memoir was the right
approach is that I wanted my audience to feel the emotional turmoil, stress and exhilaration
surrounding what I do. The mechanics and procedures involved would read more like an
instruction manual, boring my audience to death. I feel this was the right approach, but now I
have to tackle the writing.

So some of the rhetoric of the document was that the time span had to be compressed. I
had chosen a memoir to give everyone a visual and emotional experience to get a better
appreciation of parachuting. The initial draft was laced with some grammatical errors, paragraph
transition problems, and I was not sold that the essay was descriptive enough. But after
completing the labs, having several peer reviews my path to a final product was successful.
Rhetorical Analysis
For the rhetorical analysis I chose The Optimism of Uncertainty authored by Howard
Zinn. Initially I thought that this would be an easy paper and it was cut-and-dry. On the surface
Zinns message is positive and a quick reading did not convince me otherwise. When I started
finding out the authors call to write (rhetorical situation) and who his intended audience was, it
changed my opinion as to the purpose of the paper. I soon found out who Howard Zinn was and
that his audience was the liberal left. I then began to see the underling meaning and messages he
was trying to advertise. Though Zinns integrity stayed intact, the truths he provided only
provided enough of the story to sell his point of view. So in trying to understand the deeper
meaning I learned that the written word is not always what it seems on the surface.
The struggle I had with this unit was how to get from surface reading, to obtaining the
authors true meaning. The next obstacle was to determine what his appeals were, pathos, logos
or ethos. When I read the definition of the appeals it seemed pretty straight forward, but like
most things it was not. I struggled to determine some of the authors appeals, because many
could be deemed any of the three. This unit taught me the most of the three, I finally understood
what rhetoric and the rhetorical situation was.
Research, Annotated Bibliography & Opinion Summary
pg. 2

For this unit I started off like most of the class did, overwhelmed by the magnitude of
subjects I had to choose from. Finally I decided on legalization of prostitution, and how to
protect prostitutes. It would have been easier if there had only been a handful of issues, whether
we liked them or not. My second problem was I wanted to choose something that actually
mattered. For me writing why football is bad (example), is insignificant to humanity. So I set
myself up for a task that I didnt understand the magnitude of, until I started digging in to the
mountain of information on my given question.
I was already under a time crunch as I had to get this completed in a week, where the rest
of the class had over a month. After much frustration trying to figure out if a source was worth
adding to my bibliography, I figured out that if I focused only on sources specific to my question
it was manageable. Then I had to tackle the issue of who the stakeholders were and if they were
important to my question. This helped focus my research even further, for example, feminist
abolitionist I could leave out of the equation, their only approach to the problem was to ensure
there was no prostitution. Then the final hurdle was to find a few sources that had data to
support my position of legalization. The problem is due to prostitution being criminalized in a
majority of the world, it is hard to come up with legitimate figures.
Where I think I learned more about the process of writing from unit two, I learned that
major issues are rarely black-and-white. But I gained a greater appreciation of the process of
figuring out the shades-of-grey, and figuring out how I would solve the issue.
Conclusion

pg. 3

I learned throughout the semester, that I have become a better reader, writer and that I
should never assume the true meaning of a text by skimming the surface, but that I must
understand the rhetorical situation of the writer to understand the text.

Paratroopers Roller Coaster Ride!

I grew up with a sense of wanting to be part of something greater than what I was. When
you are young this is a vague nebulous idea as there are few of us that automatically know what
we want to be when we grow up. My mind was shaped and honed by television at a young age.
Movies such as, The Longest Day and The Dirty Dozen became my reality of the human
endeavor to overcome fears and defined heroism to me. Both movies displayed paratroopers
jumping into harms way. My favorite, The Dirty Dozen, narrated how twelve of the worst of
society overcame their past to become unconventional heroes during World War II. Interestingly
enough The Dirty Dozen was released in the box office on June 15, 1967 the day after I was
born.
Fast forward and I have been in the Army for eleven years. I finally get the chance to be
the star in my own paratrooper tale. The location Fort Benning, Georgia just having completed
two weeks of grueling ground training prior to becoming a US Army Paratrooper. The two
weeks focus around making proper parachute landings and jump door exit procedures. A walk in
the park to be sure compared to what was to come. To this point the reality of the undertaking I
had volunteered for had not fully set in. I thought to myself, This is not so bad, anyone can do
this! My mantra was, I am young and will never die.

