Whilst we want cities as the centres where the best things are found, cities degrade us by magnifying trifles. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
People from large cities often imagine themselves to be more cosmopolitan and well-informed than those from rural areas, and in the days before mass communication it was almost certainly true; even our word “urbane” reflects that perception. But radio began to undermine the distinction, television killed it and the internet buried it, and nowadays I sometimes find that the opposite is true; people from small towns and rural areas, perhaps believing to some degree in the stereotype themselves, are often less certain about their prejudices and preconceptions than those secure in their big-city sophistication. In other words, disinformation and myths are believed everywhere equally, but people from big cities are sometimes more sure of those beliefs while those from less “urbane” locales are often more prepared to concede their ignorance.
I realize that this will be a controversial premise, and indeed I have no evidence for it other than my own observations formed from living in both rural and urban areas and from dealing online with people who live in all sorts of places all over the world. But I certainly see it in the way “authorities” in American cities, particularly those in New York, have seized on “human trafficking” mythology, combined it with the tired old “pimps and hos” narrative, and held onto it with all the dogged disregard for facts of a backwoods preacher. Here’s a recent example from the New York Daily News; note the lurid, masturbatory detail and the obligatory “prostitution is not a victimless crime”, which prohibitionist “authorities” now repeat like some kind of Nicene Creed:
…state senator…Jose Peralta – with the strong backing of Queens District Attorney Richard Brown and women’s advocates – has introduced legislation to re-classify sex trafficking as a violent felony and increase the minimum jail sentence to 5 years. “We have to attack prostitution at all levels,” said Peralta, a Democrat whose district includes a prostitution-laden stretch of Roosevelt Avenue in western Queens. Currently, most sex trafficking offenses are considered non-violent felonies with minimum sentences of 1-3 years. “People think that prostitution is a victimless crime – it is not,” Peralta said. “The mental torture and physical abuse that these women go through, being forced to have sex with someone, is definitely a violent crime,” Peralta said…“We see [this] as an important step in going after the predators who prey on troubled young women and force them to perform numerous sexual acts for money and to turn over all the cash proceeds to them,” Brown said…
It’s not like these people don’t have access to the truth; not only are there a number of prominent sex worker rights organizations and individual advocates in New York, but also a recent study by the city’s own John Jay College of Criminal Justice which disproved every assumption upon which these politicians’ statements rest. Nor can they claim ignorance of the study’s contents:
“I remember going to a meeting in Manhattan where they had a lot of prosecutors there whose job was to prosecute pimps,” [study author Ric] Curtis recalls. ”They were sort of complaining about the fact that their offices were very well staffed but their workload was — not very daunting, let’s say. They had a couple cases, and at every meeting you go to, they’d pull out the cherry-picked case of this pimp they had busted, and they’d tell the same story at every meeting. They too were bothered by the fact that they couldn’t find any pimps, any girls. So I come along and say, ‘I found 300 kids’ — they’re all perky — but then I say, ‘I’m sorry, but only 10 percent had pimps.’ It was like a fart in church. Because basically I was saying their office was a waste of time and money.”
