SEX, BOMBS & BURGERS

A colleague pointed me to an interesting study yesterday from Michigan State University on prostitution and the internet. The study, researched by an MSU assistant professor of criminal justice, found that Johns (the customers of prostitutes) aren't actually lone wolves. They often use the internet to provide each other with information, which makes them more difficult to catch.

The report also says that these Johns have formed a sort of online subculture, complete with their own jargon and code, and that they generally help each other out.

Well, duh. The mid-nineties called: they want their news back.

Online subcultures for every sexual predilection have existed for just about as long as the internet has been around. Remember when the internet was mostly text-based Usenet bulletin boards like alt.sex and alt.fetish? In 1995, four of the ten most popular Usenet boards were sex and porn-related (it's in the book). Many early internet users used those boards to talk about their sexual preferences, and to share information. Doubtlessly, some of these boards shared prostitution info. At the risk of sounding like the sort of typical anonymous douche-y comment found on just about any online story you'll find, "Why is this news?"

The real issue I had with the MSU report is some of the language used by its researchers. In describing some of its key findings, Thomas Holt, one of the leads on the study, said, "The growth of these deviant subcultures has made it more difficult for law enforcement. On the other hand, it gives us a new opportunity to use the way the offenders communicate to better target their activities."

MSU's press release continues with: "The study also said the Johns place significant value on the notion that paid sexual encounters are normal and nondeviant. 'These Internet communities help these individuals justify their behavior,' Holt said."

As far as I'm concerned, any time you use the word "deviant," you're asking for trouble. While the word really means something that deviates from the norm, the real-world connotation of it is usually quite negative; a synonym for degenerate or twisted. In this sense, that is much too broad a brush with which to paint every John. Just like with the sex robots discussed yesterday, there are a number of good reasons for a person to seek the services of a prostitute, not the least of which might be that they are socially or physically incapable of getting sex in what would be considered the "normal" way.

Attitudes toward prostitution are also completely cultural - what is "deviant" behaviour to a particular MSU researcher is perfectly acceptable and legal in many countries - it's even fine in parts of the U.S. (what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas).

No doubt there are considerable ills that come from the world's oldest profession, and surely many Johns are in fact low-life deviants. But the use of such rhetorical language in a broad sense suggests something more is at play with this report. I don't follow this sort of thing closely - thankfully - so I'm not sure what that something is, but I'd be willing to bet it's part of some sort of lobbying effort. There's a lot of that going on these days.