T- minus 30 minutes
pg. 4

I am now in the last week of my path to becoming a Paratrooper known as Jump week.
We will soon put all our training into practice as we walk up the ramp and enter the C-130,
Hercules in groups of ten to twelve Soldiers referred to as a chalk. The ramp slams shut with the
echo of metal on metal, and the whirl of hydraulics. There is only one way off this tin bucket
now, to jump out with my brothers at 1250 feet above the ground.
Reality is starting to become my constant companion in a not so comforting fashion. I
am sandwiched between 64 other prospective Paratroopers. It is May of 1995 and although the
temperature is mild, sweat is running down my body, I can only compare it to having your own
personal sweat shower. I have been in my parachute harness two hours prior to this point and my
legs scream from the restriction in blood flow. My back grieves from the forty or so pounds of
canopy that has permanently fused to my spine. But the worse is yet to come! We take off with
an abundance of mind numbing sounds and vibrations caused by the four turbo propellers and
the lack of anything that would dampen the nerve wracking noises. The Lockheed, C-130
Hercules is like no other plane ride I have ever known. The only comfort that I can draw from is
the fact I am not alone, the other Soldiers faces reflect a color spectrum from a pallid, milky
white to tinges of sickly unhealthy greys.
T-Minus 20 minutes
We are airborne now, on a roller coaster ride lacking all the joys and thrills of the carnival
spectacle. The C-130 lurches from side to side and hits dense air pockets that heave us in a
perpetual sinking and ascending movement. I can feel the acid in my stomach start to rise up in
my throat, and am doing my best to keep lunch where it should be, in my stomach. There is a
constant churning of hamburger and french fries coated in a bath of Mountain Dew that is doing

pg. 5

its best to become part of the planes flooring. Fortunately, I keep the contents of my stomach
where they should be, though one of the poor souls toward the aft end of the airplane has given
up the fight. I am witness to a putrid geyser of entrees and side dishes that covers the front of his
uniform and the floor. Dear God, please just get me off this death trap! I just want to be back
on solid ground, and visions of me kissing the tarmac roll through my head in a continual loop.
T-Minus 10 minutes
The Paratrooper door rolls up and a cyclone of wind and noise adds to the cacophony of
discomfort that is this Roller coaster ride. Jumpmasters start barking commands over the sounds
of the C-130s propellers. Get ready, Outboard personnel stand up, Inboard personnel stand
up, Hook up, Check static line, Check equipment, Sound off for equipment check.
This machine gun volley of commands is followed with a resounding OK as the rear jumper
smacks the jumper in front of him with a resounding smack on his rear. This verbal daisy chain
finally ends when the first jumper screams at the top of his lungs, All OK Jumpmaster pointing
to the Jumpmaster to let him know the chalk is ready to jump, at least in the physical sense of
things. Mentally we are a mess, praying and pleading we will all make it to see another sunrise
and sunset.
T Minus - 2 Minutes
The Jumpmaster now barks the final commands before we get sucked out of the C-130.
One minute, Thirty seconds and finally Green light, Go! Our chalk consist of ten soldiers
exiting port side followed by another ten exiting starboard. We are so ready to get out of the
puke infested aircraft that we do not even think of what lies in front of us. We have been trained
to keep an arms length between jumpers as we exit the door. All training and anything we have

pg. 6

learned the previous weeks means absolutely nothing. Our focus is myopic, our vision tunneled
and our only goal is the patch of blue and clouds that signify the outside world. We rush the door
like death row inmates escaping the electric chair after a pardon from the Governor.
Jump Time
I am sucked out of the airplane like a marble getting sucked into a vacuum. The sound of
the airplanes turbo propellers swirling in a combination of wind, screams and terror. I have
slammed my eyes shut and the world turns to black as I exit the door, even though we are
expected to keep them open for the entire descent. The voices in my head are now screaming a
tirade of cowardly thoughts. What the hell were you thinking? This has got to be the dumbest
thing you have ever done in your life, never to be topped! Finally followed by the plea to God,
Jesus, my mommy and anyone else I can bring to mind that will make this seem less traumatic.
I finally find the courage we are all gifted with and pry my eyes open. The view is a blur
of indigo sky, splashes of emerald green trees, golden fields and sapphire blue streams, then
indigo sky again. Rinse and repeat several times, earth, sky, earth, sky, earth as I spin around
waiting for my parachute to fully deploy. Here again my training has failed me, we are trained to
do a four second count, yelling out, One thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four
thousand The reward of this four second count is our parachute deploying from our pack tray
harness. Evidently my prayers have been heard up to this point because my parachute billows
out in a stream of green, catches air and inflates. This despite me losing my mind and
disregarding all my training to this point.
Finally I am reward for the fear, stress, upset stomach and physical toll on my body.
Evidently there is a higher power and he is listening. I have a 360 degree macro view of the
pg. 7