And the “Fourth Estate”, whose social function is, in part, to keep politicians honest? They’re just as bad:
…Amid all the successes in New York City’s lengthy fight to drive down crime, street prostitution represents a stubborn exception. Though the police deploy various stings and strategies to clean up neighborhoods, prostitution-related arrests in the city continue to be logged at a fairly steady clip…Market forces and the Internet have pushed some sex work off the street, to where clients with more time and more money go…Into this breach — and others like it — have come police officers, targeting spots where local precinct commanders and other officers have seen or heard of prostitution building up…over three days last month, [NYPD] made 195 arrests and seized 55 vehicles in what police officials called Operation Losing Proposition…officers [now] focus not on supply but on demand, by arresting the clients…This [started] after [police commissioner Raymond] Kelly took part in a series of meetings, beginning last year, with advocates from Europe and others aiming “for a fairer approach to prostitution”… Mr. Kelly eventually met with prostitutes, listening to their accounts, and then created a Human Trafficking Squad to target johns. Some advocates for prostitutes noted that 10 prostitutes were included in the mid-January arrests, which sends a mixed message. Others, including one former call girl, said it was wrong to focus on johns because it could make those clients more nervous and less likely to share the kind of personal information prostitutes rely on to ensure their safety. “It is not a sound policy,” said Audacia Ray, 31, director of the Red Umbrella Project, a nonprofit group that assists prostitutes, who believes the street trade will never fade. “I don’t think we’ll see a big drop in prostitution because of these arrests”…
Does the reporter bother to examine police claims, to question the motive behind stealing men’s cars, or to challenge the statement that arresting one party to an illegal transaction but not the other is somehow “fair”? Does he consider for one moment that the reason prostitution hasn’t decreased along with “other” crimes is that it isn’t actually a crime in the sense of a transgression against others? Of course not, and if Audacia told him the “prostitutes” to whose accounts the police commissioner listened were hand-picked by the Swedish Model proponents he still doesn’t get it; she told me he even asked her when she’d been a streetwalker, as though it were a stage we all go through or something. This last seems like an article of faith for many New York “authorities”; journalists, cops and even academics often behave as though they’re absolutely convinced that prior to the advent of the internet, nearly all prostitution was street-based, and that escort services and brothels were invented in the Big Apple less than two decades ago. This isn’t to say that idea isn’t prevalent elsewhere; as we’ve frequently discussed it most certainly is, often with ludicrous results. It’s just that the prominence of New York City, and the fact that many of the largest media establishments are based there, allows the appalling ignorance of its officials and journalists to be prominently displayed to the entire world.
One Year Ago Today
In “Actual Working Knowledge”, another New York Times reporter displays his appalling ignorance about a different area of sex work.
I’m glad you mentioned this “smug” condescension you often see with urbanites. I’ve seen it too.
For over 30 years I have traveled the globe – to every continent (yes, including Antartica). Most of the places I haven’t been are places like Russia, and China, and North Korea and Cuba – because I’m not allowed to go there. All of my travels have been “the hard way” … in other words, I never had a travel agent meeting me at the airport on the other end with my name scratched on a sign. Sometimes I’ve flown to these places in 747’s. Sometimes I flew in on a helo. Sometimes I arrived via submarine or ship. On a few occasions – I’ve had to cross a border on foot.
Until recently, I never stayed in a five star hotel. I have stayed in hotels in the Philippians that smelled of sewage and had no hot running water. I found myself in the middle of a violent riot (one time) in Tahiti, and had to fight my way out of it. I have walked the streets of Bahrain and had the locals try to stare me down with their “stink eye”. I have talked to countless taxi drivers, judges, cops, hookers, “mamasans”, mayors, bartenders, homemakers, hotel clerks, students, flight attendants, military personnel, Muslim Clerics, Catholic priests, Mormon missionaries, Rabbis, morticians, surgeons … from all over the world.
For 30 years I have done this and I would be the first to tell you that I am still ignorant and clueless about a great number of things in life (Maggie will attest to this – she’ll be releasing a new column soon titled “Stupid Emails and Questions from Krulac – PART I”).
Yet, I cannot tell you how many people I’ve met who have lived in virtual isolation in one city for most of their lives who will dismiss anything I tell them about the countries I’ve been to – simply because what I tell them doesn’t agree with what Nick Kristof has told them – or what Shepard Smith has told them – or Anderson Cooper. Now, a lot of what I say probably should be dismissed – as all my experiences are colored by my background and upbringing – and perception of things. But – I’ve honestly tried to get to the bottom of certain things to drill down to the important facts. I think the fact that I started out life as a Socialist, then a Democrat, then a Republican and … now, a libertarian really speaks to two facts … (a) I’m pretty slow on the uptake 🙂 and (b) but I’m still trying to get there!
People really need to realize that there are no easy answers and if something looks too simple – it’s probably a lot more complicated, like the issue of Human Trafficking.
Believe it or not – is not too hard for me to convince the people I now live and work around that this human trafficking issue is 99% hogwash. It’s not too hard for me to convince people I live and work around that we shouldn’t be getting involved in matters of consensual sex or drug use.
