So it's been a while since there has been a good old fashioned flame war around here...

[anwyn18]

It seems Iceland has now outlawed strip clubs, and there has been some press citing Iceland as now being "the most feminist" country in the world, based on their openly lesbian head of state, a greater number of female politicians, and this most recent move

Comments

[silly_old_bear]

Agreed.

Men like boobs and have money.
Women have boobs and would like to have that money.
Win/win.

[anwyn18]

The argument made in favour is that strip clubs encourage the commodification of women - which given, is true to a certain extent. I just feel there are other factors in play that encourage it to a much more damaging and widespread extent, like advertising and societal depictions of romantic relationships with women are "supposed" to be.

[silly_old_bear]

That comes down to commodification vs. commoditisation. Just because some women choose to monetise their sexuality or physical attributes doesn't mean that women are, as a whole, simple commodities.

[flewellyn]

I understand the problem they're trying to solve, but, I don't think a ban will make for a good solution.

Government has a number of tools in its toolbox, and the hammer of the law is just one. They'd do better with things like social programs to improve educational and job opportunities for women, education programs on the problem of objectification, and perhaps regulation of strip clubs to prevent many abuses.

[flewellyn]

In my opinion? Sex work is too dangerous and the women who do it are too easily abused without recourse.

Make it so that women in general, and sex workers in particular, are less objectified, and that those who don't want to be sex workers but do it because they have no other choice, have other choices, give sex workers more legal recourse and protections, and you can do a hell of a lot of good while still allowing women who genuinely do want to do sex work, to do it.

[xenthar]

Actually, this is similar to one of the problems that I had with sweden. Brothels and buying sex is illegal there, which is also claimed as a feminist 'win

[sim_james]

My first reaction is that it appears the government of Iceland has somehow not learned that criminalising things as a response to a social ill generally fails to work and has unexpected negative consequences - cf Prohibition, the War on Drugs, and certainly America's experiences with sex workers. It's a knee-jerk reaction and generally makes the perceived social ill worse, while creating new ones.

On further consideration I would be forced to accept that I do think that sometimes legislation that restricts or controls certain types of property is good, based on my belief in gun control. However, I would hasten to point out that I do not think this is a suitable comparison to sex work, an example to which restriction/control may not apply (and certainly, I do not mean to imply that sex workers are any kind of property). I am not aware of a suitable comparison, and I'm not trying to draw one; I'm just accepting that I am not an absolutist on decriminalisation

[ahdoom]

Icelands economy crashed, what? last year?.. no functional financial sector, no economic growth, the only new way they have to bring in hard capital is show off the shrinking glaciers to wealthy tourists that fly across the planet to 'see them while they're still there!!1!'.

This is a political knee jerk to distract people from more pressing concerns like their life savings evaporating and their children having severely limited futures. And nothing keeps the peeps happier than a bit of controversy with a sexy/puritanical angle to it.

[xenthar]

I think you hit the nail on the head. Distraction! Morals!