world as I float toward the ground. A birds eye view of multi-colored automobiles enroute to
their busy mundane destinations. A canvas of Junipers, Spruce, Pine, and Hemlocks splashed
with Red Maples, Yellow Poplars and Sugar Maples in all directions. Blue lakes and streams
meandering through the drop zone. I am so engrossed with the trying to experience everything
and commit it to memory I fail to even notice the ground getting closer second by second.
Finally, I start to realize that Newtons Law of Gravity does apply to me. What goes up,
must come down. Everything is becoming life size again, much like staring through the
magnifying glass. My mind is frantically trying to recall the steps of performing a correct
parachute landing fall and coming up blank yet again. Two week of ground training useless. My
Jumpmaster instructors would shake their collective heads in disbelief if they knew how little I
had retained at this point. The ground is now rushing toward me. I have no concept of how fast
I am falling up to this point. Again, I quickly utter several silent prayers and promise to be a
better human being, if only I can survive what could be the last twenty seconds of my life. I hit
the ground like an anvil being thrown from a ten story building. I land feet first, then ass, then
head. Somewhere in the final leg of my journey my helmet has been carried away by pixies and
fairy dust. Bruised from head to toe, I lay on the ground, taking stock of my aching body. I run
my hands over my body, pretending I am a medical corpsman and find there are no broken bones
and my head is intact despite the lack of a helmet.
At this point all I can think is, What the hell was I thinking? Unfortunately I dont
have much time to dwell on my survival or the contract I have made with higher powers. There
is a Jumpmaster bellowing on a megaphone Airborne, where is your helmet? You better get off
your ass find it and get back to the bus in less than ten seconds. I run around like a chicken
with my head cut off looking for my helmet, all the while the booming voice urging me to hurry
pg. 8

up. Thus ends the long day and emotional Roller coaster ride of aches, pains, nausea, and fear,
colored with the magnificence of the panoramic view.
I am brought back to reality when the Jumpmaster yells in my ear You are not a
Paratrooper yet. You have four more jumps before you earn that title.

Dont Quit the Game Before all the Cards are on the Table!
A rhetorical analysis of The Optimism of Uncertainty

Authored by Howard Zinn, The Optimism of Uncertainty was originally published in The
National on September 20th 2004. The magazine was founded by abolitionist in 1865 and is the
oldest weekly magazine in print catering to the political left. Zinns article possess the question
of how do we stay optimistic and happy despite all the terrible events that are taking place. He
takes us on a guided history tour of the last hundred years in order to establish the premises that
extraordinary and unpredictable change has happened by the efforts of those who have banded
together and rose up to challenge authority. His message is one that we should not sit idly by and
hope for change, but actively and peacefully participate in the process.
In order to understand the deeper meaning of the essay, it is important to understand
Zinn. It is my belief that even more than most authors, his writing was shaped by major
influences and events in his life. He was raised in the slums of Brooklyn, New York and his
parents were Jewish immigrants. As a Teen he spent time debating with the local Communist
youth and participating in Communist rallies. During one such rally mounted police charged the
crowd and Zinn was knocked unconscious. It was this rally that that changed his belief in a selfcorrecting democracy into an activist. He further continued to shape his views of the world order
by reading the Communist Manifesto, The Jungle and The Grapes of Wrath. The books all

pg. 9

revolved around the exploited lives of immigrants, the great depressions effects on the poor, and
the class struggles in society.
In 1943 Zinn joined the US Army Air Force during World War II and became a B-17
bombardier. It was his drive to fight fascism that led him to drop bombs on Berlin,
Czechoslovakia and Hungary. He would later drop napalm bombs in southwestern France. His
anti-war sentiments were shaped in part by his actions during the war. After the war Zinn would
use the G.I Bill to attend college and earned his Ph.D. in history with a minor in political science.
His first tenure as a teacher was at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, an all-black female
liberal arts college. It was here that he became active in the Civil Rights Movement and was
ultimately fired for his support of student protestors. He would go on to teach political science at
Boston University until his retirement in 1988. His resume included being a noted historian,
playwright and well known political activist all the way up to his death in 2010.