But if I go to someplace like San Francisco, or any big city – it’s damned hard to convince those folks of anything. Sure, they buy into decriminalizing drugs and in some cases matters of consensual sex. But try to explain to a woman in a Berkely coffee shop that you’re flirting with that she’s wrong when she says that Eastern European women are being sold off – en masse – as sex slaves.
You will not convince her. Even if she’s lived only in Berkely and only lives with two dogs and only has a degree in Theater.
By GOD … She lives in flippin’ BERKELY!!
In my experience in the english speaking world a person is just as likely to be an ignorant moron whether they live in a city or a rural setting. I am staggered how ignorant people are today and how the remain committed to be ignorant no matter what you tell them. The internet has actually dumbed people down in my opinion. The idea being that since the knowledge is close at hand and free it does not have to learned until its needed…only when its needed they dont go and look it up anyway….amazing.
One funny scene. I was having dinner with my aunt and uncle in my small country town home town. Out of politeness my aunt asked me what I had been doing of late…so I listed some of the countries and cities I had been to and the clients I had worked for etc. Told her how I was trying to put all the politicians on trial and clean up the judiciary in Australia and save a lot of lives.
She smiles at me and says “thats nice dear” and turns to my dad and says “did you see the price of tomatoes over at the shop today, goodness me, over AUD3 per kilo!!”
And I just smiled…..
Did you also tell your family the one about you sending a public notice to Eric Schmidt (CEO of Google) asking him to hire you to act as his lawyer in his upcoming divorce proceedings, despite the fact that:-
1. You don’t have a law degree or any knowledge of the law?
2. You’re nuts as evidenced by your aunt’s response?
3. You’ve already tried to sue and criminally extort money from Eric Schmidt unsuccessfully?
You’ve crossed the line buddy. Get some mental help, quick!
seems DSKs wife is more in you ballpark too.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2110538/Dominique-Strauss-Kahns-wife-launches-attack-feminists-accusing-dictating-everybody-live.html
I have little experience of rural life, mostly from being the son of parents who moved from rural southern Italy, and nothing I could put my finger on, one way or the other, but a little education is a dangerous thing.To me it’s like the difference between people who raised with a religion and the born-again converts. The former, religion is part of who they are for sure, but the latter display the unearned certainties of fanaticism.
That usually accompanies any major shift in people’s thinking, the first blush of a new paradigm, the eagerness and passion (not necessarily bad things). I’m dealing with that now (From Half baked socialist with libertarian leanings, to libertarian to anarchist, the last two shifts in the last decade), but some don’t get past that stage and get locked into not ever questioning their new ideas.
–
Oh, and because I think I haven’t ever said it, and was jogged out of that lapse by other comments recently.
Thank you for this blog.
I was attracted here initially because of my libertarian bent and your advocacy against the authoritarian prohibition laws, but that is only a (large) part of the daily mind banquet I enjoy.
You’re very welcome, Antonio. 🙂
@Maggie
The NYT knows the truth of just about everything, but chooses to lie instead. And the Daily News can’t claim too much ignorance either, although the DN is more of a tabloid than a newspaper.
Personally, I don’t pay one red cent for any newspaper. I’d pay for the Village Voice, but they’re a free paper (they used to charge for it).
I suspect a lot more newspapers know a lot more than they’re telling, but choose to either quote lying officials or to omit printing contradictory information which isn’t politically correct. That’s why I predicted that when the “trafficking” panic is over it’ll collapse quickly; most of the media outlets already have the proof that it’s bunk, but are afraid (of government and their readers both) to publish it.
Maggie,
“I suspect a lot more newspapers know a lot more than they’re telling”
Sam Debritto and Sam Brett over at the sydney morning herald have been give a TON of evidence of the genocide ongoing in Australia. They have public email addresses. It was also copied to reader feedback. The newspapers are totally controlled by the invisible guvment behind the visible guvment.
Example. Mortgages are fraudulent in Australia. Lots of people are refusing to pay them and the banks just shut up and the media suppresses this news. Now that they are ready to collapse the worlds economy they are allowing “news” stories about how mortgages are fraudulent and do not need to be paid leak out. One shill was on a national prime time current affairs program. At the SAME TIME my little court meeting video was suppressed into Australia.