Zinn uses

optimism as a means to distract the reader from what his primary call to action is, the fight
against power, large government, capitalism and what he perceives as tyrannies. Though the
National caters to the political left, I believe that Zinn is confronting those that reach far to the
political right. Specifically he tailors his comments to those that are worshipers of Sean Hannity
and Rush Limbaugh. Those that subscribe to the theory that to correct what is wrong in the
world requires drastic, decisive measures. More so that those who do not fight fire with fire are
left to suffer the consequences of their inaction. What he fails to do is sell the fact that in each
instant, the revolution, coup or changing of government was ultimately beneficial to the
oppressed, nor did it always benefit the lower and middle class in achieving equality.
Zinns overall appeal to emotion is one of caring people vs. those who have power.
This becomes a recurring theme throughout the paper driven home with statements such as by
pg. 10

unexpected eruptions of rebellion against tyrannies and that those power brokers systems can
unexpectedly collapse despite their perceived invincibility. The world is never as simple as
what his article would have you believe. But he continues to appeal to our pathos with just
enough common sense, that we start to make connections based on his truisms. For instance
What leaps out from the history of the past hundred years is its utter unpredictability, the
postwar world, taking a shape no one could have drawn in advance and No one foresaw the
disintegration of the old Western empires happening so quickly after the war. He then cites
several armed conflicts and revolutions throughout history that lead the reader to believe that all
the changes of power were beneficial to the human race and commoners in particular.
One such example is the Russian revolution and the overthrow of the czar led by the
Bolsheviks, as Lenin rushes off to Petrograd to become the focal point of the Communist regime.
Most historians would agree that although the country transitioned from one form of government
to another, Communism did not benefit those it was intended to. With the social class separation
even more divided, you were either upper class or lower class, with little means for betterment of
your station in life. One could draw the parallel that the powerful became more powerful, while
the poor stayed poor!
Another point of non-disclosure is his mention of the failure of the Soviet Union to have
its way in Afghanistan The statement by itself gives the reader a sense of justice that a small
group of Mujahideen Afghan warriors could single handedly defeat one of the two largest axis of
power at the time. What the article fails to inform the reader is that the United States, though not
directly involved in armed conflict, backed the guerrillas with money, resources and intelligence.
This eventually was one of the factors that led to the Russians pulling out of the country after 12

pg. 11

long years of stalemate. So knowing the bigger picture, one could come to the conclusion that
all those in power do not do so at the expense of the down-trodden and oppressed.
Another of Zinns strategies is to group several examples of minorities rise against the
establishment. In doing so he can lead the reader to assume that all these revolutions, coups and
movements were just and beneficial. He appeals to our emotions, values and beliefs when he
comments That apparent power has, again and again, proven vulnerable to human qualities
less measurable than bombs and dollars: moral fervor, determination, unity, organization,
sacrifice, wit, ingenuity, courage, patience .
No one with a sense of justice and equality in the human race would argue that the Civil
Rights Movement was not beneficial and long overdue in the United States. But then he cites the
Vietnam conflict, which encompasses the Frenchs inability to combat the Communist North and
subsequently our involvement in the Second Indochina War. Zinn again fails to mention that
although the conflicts involving both the French and the United States wound up in a stalemate
and eventual withdrawal, The Communist North Vietnamese Army did not fight without backing
and support from Communist Russia in the form of monies, weapons and ammunition. In the
end no one came out a winner, with an estimated three million Vietnamese casualties. In his
attempt to sell the ability of the minority to overcome the power brokers, he fails to weight the
cost vs. the long term benefits if any.
Howard Zinns does a wonderful job of giving the reader hope for the future, but to say
that he is not biased in his theory of how we get there is an understatement. Nor does he prove
that all uprising through revolutions benefit the working classes and minorities. In fact most
times the opposite is the truth in his cited examples, the oppressed go from bad to worse with

pg. 12

little light at the end of the tunnel. I am a firm believer of paying a kindness forward and hoping
that it spreads exponentially. But most of what Zinn tries to sell us is based on his ideologies,
and largely based on Socialistic beliefs. He fails to show the bigger picture in his mission to sell
his David vs. Goliath, us vs. them mentality. In the end, the overall message of optimism
and obtaining a utopian society is a worthy vision and makes The Optimism of Uncertainty
worthy of reading.
Should Prostitution be legalized?
An Annotated Bibliography: The Merits of Legalized Prostitution.
Summary of Issue:
I am researching the issue of legalizing prostitution to show the benefits of protecting those that
work in this profession. The goal is provide evidence that prostitutes would benefit by legalizing
the profession. I believe that if we rid ourselves of the antiquated laws, making prostitutes
criminals, we could provide protection to those that need it most. Prostitutes should be provided
the same protection for sexual assault or abuse that any other man or woman is afforded by our
laws. I believe that most prostitutes are unwilling to report the majority of assaults and sexual
crimes committed against them, merely for the fact they are considered criminals. I think there is
even a callous disregard by law enforcement to protect prostitutes, with a mindset that if they
were not hookers it would not have happened to them.
Carrasquillo, Tesla. "Understanding Prostitution And The Need For Reform." Touro Law Review
30.3 (2014): 697-721. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.
In Tesla Carrasquillos law review he takes us on a guided tour of the history of prostitution
followed by why criminalization of prostitution does not work.

pg. 13

What is the most alarming are the statistics he cites regarding criminalization. In a San
Francisco study, the results of that study states that, risk of premature death is forty time that of
the national average. Just as alarming as the previous mentioned statistic is that seventy-five
percent of street prostitutes were raped 31 times. Sixty-five percent of these women were beaten
by customers on an average of 4.3 times. To back up these statistics an Oregon study states that
78% of the prostitutes were raped an average of 31 times per year. Finally, the Justice
Department estimates of the 4,000 women killed by serial murders one-third were prostitutes.
The Touro Law Review also uses Nevadas brothels as a good working model that legalization
can work, though not all aspects are perfect. There are an average of twenty-five to thirty
brothels open at any given time. Nevada restricts brothels to areas with populations less than
400,000 people. More importantly due to the regulation of the brothels sex workers have a
minimal to nonexistent threat of violence, assault and rape. Regulations go further to make it
illegal to, procure a person for the purpose of prostitution. From a health standpoint sex
workers are required to get monthly health screenings and not a single prostitute has tested
positive for HIV.
Goldberg, Michelle. "Should Buying Sex Be Illegal?." Nation 299.7/8 (2014): 18-25. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
Michelle Goldberg, Senior contributing writer for The National, writes a comparison and
contrast of full legalization, (Netherlands, Germany) vs. criminalization of sex customers,
(Swedish Model). She poses the question, which legal approach does a better job at protecting
women? The conclusion that she draws is that there are not clear cut answers, but that the issue
is clouded by ideological and empirical concerns. A large part of the problem with sex worker
legalization is economics also.

pg. 14

According to a 2012 article, written by scholars Seo-Young Cho, Axel Dreher and Eric
Neumayer, countries that have adopted legalized prostitution statistically have greater human
trafficking issues. The conclusion drawn is that though there are a larger percent of women who
are voluntary sex workers in a legal market, the demand increases beyond what can be supported
legally. The economics of supply versus demand. Contrast this with Swedens approach to
prostitution, by not criminalizing the sex workers, but rather making it a crime to purchase sex.
The penalties for purchasing sex can range anywhere from fines to six months imprisonment.
The article cites studies that due to the Sex Purchase Act, purchasing of sex has declined 5.6
percent from 1996 to 2008. The drawback of this approach is also one of economics, those who
choose prostitution as a living can no longer provide for themselves.
The article by Michelle Goldberg poses more questions than answers. I believe that ultimately as
I dig deeper into my research I am going to find that there is no clear cut, black and white
solution. Rather that there are too many stakeholders, and much of the issues are shades of grey.
Gruskin, Sofia, Gretchen Williams Pierce, and Laura Ferguson. "Realigning Government Action
With Public Health Evidence: The Legal And Policy Environment Affecting Sex Work And HIV
In Asia." Culture, Health & Sexuality 16.1 (2014): 14-29. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26
Apr. 2016.
This study was conducted in ordered to provide a framework as to the laws regarding regulation
of sex workers in Asia. The focus is on whether Asian countries provide a legal framework that
prevents sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. It is estimated there are approximately ten
million sex workers in Asia and seventy-five million male clients. Therefore the need to provide
an adequate legal framework to health concerns is paramount.
There is currently no perfect regulatory model to how to approach the health concerns
surrounding prostitution, but decriminalization is deemed as a necessary step in the right
pg. 15

direction by the World Health Organization, UNAIDS and the United Nations. The predominant
practice of criminalization in Asia shows evidence that this approach is counterintuitive to
effective HIV response. This is in part due to discrimination and the stigma where sex workers
are criminalized that it hinders prostitutes ability to access healthcare and social services. In
contrast New Zealand and Australias decriminalization of prostitution has improved access to
health information and services. In the USA, Nevadas legalization model is also cited as an
effective approach to the overall wellbeing of sex workers and their ability to receive healthcare.
Currently Asia has no framework comparable to those in countries where decriminalization has
been instituted. The reported data obtained from eighteen countries confirms that exiting laws
and policies are in place that are obstacles to effective HIV service for prostitutes. The study
cites that in some places the severity of criminal sanctions was thought to be a strong deterrent
to the use of condoms this further shows the need for decriminalization from a health
standpoint. Finally, the conclusion the study draws is that laws that criminalizing prostitutes is a
threat to their health and further exacerbates Asians HIV epidemic.
The study confirms that laws that deem sex work in Asian countries is counter intuitive for
promoting the health and welfare of women working as sex workers. More disturbing is the fact
that due to existing policy in Asia an alarming amount of prostitutes are not using condoms
during sex and that HIV is a growing epidemic in these countries.
Hayes-Smith, Rebecca, and Zahra Shekarkhar. "Why Is Prostitution Criminalized? An
Alternative Viewpoint On The Construction Of Sex Work." Contemporary Justice Review 13.1
(2010): 43-55. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
Rebecca Hayes-Smith and Zahara Shekarkha, convincingly argue that laws criminalizing
prostitution in the United States is a social construction that has not been empirically proven to
work. They define the approach to laws criminalizing prostitutes as a legal fiction. According to
pg. 16