Now. If the guvment allowed a piece on national prime time current affairs saying mortgages are fraudulent and do not need to be paid while BLOCKING my court video? What does that tell you about how much they control what people are allowed to see?
I wonder how many sex workers would like to stop paying their mortgages in the english speaking world. In all countries where the system of guvment is based on the magna carta mortgages are fraudulent. That includes the US.
When getting divorced we had a mortgage of $A225K. I told sweetums that I knew how to not pay it and she could have 70%. Apparently she didnt believe me and wanted 100% of the proceeds of sale after paying the mortgage. Women are not very good with numbers.
While cities provide greater access to information, it is also where the people and organisations with the greatest motivation and ability to manipulate public opinion are concentrated. Cities make it far too easy to insulate yourself from ideas and beliefs contrary to your own.
For the people with authority (however petty), oppression and suppression are always more profitable than promoting freedom. The greater the concentration of wealth and power, the greater the inducement to oppress.
I must admit though, that the Anglo-Saxon countries seem to persecute prostitutes with particular venom. Most other societies seem happy to turn a blind eye to the trade unless pressured by “Western” NGOs and the like. Even in Jakarta, capital of the largest Muslim nation in the world, the authorities set aside a huge area near the main port to accommodate thousands of prostitutes when I was there in the 1990s. There was even a police post at the entrance to ensure the safety of all concerned. The small hotel where I lived on a long term basis, was also the favourite venue for the Generals and other VIPs to tryst with their mistresses and prostitutes. There were always rows of expensive limousines parked outside with newspaper wrapped around their license plates.
The internet also makes it much too easy (perhaps deliberately) to exercise a confirmation bias rather than obtaining objective information. If you search for “sex trafficking” you won’t find articles about happy hookers.
As for the mainstream media, shock, horror, scandal, sell. Prostitutes living happily and comfortably would be boring.
Besides, everybody knows that prostitutes are murderous, thieving, disease ridden, pathetic, under-aged, victims who need to be rescued, de-loused, and then immediately sent to the salt mines where they can learn a proper vocation (while servicing the guards for free and with proper humility).
“As for the mainstream media, shock, horror, scandal, sell. Prostitutes living happily and comfortably would be boring.”
That, there, is the problem. Happy truth doesn’t sell copy. Freedom dies, because most people don’t go digging in tha Intarweb (“Its fulla dem weirdo liberal commie pinko pedopfile faggits, Ma, I tell yar”) because they can’t be buggered, and are happy to just tut at the mainstream media feeding them bullshit.
As someone from a teeny-tiny rural community, it’s always appeared to me that urban people (or at least the upper-class ones) tend to be much more condescending and intolerant, but I’ve never actually spent any significant amount of time in a big city, so I could be completely wrong. My opinions on this matter are based on what I’ve seen on TV and read in various places.
But the fact that you said the same thing without any prompting does give me some confidence that my opinions might be accurate.
I don’t for a minute think that politicians, be they urban or suburban, believe much of the tripe they spout. Like the current crop of Republican Presidential candidates and their economic “plans”, they know it’s rubbish. But it’s useful rubbish.
Trafficking, terrorism, drugs, all are excuses to expand their power, and that’s their real game. Take all these away and they would find another “crisis” whose only answer was more power for them.
This will continue as long as it works. As long as we panic on demand, and vote them more power over us, they’ll continue doing it. Urban or rural, stupid is evenly distributed.
I read one of those NiS stories and it was set in a rural high school. The big-city administrator type was all wrong about everything: the teens in the country were more mature than teens from the big city (or most adults from the big city for that matter) because they’d done farm work and gone hunting and were closer to nature. Not like those silly kids living the soft life in the big city. Even the administrator type’s security guys found out that the kids had out-flanked them — when you have to hunt for some of your food, you learn to be more alert.
I realized that almost the exact same story could have been set in some inner city: when you have to watch out for drive-by shootings and such, you grow up fast and learn to be more alert and blah blah blah, not like those silly country teens who never have to worry about anything worse than the chickens getting loose. Why here in the big city……………………..
I’m running off at the fingers here, but my point is that there probably isn’t much difference between the rural and the urban, except the excuses used to claim that there is.
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