Blacks Law Dictionary defines this as an assumption that something is true even though it may
be untrue. Currently there are two states that prostitution is legal, Rhode Island and Nevada.
There are four defined approaches to prostitution policy in the US; First criminalization where
prostitution is illegal for all parties involved; secondly, criminalizing the parties seeking to
purchase sex, brothel owners and pimps, but having no legal action against the prostitute.
Thirdly, all aspects of prostitution are decriminalized and it is treated like a service based
business. Finally, legalization where individual states regulate most all aspects of prostitution.
The argument for legalization of prostitution is based on empirical data in studying brothels in
Nevada. The cited studies conclude that legal brothels provide a safer work environment
especially when contrasted with those that work street corners. From a heath perspective the
benefits are also apparent. A study by the University of California Berkley compared the health
of brothel workers in contrast to street prostitutes. Their findings were that none of brothel
prostitutes had AIDS, where 6% of street workers were infected. There are also other implied
benefits if prostitution were legalized. Law enforcement and the court system would have more
time to focus on other crimes. Not surprisingly another advantage would be the drop in rape
rates. A Condiff study determined the rape rate would drop by 25% or 25,000 rapes per year.
Prior to reading this Contemporary Justice Review, I had not really found any empirical data to
support my position on legalization of prostitution. It was well written and covered all the
arguments surrounding the other three models for prostitution laws. Not only did it do that it
addressed most of the major stakeholders with convincing counter arguments of their positions. I
now truly think with the right model, this could be the best thing to happen to make the lives
better who work in this profession.

pg. 17

Otchet, Amy. "Should Prostitution Be Legal?." UNESCO Courier (United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization). Dec. 1998: 37-39. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 26 Apr.
2016.
Amy Otchet, UNESCO Institute for Statistics poses the question Is prostitution a form of
exploitation to be abolished or an occupation to be regulated? The debate is between groups like
the nongovernmental Coalition Against Trafficking in women and prostitutes rights groups
based in the Netherlands, England and the US. The former wished to completely abolish
prostitution outright, whereas the latter views sex workers as an occupation.
The major division between the two factions is the bitter debate between voluntary and forced
prostitution. The Coalition maintains that a sizeable majority of women are sex slaves, while
those that work in the profession affirm that this is not the case. The only thing the opposing
sides of the debate agree on is that prostitution needs to be decriminalized in regards to the sex
workers. The abolitionist assume for all sex workers that they are victims, and that those who
profit from their services should be prosecuted. The prostitutes rights groups on the other hand
state you cannot help sex workers, if you force their employers underground. The issue gets
even more convoluted, as there are opposing groups in the prostitutes rights groups also. One
faction rallies for decriminalization and no regulation of the industry, while the other support
legalization and governmental oversite.
Ultimately I think the debate comes down to those who see regulation and legalization as a form
to create better work conditions, provide police protection and ensure mandatory health
examinations, while those that seek compete decriminalization have a valid argument also, to use
a bureaucratic means of regulation only ensures that a long and well documented history of
abuse by law enforcement officials.

pg. 18

Reisenwitz, Cathy. "Walking the Red-Light District." Freeman. Sep. 2014: 12. SIRS Issues
Researcher. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
Cathy Reisenwitz, Editor-in-Chief of Sex and the State, in her article convincingly provides an
interview with a German sex worker to get a firsthand account of whether legalization of
prostitution has been beneficial. Her resounding conclusion, while conducting these interviews
is that legalization improves sex workers lives.
Reisenwitz cites unspecified data that indeed violent crime against prostitutes is down and
inversely the sex-workers quality-of-life has improved. Medical testing, post-legalization
research has confirmed there is no perceptible difference in sexually transmitted disease rates
between the general population and sex workers. She also strongly claims that in Germany, the
sex workers are not slaves. More so that prostitutes are represented by a union and afforded the
same place protection as those that do not work in this occupation. Finally, that violence is more
likely in a criminalized model, as violators know they will not be reported.
SCHMIDT, PETER. "Scholars Of Legal Brothels Offer A New Take On The 'Oldest Profession'."
Chronicle Of Higher Education 58.5 (2011): A14-A15. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Apr.
2016.
Peter Schmidt, Senior Writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education reports primarily on the
twenty year research into Nevadas state brothels by Barbara G. Brents an associate professor of
sociology. Ms. Brents shares the singular view with most feminist that many women forced into
illegal prostitution are exposed to unacceptable violence and are exploited. But to many feminist
dismay she is a proponent of Nevadas brothels and legalized prostitution. While there are
several labor practices that need to be overhauled in the brothels, she calls them a workable
model.

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The State of Sex, a book authored by Ms. Brent, Kathryn Korgan, associate professor of
sociology and Crystal Jackson a doctoral student in sociology summarizes their joint research
into the states brothels. The book covers historical documents, interviews with state government
officials and approximately 40 prostitutes working in Nevada brothels. The results of the study
confirmed the overdue necessity to overall how brothels were operated, but overall placed them
in a semi-positive light. The resounding consensus was that Nevadas legal model is a positive in
contrast to criminalization. Several positive takeaways were that the women received protection
of the brothel, rooms are equipped with panic buttons and intercom systems. The book finally
claims that only one brothel worker cited an encounter with a violent customer.
This article and Ms. Brents twenty years of research into Nevadas brothels provides the reader
with research to substantiate legalization of prostitution can work. The solution is not one that
feminist can swallow, and the brothels owners have work practices that need to be overhauled,
but overall it is a longstanding example of the benefits of legalization. Finally, she makes a point
that brothels are in all likelihood safer for women than dating.
Sloan, Lacey. "Sexual Freedom: Who Owns Prostitution--And Why?" Free Inquiry. Fall 1997:
18-20. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
This article gives a voice to prostitutes and shows how sex workers rights movement
organizations have been campaigning for decriminalization based on the desires of those that
work in the trade. The article uses common sense to show how sex workers are capable of
speaking for themselves.
The campaign that such sex-worker organizations like COYOTE (Call Off Your Old Tired
Ethics) based in the United States have tried to raise awareness about abuses from law
enforcement and effect changes in existing laws. These pro-prostitution groups premise is that
pg. 20

most women who work as prostitutes have made a conscious decision to do so, having looked at
a number of work alternatives. The sex-workers movement groups promote decriminalization
on several factors: First, that not all sex work is forced but is a personal decision by many.
Secondly, that sex work should be viewed as a legitimate service business. Thirdly, that it
violates womens civil rights denying them the opportunity to work as prostitutes. Finally, that
in being recognized as a service profession it will allow financial freedom and autonomy. The
final take away is that criminalization has failed, resulting in abuse, exploitation and increased
vulnerability, not to mention the stigma surrounding their profession.
Though this article does not give hard statistics to the benefits of the sex-trade legalization, it
gives us the prospective of those that chose this as a means of employment. Those that are most
effected and by the judgements of self-interest groups trying to tell them what is right for them,
based on their own agendas.
PART 2
Should Prostitution be legalized?
Opinion Summary: The Merits of Legalized Prostitution.
Research Question:
Should prostitution be legalized to protect victims, prosecute illegal abuse, and allow those who
choose the profession to continue working?
In the attempt to find a practical solution to the systemic problems related to prostitution
one must consider all the stakeholders that are involved. Many stakeholders have the best
interest of prostitutes in mind, but they diverge down multiple paths based on several factors as
pg. 21

to what is the best model. This huge chasm does nothing to benefit those that are most
vulnerable to rape, abuse and the stigma associated with prostitution. What I found during my
research is that criminalization of prostitution does not work: the empirical data and statistics
provide solid evidence to this fact. More importantly there is proof here in the United States that
legalization, though somewhat flawed, does work (Nevada brothels). What is most important at
the end of the days is not to judge these women, but to provide a framework that provides a safe
work environment, the same protections afforded any other victim related to assault, abuse and
rape, and give these individuals readily available access to medical facilities to address public
health concerns.
First, I would like to address the gravity of the plight that those working in prostitution
face on a daily basis, to provide perspective as to why this issue is a global problem. Statistics
cited in the Touro Law Review shows how ineffective legalization has been in addressing the
issue. A study conducted in San Francisco reports that seventy percent of street prostitutes were
raped 31 times, sixty-five percent of these women were beaten by customers on an average of 4.3
times. To back up these statistics is an Oregon study that states seventy-eight percent of the
prostitutes were raped an average of 31 times per year. Finally the Justice Department has one
of the most disturbing statistics that of the 4,000 women killed by serial killers, one-third were
prostitutes, or approximately 1330 women (Carrasquillo, 2014).
So how do we address this problem so that it benefits all the stakeholders involved? The
truth is we cannot, and the real question should be how we protect these women. There are four
approaches used to address prostitution:

Criminalization where prostitution is illegal for all parties involved.

pg. 22

Partial criminalization, where parties seeking to purchase sex are arrested, but not the

sex-workers.
Decriminalization where all aspects of prostitution are not considered a crime, and it is

treated like any other service based business.

Legalization where government entities regulate most all aspects of prostitution (HayesSmith & Shekarkhar, 2010).

The data I studied supports the fact that neither full nor partial criminalization are an effective
model to address the issue.

Proof of this are the previously mentioned Touro Law Review

statistics, where the model is criminilization. This leaves us with decriminalization or

legalization as the only plausible avenues to provide working prostitutes a safe work
environment, police protection without incrimination and access to needed health care and
medical screening. My approach to the issue is legalization and therefore the focus for the
remainder of this article.
In an article written by Cathy Reisenwitz, she conducts interviews with sex-workers in
Germany where prostitution has been legalized since 2002. Her resounding assessment is that
yes legalization does work and has improved the lives of prostitutes. She cites data that violent
crime against sex-workers is down, while inversely their quality of live has improved. Postlegalization medical testing has also proven that there is no perceptible difference in sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs) between the general population and sex-workers. Her conclusion
after she conducted the interviews with Germany prostitutes is that those that choose this as a
profession are sex workers, and do not want to be considered victims, more importantly she
claims that human trafficking, rape and sexual assault has been reduced (Reisenwitz, 2014).

pg. 23

Here in our backyard we have a long standing example of how legalization has benefited
sex workers. The United States laws and policies related to prostitution are controlled by
individual states, and currently only two states allow legalized prostitution, Nevada and Rhode
Island.
Peter Schmidt in his article, Scholars of Legal Brothels Offer A New take on The
Oldest Profession, focuses primarily on the almost twenty years of research conducted by Ms.
Barbara Brents on Nevadas brothels. The resounding conclusion is that Nevadas brothels are a
working model and one of many possible solutions to concerns about the exploitation of
women in sex work. She readily admits it is not a perfect system, and many work practices
used by brothel owners need to be revamped, but that the solution works much better than any
form of criminalization. The key takeaway is that women working in Nevada brothels do so
under the protection of the brothel owners, men are not allowed to be brothel owners or work in
the establishments, and rooms are equipped with panic buttons and intercom systems, prostitutes
are able to refuse service to customers, and customers can be denied entry if deemed drunk or
violent. Just as important, the brothels are supported by law enforcement and, sex workers are
required to have monthly health checkups. Finally their research and interviews with over forty
prostitutes concluded that there had only been one incident of sexual assault. Also of note was
the fact that there were zero cases of HIV in the brothels (Schmidt, 2001). So despite the
overwhelming push in the United States to make prostitution illegal everywhere, none can refute
the pragmatic success of Nevadas legalization model.
How we address prostitution should be pragmatic and focus not on abolitionism or
criminalization. Rather we should accept legalized prostitution as a working model, with all
parties invested in the positive outcome and the best solution. Ultimately, all of these women are
pg. 24

someones daughters and sisters, despite moralistic objections, and should be afforded the same
protections as any woman that consents to voluntary sex. The focus should always be to prevent
sexual assault, rape, and allow those that choose this as a profession to do so in a safe
environment.

Bibliography
Carrasquillo, T. (2014). Understanding Prostitution And the Need For Reform. Touro
Law Review, 697-721. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier.
Hayes-Smith, R., & Shekarkhar, Z. (2010). Why Is Prostitution Criminilized? An
Alternative Viewpoint On The Construction Of Sex Work. Contemporry Justice
Review, 43-55.
Reisenwitz, C. (2014, Sept). Walking the Red-Light District. Freeman, p. 12.
Schmidt, P. (2001). Scholors Of Legal Brothels Offer A New Take On The "Oldest
Proffession'. Academic Seaarch Premier, pp. A114-A15.

Works Cited
Carrasquillo, T. (2014). Understanding Prostitution And the Need For Reform. Touro Law Review, 697721. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier.
Hayes-Smith, R., & Shekarkhar, Z. (2010). Why Is Prostitution Criminilized? An Alternative Viewpoint
On The Construction Of Sex Work. Contemporry Justice Review, 43-55.
Reisenwitz, C. (2014, Sept). Walking the Red-Light District. Freeman, p. 12.
Schmidt, P. (2001). Scholors Of Legal Brothels Offer A New Take On The "Oldest Proffession'. Academic
Seaarch Premier, pp. A114-A15.

pg. 25